1 · Define the job
Can the problem be stated without naming software?
- Write the trigger, the people involved, the required inputs, the decisions, and the final outcome.
- Measure frequency, active labor, elapsed delay, error rate, rework, customer impact, and owner intervention.
- Name the system of record and the person accountable for the workflow.
- Separate required controls from habits that accumulated over time.
If the team cannot agree on the workflow or policy, software will encode the disagreement. Resolve that first.
2 · Choose the smallest intervention
Use this order of operations.
Eliminate or simplify
Remove an unnecessary approval, duplicate entry, report, or handoff before automating it.
Configure what is already owned
Use native fields, views, forms, templates, alerts, permissions, and workflow rules when they fit the real need.
Connect stable systems
Add an integration when each side has a clear owner, reliable identifiers, and an understood failure path.
Build the missing layer
Use focused custom software when the workflow is differentiating, crosses several systems, or cannot be represented responsibly in the existing stack.
3 · Readiness check
Do not begin a build without these answers.
Who decides and who operates it?
Name one business owner, day-to-day users, and the person responsible after handoff.
What is the source of truth?
Identify required fields, record identifiers, retention needs, migration scope, and data that should not be collected.
What happens off the happy path?
Document overrides, duplicates, missing information, offline work, failed integrations, and escalation.
Who may see and change what?
Define roles, approvals, client access, audit needs, and account removal before launch.
How will the team know it works?
Write real scenarios with expected outputs, response times, and ownership—not “the dashboard looks right.”
How does the business retain control?
Plan exports, documentation, credentials, vendor dependencies, backups, and what happens if the system is retired.
4 · Decision signals
When custom software is—and is not—the answer.
Consider a focused build when…
The workflow is stable and valuable, spans several tools, requires a distinct interface, carries repeat volume, and has a committed owner.
Pause the build when…
The policy changes weekly, the problem is low-volume, native capabilities are unused, ownership is unclear, or nobody can define acceptance.
See custom business software and integrations for the GroundWorks approach, or use the automation ROI guide to test the economics.