Software and growth systems for small teams
Custom internal tool development
Your team has a process that works because one person remembers all the exceptions. Orders live in a spreadsheet, status updates arrive in chat, and each new employee needs someone to explain which version to trust. I build internal applications around that workflow so small teams can operate without adding another layer of administration.
Build a business application — from £6,000 for a bounded scope. Requirements and acceptance checks determine the quote.
What the finished solution should accomplish
Give your team one place to manage work, validate records and see what needs attention, with a custom internal tool built around your process.
What this could look like in practice
A service business could manage jobs from enquiry through scheduling and completion. Staff see their assigned jobs, managers handle exceptions, and the history stays attached to the customer. That is a possible build, not a claim about an existing client. Start with the handoff that causes the most rework rather than rebuilding every department at once.
Decisions to make before building
Define who can create, edit and approve each record before designing screens. Decide which system owns customer information and how old records will be imported. A useful first release handles one complete workflow, including the awkward cases: duplicate customers, cancelled jobs and staff leaving. Those decisions make the tool dependable after the demonstration.
When a simpler option is enough
If a standard project-management app already models your workflow, configure it first. A spreadsheet with validation and clearer ownership can also be enough for a small, stable process. Custom development becomes worthwhile when exceptions, access rules or repeated handoffs keep forcing people outside the tools you pay for.
An initial scope could include
- Workflow map and agreed first-release boundary
- Role-based screens and validated data model
- Import plan, deployment and operating documentation
How we would check the work
- Run an ordinary job and a cancelled job end to end
- Check that staff cannot view another role’s restricted data
- Export the records and restore a backup
Can this replace all our business software?
It can, but that is rarely a sensible first engagement. Keep accounting, email and other established systems where they work. Build the missing operational layer, then expand only after the first workflow is used successfully.
Scope, ownership and working together
You work directly with Joel from discovery through implementation. We agree the outcome, exclusions and acceptance checks before a build. You receive access to the code, deployment and handover documentation. Hosting, third-party services and ongoing support are identified separately; owning the code does not make operating costs disappear.
Build a business application — from £6,000 for a bounded scope. Requirements and acceptance checks determine the quote. Permissions, migration, source-system access and the number of workflows affect scope. Hosting, maintenance and further milestones are agreed separately. Smaller extensions to existing infrastructure can receive a smaller quote.
Related next steps
Have a problem worth solving?
Tell me what you want to change, what is blocking it and the budget you have in mind. We can establish fit and agree the next step by email.
Send a project brief