How Syncretic switched ‘on’ a new software standard for the lighting industry.
In late 2023, Ed and Mike Nykaza, two brothers based in the greater Chicago area, shared a conversation that would unexpectedly reshape Chicago Lightworks and serve as the starting point for what would eventually be called Syncretic.
The discussion centered on an unanswered data analytics question by the CLW team; while Mike and his colleagues had built a thriving business, culture, and team, they couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to be done to improve the bottom line.
Mike sought his brother’s guidance with good reason. With a multi-decade background in data science and software, Ed was able to provide a perspective grounded in areas of practice distinctive from the lighting industry, though valuable for any organization managing cross-functional, data-dense workflows.
The two agreed it would be advantageous for Ed to lead an analysis of the company’s current data analytics and supporting software—an effort that eventually concluded in the mutual realization, as Ed states it, “Chicago Lightworks didn’t have a data analytics problem, they had a software problem.”
This is where Pablo Bariola enters the story. A past colleague of Ed’s, Pablo built a career in human-centered software design and development; the two maintained a relationship following collaboration in a past professional life. Ed knew Pablo would bring a beneficial lens to the software evaluation for CLW.
As it works in life, sometimes people come together in the right place and time. It just happened that Pablo was in the early stages of designing an AI-guided software solution—a vision for how companies could employ large language models, LLMs, to evolve how work flows across organizations’ areas of practice and people.
Beyond boosting productivity, Pablo was seeking to shift people’s experience of work for the better.
Within a matter of weeks, the two took on a two-day on-site assessment in the CLW Lisle offices, including a series of interactive exercises to inspire collective awareness and understanding of the current state of work at the company, and spark excitement among the team as they began envisioning the right solution.
Entering the project, they proposed three possible outcomes—a trio of assessment results maintained by Syncretic, today. They would recommend one of the following:
Reconfiguration of the current CLW software stack to improve user experience.
Alternative tools drawing from existing industry options.
A customized solution to meet the distinctive needs of the Windy City lighting agency.
Ed and Pablo shared over twenty conversations with CLW staff spanning the agency’s divisions—professionals working together to deliver on hundreds of in-motion lighting contracts. The results were striking.
In addition to identifying a series of readily addressable practice and process issues, they uncovered a larger truth—while the company’s current software offered some of the functionality required by the CLW team, its inflexibility and lack of customization capabilities introduced impactful barriers to productivity.
With the report in hand, the next best step was clear for both CLW and the duo that would soon become Syncretic; a moment in time that continues to serve as a meaningful demonstration of the power of human-centered software design for our team.
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Syncretic • \sin-KRET-ik\ • mixing different cultures, philosophies, or ideas—into something new.
Interested in exploring how Syncretic AI-guided software can meet the unique needs of your organization? Please reach out—we’d welcome sharing a conversation with you.
