Your build checklist: automating a task you do by hand
One page. What we'd build, when a cheap tool does it, and the three questions to answer first.
What we'd usually build
First we write down the task exactly as it happens today, step by step, including the parts that live in one person's head. Then we build the version that runs on its own: the order, form, email or message lands in one place, in one shape, and moves to where it needs to go. Anything that sends to a customer, charges money or commits you waits for a person to approve it. We set up checks that alert us when something fails, so we can look into it quickly. Everything is written down so it isn't a mystery when we're not there.
When a ready-made app does the job (and we'll say so)
Many tasks can be connected with a tool that costs a little each month, and some owners are happy setting that up themselves. We'll tell you if that's you. People come to us when the connections keep breaking, when nobody has time to keep them running, or when the task needs judgement built in: approvals, exceptions, and a plain record of what happened.
Three questions to answer before anyone builds
- What is the task, step by step, and who does it today?
- How many times a week, and how long does each one take?
- What happens when it goes wrong: what gets lost, and who finds out?
What it looks like to work with us
A 30-minute call, or a few lines by email. Then a project assessment: what to build, what to buy, what to skip. Then a written proposal with the scope, one fixed price and the schedule, before any work starts. We build it, show you as it takes shape, and hand over your code and your accounts. The assessment is yours whether or not you hire us.
One thing we can show you
Ourselves, first. About twenty small automated jobs run Buzzy: lead capture from this site, keeping our contacts in sync, approval cards before anything sends, and monitoring. Client automation work is in build, not shipped, and we'd rather say so than let it read as a portfolio.
Want us to look at yours?
Tell us what's slow in one line. We read every note ourselves.