Insights
Better decisions before the build.
Practical guidance on choosing the right software project, defining its scope, and putting it into use.
Software strategy
Should you buy software, connect your tools, or build something custom?
How to separate the business problem from the implementation choice, and why AI-accelerated development has moved the answer toward building.
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Project planning
How to scope the first release of an operational application.
Choose one complete task, account for the exceptions, and define what the team needs to put the software into use.
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Systems integration
Integrating systems after an acquisition: a practical sequence.
How to connect an acquired business’s applications and records without stopping the operation, starting with record ownership and then the flows that matter most.
Read the guideSoftware strategy
Guides on software strategy.
Should you buy software, connect your tools, or build something custom?
How to separate the business problem from the implementation choice, and why AI-accelerated development has moved the answer toward building.
Read the guideField service management software or a custom build: how to choose.
Buy field service management software when your scheduling, dispatch, and invoicing follow common patterns. Consider a custom build, or custom work around a purchased platform, when your jobs, pricing, compliance records, or integrations do not fit the package.
Read the guideProject planning
Guides on project planning.
How to scope the first release of an operational application.
Choose one complete task, account for the exceptions, and define what the team needs to put the software into use.
Read the guideHow to write a software project brief without a full specification.
A useful brief describes the business problem, the people involved, the task the software must complete, the systems it touches, and the constraints that apply. It leaves detailed design to later, when a development partner can inspect the work.
Read the guideWhat is an MVP, and when should a business build one?
An MVP, or minimum viable product, is the smallest release that lets real users complete a real task. Build one when the main uncertainty is whether people will use it, not how to build it.
Read the guideShould we build a web app or a mobile app?
Build a web app when people work at desks or find you through a browser. Build a mobile app when they need the camera, location, offline access, or notifications. Many businesses start with web and add mobile later.
Read the guideSystems integration
Guides on systems integration.
Integrating systems after an acquisition: a practical sequence.
How to connect an acquired business’s applications and records without stopping the operation, starting with record ownership and then the flows that matter most.
Read the guideHow to connect your CRM and accounting system.
Decide which system is the source for each record, map customers, products, and tax codes between them, then turn won deals into invoices and send payments back to the CRM through a native connector, an integration platform, or custom code.
Read the guideNo-code automation tools vs custom integration: how to choose.
No-code automation tools suit simple, low-volume flows between popular apps that one person can maintain. Custom integration fits when volume, complex rules, security needs, or business-critical records make a failed or silent run expensive.
Read the guideWhich business processes should you automate first?
Automate first the processes that are frequent, rule-based, and stable, where manual handling causes errors or delays customers feel. Good starting points include order entry, invoicing, status updates, routine approvals, and moving data between systems.
Read the guideHow to fix data that disagrees across business systems.
Name one system of record for each type of data, agree on shared identifiers and definitions, clean existing duplicates, then sync changes outward from that source with monitoring and reconciliation checks that catch new disagreements early.
Read the guideBudgeting and buying
Guides on budgeting and buying.
What shapes the cost of custom software?
The workflows, integrations, data, permissions, and release boundaries that set the scope of a custom application, and how to get a written price you can rely on.
Read the guideWhat to ask when choosing a software development partner.
The questions that show who will do the work, how scope and price are set, how quality and security are handled, and how the finished system is documented.
Read the guideFixed price or time and materials: which contract fits a software project?
Fixed price fits work whose scope can be written down and checked before building starts. Time and materials fits work that is still being discovered. Many projects combine them: a priced first release, then flexible later phases.
Read the guideHow to get out of an expensive software contract.
Read the contract for the renewal date, notice window, and export rights, measure what the business actually uses, and prepare a real alternative. Then renegotiate, switch, or replace, giving notice before the auto-renewal window closes.
Read the guideShould we renew our software vendor or replace it before the renewal?
Renew when the product fits the work at a fair price. Consider replacing it when the business uses a narrow part of it, works around it, or pays more each term for the same use. Decide before the notice deadline.
Read the guideHow to plan a software vendor exit before the renewal date.
Work backward from the notice deadline: confirm the terms, test the export, run the replacement in parallel, and move users in groups. Then give notice, archive records, and close accounts once nothing depends on the old system.
Read the guideHow to get business data out of a software vendor.
Check the contract for export rights and transition assistance, find every export route the product offers, and test a full export early. Confirm formats, attachments, history, and record links, then reconcile the export before the contract ends.
Read the guideWhat to do when per-seat software fees grow with every hire.
Audit who uses each seat and how, move occasional users to lighter roles, and negotiate pricing tied to use rather than headcount. Where many people need only one task, a focused tool built around that task can replace their seats.
Read the guideOperations
Guides on operations.
How to replace a spreadsheet that runs part of your business.
How to recognize when a spreadsheet has become the system of record, what to build first, and how to move the data and the team without losing the numbers.
Read the guideHow to automate quoting and approval workflows.
Document how quotes are built and approved, turn pricing and discount rules into explicit logic, route approvals by threshold, and connect accepted quotes to orders and invoicing so nobody has to retype them.
Read the guideHow to manage inventory across multiple locations and warehouses.
Keep one record of each item’s quantity at each location, treat transfers as tracked transactions with an in-transit state, make every adjustment traceable, and define how sales channels reserve stock from specific sites.
Read the guideHow to replace paper forms and inspection checklists with an app.
Start from the process the form supports, design phone-friendly checklists that work offline, capture photos and signatures as evidence, route findings to the people who act on them, and roll out one form at a time.
