When should you consider a custom app? Most organizations big or small will encounter a bottleneck in their workflow at some point in their growth. This usually happens when out of the box software becomes cumbersome and tangled with workarounds. For smaller organizations this can often manifest itself early. This is usually because there is a product or service that is unique and valuable to their clients and there are people wearing many hats trying to accomplish the necessary tasks.Here are a few common areas where this becomes apparent:
Accounting and billing software that doesn’t handle special inventory tracking or custom invoicing that is unique to the organization.
Contract administration that has special requirements and term.
Proprietary multi-step processes that require coordination of people and assets.
Outside data that is ingested and then utilized for the organization.
These things and many more make up the ingredients used in the “special sauce” that makes an organization unique and gives it a competitive edge.Here are some signals that you may need a custom app:
Spreadsheets that become critical to operation. These often contain static data (snapshots), and require manual work.
Word processing documents and emails that require manual input or formatting that feel repetitive.
QuickBooks workarounds that require dual entry.
Static reporting to help track moving processes.
You feel the need to add staff merely to reduce clerical workload.
There are single use specialty apps that can gather and send information in an efficient manner. Think of these as simple robots that help make certain repetitive tasks simple and accurate. This type of app could go to your webstore, pull sales and generate order forms, emails updates, reports and even send updates back to the store. Another example might be survey data that is downloaded from a webform and then assembled into reports and charts for internal use or as an email to outside parties.Other apps can be much more complex. Sometimes they start with a simple app that retrieves data and starts an entire process that tracks the job from start to finish. This could involve multiple inputs and even finish with a deliverable like an invoice or a report and quite possibly create entries for your accounting system.Most workgroups and/or small organizations don’t have the resources to retain staff to write custom apps and if they do, these people often become backlogged very quickly with projects that may conflict with an internal process mission.
SideKick Solutions has been providing Custom Apps for our clients for over 20 years and our developers have been doing it even longer. Chances are good we’ve helped someone with unique needs that are similar yours. We also have the practical experience to help you decide which things to prioritize and even what may be most practical. We create solutions that can be flexible as your needs change.
-Dwayne Schwartz
