Licences and users
What will the product cost with the number of users you expect in a few years, and which parts go unused?
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- Custom software
Systems built around how you work.
We build internal tools, customer portals and business systems when off-the-shelf software does not fit the way you work. The system is designed around your workflows, connected to what you already have and built to be maintained for a long time.
When it fits
When a system of your own is the right choice.
A custom system often fits when
- The work happens in spreadsheets, email and documents that have grown into a system nobody owns.
- Off-the-shelf software needs workarounds, or you pay for a lot you do not use.
- The process is central to what sets you apart and needs to work your way.
- Information from several systems needs to be brought together and used in one place.
- An existing system needs to be developed further or rebuilt.
Something else often fits better when
- A standard product covers the need with small adjustments.
- The process changes so often that it has not settled yet.
- There is no plan for who will maintain the system after delivery.
Build or buy
A decision about the full cost over time.
We compare the options on development, licences, integrations, hosting and maintenance, and on how well the solution fits the work. Sometimes an off-the-shelf product is the best choice, and then we recommend it.
Adjustments and workarounds
How much work does it take to make a standard product fit, and what is still done on the side?
Integrations
What does it take for the solution to work with your other systems, and who maintains the connections?
Hosting and dependencies
Who runs the system, what do hosting and maintenance cost, and how dependent do you become on a single vendor?
What it can be
From spreadsheet to business system.
- 01
Internal tools
Admin interfaces, case handling, planning and follow-up, designed around the steps your team takes.
- 02
Customer portals
One place where customers see status, documents and details and can submit information themselves.
- 03
Spreadsheet replacements
Workflows that have grown in spreadsheets become a web application with a database, permissions and history, without losing the logic.
- 04
Calculations and pricing
Pricing, quotes and other calculations that are done by hand or across several files today.
- 05
Overview and reporting
Dashboards and data warehouses that bring together information from several systems, so everyone works from the same figures.
- 06
Existing systems
We review what you have and develop it further where that is technically and contractually possible.
An illustrative example
From shared spreadsheet to web application.
- A shared spreadsheet
- The logic is mapped
- Database and permissions
- Web application for the team
- Connected to other systems
A company handles quotes in a spreadsheet that several people edit. Formulas, price lists and exceptions have grown over several years. Together with the people who use it, we go through the logic, move the data into a database and build a web application where everyone sees what they need. The calculations are checked against the spreadsheet, changes are logged and quotes are passed on to the CRM and accounting system.
The example is illustrative and does not describe a specific client engagement.
Ownership and maintenance
Clear from the start who owns and is responsible for what.
Ownership is set in the engagement
Ownership of code, data and infrastructure, licences and responsibility for hosting are clarified and agreed before development starts.
External dependencies are set out
We document which services and components the system relies on and what they cost, so the dependencies are known.
Built to be maintained
Maintainable architecture, documentation and handover mean the system can be run and developed further after delivery.
- When is it worth building a custom system instead of buying one?
- When a standard product needs extensive workarounds, when licence costs grow with more users, or when the process is central to what sets you apart. If an off-the-shelf product covers the need with small adjustments, it is usually cheaper and faster. We compare the options on the full cost over time before anything is built.
- What does a custom internal system cost?
- It depends on how many features, users and integrations are needed. A focused tool for one team is a smaller project than a business system that replaces several products. We provide an estimate after the review and set out hosting, licence and maintenance costs separately. It is often possible to start with a first version that covers what matters most.
- Can an Excel-based workflow be replaced with a web application?
- Yes. We go through formulas, sheets and exceptions with the people who use the file, move the data into a database and build an application with permissions, history and connections to other systems. The calculations are checked against the spreadsheet before it is retired.
- Can you review or develop our existing system further?
- Yes, when the necessary access and rights are in place. We start by reviewing the code, documentation and hosting, and set out what can be built on and what should be redone.
- Who owns the code?
- Ownership of code, data and infrastructure is set in the engagement and agreed before development starts, together with licences, external dependencies and responsibility for hosting and maintenance.
- What happens after delivery?
- We hand over documentation and go through the system with the people who will use and maintain it. How maintenance and further development are handled after that is agreed in the engagement.
Let’s start with your everyday work
What is missing from the systems you have today?
We start with a conversation to understand your needs and explore the possibilities together. You do not need to know what could be improved – we help you explore that.