By type of organisation
Needs vary depending on the size and organisation of your company. Here are some common directions, to be adapted to your situation during a first conversation.
By profile
Each profile faces different constraints. Here is how I approach the most common needs.
SituationMany manual tasks, little time for tooling.
Frequent needsSave time, make follow-up reliable.
Possible solutionsTargeted automations, small tools, simple dashboards.
First stepList the repetitive tasks of the week.
SituationTools that don't talk to each other.
Frequent needsReduce double entry, centralise information.
Possible solutionsConnectors, automated imports, lightweight database.
First stepIdentify the files exchanged between tools.
SituationProcesses that outgrow what a spreadsheet can handle.
Frequent needsStructure, track, make reliable.
Possible solutionsInternal apps, reporting, API integrations.
First stepMap a key process to make reliable.
SituationProduction tasks repeated on every project.
Frequent needsIndustrialise without losing flexibility.
Possible solutionsScripts, automations, internal tools.
First stepPick a task repeated across all projects.
SituationNeed for ad-hoc tools for specific assignments.
Frequent needsShip a targeted, documented tool quickly.
Possible solutionsMVPs, scripts, prototypes, data processing.
First stepDefine the minimal useful scope.
SituationMany files, data entries and reports.
Frequent needsReduce errors and time spent.
Possible solutionsDocument automation, imports, reports.
First stepSpot the most time-consuming report.
SituationScattered, poorly documented scripts.
Frequent needsConsolidate and make maintainable.
Possible solutionsCode rework, documentation, monitoring.
First stepList the critical undocumented scripts.
SituationLow backup visibility, uncertain control.
Frequent needsSupervise and test backups.
Possible solutionsControl tools, alerts, restore tests.
First stepCheck the last successful restore.
A single simple tool to replace several spreadsheets, with a deliberately narrow scope.
Internal applications for several teams, with access management and consolidated reporting.
Project-tracking tools, client report generation and automation of recurring tasks.
Small personal tools: activity tracking, document generation, administrative automation.
Add-ons to existing infrastructure: monitoring, automation scripts, internal dashboards.
Monitoring and backup tools connected directly to the on-site infrastructure.
Integrations between existing tools to limit manual data re-entry.
Designing a dedicated application when no off-the-shelf tool matches the actual process.
Example use cases — these are not client references.