Read the guideHow to choose staff scheduling software for multi-site businesses with complex rules.
Before choosing software, write down every scheduling rule and separate hard constraints from preferences. Store sites, roles, and qualifications as data, plan for changes after publishing, and connect scheduling to time tracking and payroll.
Read the guideCustomer platforms
Guides on customer platforms.
What should a B2B customer portal include?
A B2B customer portal should let customers complete the requests they now handle by phone or email: placing and tracking orders, viewing invoices and documents, managing their users, and getting accurate status, all drawn from your core systems.
Read the guideWhat a B2B ordering portal for distributors and wholesalers needs to do.
A B2B ordering portal lets trade customers see their contract prices, stock, and order history, place and repeat orders online, and send orders straight into your ERP or accounting system, so your team stops rekeying emails and phone orders.
Read the guideAI
Guides on AI.
Where does AI belong in an operational workflow, and where does it not?
AI belongs at steps that read, sort, summarize, or draft from unstructured information, with a person reviewing the result. It does not belong where answers must be exact, rule-bound, or auditable.
Read the guideHow to use AI to process invoices and business documents.
Use AI to read each document and extract its fields, then validate those fields against purchase orders, vendor records, and business rules, and send anything uncertain to a person before it posts.
Read the guideHow to build an internal AI knowledge assistant safely.
Build it to answer only from approved, current sources, enforce each user’s existing permissions when retrieving documents, cite the source for every answer, and keep people responsible for content, review, and access.
Read the guideHow do you integrate AI agents with existing business systems like ERP and CRM?
Give the agent a short list of approved actions in each system, exposed through an integration layer that checks the requesting person’s permissions, routes consequential changes for approval, and records every call. Then evaluate it on real past cases.
Read the guideShould we build a custom AI agent or use an off-the-shelf AI product like Copilot?
Use an off-the-shelf product or copilot where its built-in connectors cover the task. Build a custom agent, or a custom integration layer for the product, when the work spans internal systems, custom data, or approval rules it cannot see.
Read the guideWhat shapes the cost of building a custom AI agent?
The cost of a custom AI agent depends mostly on how many systems it must reach, how easy they are to connect to, how many actions it may take, the controls those actions need, and the evaluation and monitoring required.
Read the guideHow do you connect AI agents to legacy systems without modern APIs?
Put a controlled integration layer in front of the legacy system. It reaches the data through a restricted database account, file exports, a message queue, or, as a last resort, the screens, and offers the agent only approved, tested actions.
Read the guideHow do you keep an AI agent within safe limits with permissions, approvals, and an audit trail?
Enforce limits in code, not in the agent’s instructions: a written list of approved actions, each person’s permissions checked on every action, human approval for consequential steps, a complete audit trail, and a way to switch the agent off.
Read the guideWhat is an MCP server, and when does a business need one?
An MCP server offers a business’s data and actions to AI applications through the Model Context Protocol, an open standard. A business needs one when several AI tools must use the same internal systems under the same rules.
Read the guideModernization
Guides on modernization.
Rewrite, refactor, or replatform: how to choose for legacy software.
Refactor when the design still fits the business but the code is hard to change. Replatform when the hosting or runtime is the problem. Rewrite only when the underlying data model and workflows no longer fit how the business operates.
Read the guideHow to replace a legacy application in phases.
Map what the legacy application actually does, then replace it one complete workflow at a time, keeping records consistent between old and new systems until each piece is proven and the old one can be retired.
Read the guideWhat to do when your software developer or agency leaves.
Secure administrative access to every account and system first, then collect the source, credentials, and deployment steps, keep the application running without changes, and bring in a new team to assess the code before planning new work.
Read the guideHow to move an on-premises business application to the cloud.
Start by inventorying what the application depends on, then choose between rehosting, replatforming, or rebuilding for each part, move data with a tested cutover plan, and run both environments side by side until the cloud version proves itself.
Read the guideHow to replace industry-specific software without stopping operations.
Map every job the industry system does, including customer-facing features and automatic reports, then replace one workflow at a time while the subscription keeps running, timing each cutover for a quiet period and reconciling the data before moving on.
Read the guidePrivate equity
Guides on private equity.
What technology due diligence should cover for a services business.
For a services or multi-location business, technology due diligence should trace how work is scheduled, dispatched, quoted, and billed, find where spreadsheets and personal accounts carry the load, and identify who alone understands each system.
Read the guideHow software initiatives fit into a private equity value creation plan.
Software belongs in a value creation plan when it directly supports a lever in the thesis, such as pricing, margin, integration, or reporting, with an accountable executive, a measurable outcome, and phased releases the operating team can adopt.
Read the guideHow to integrate the systems of add-on acquisitions in a buy-and-build.
Integrating add-on acquisitions one after another works best with a written platform standard, a reusable integration kit, a clear split between day-one and later work, a rule for migrating versus connecting, and a review after each deal.
Read the guideHow to collect KPI reporting from portfolio companies on different systems.
Portfolio company KPI reporting works when the fund agrees on metric definitions first, extracts data directly from each company’s accounting and operating systems, reconciles it in a shared data layer, and keeps definitions stable as add-ons arrive.
Read the guideHow AI creates value at a private equity portfolio company.
AI creates value at a portfolio company when it handles frequent, rule-based work such as documents, customer service, quoting, and collections, is proven on real cases before rollout, operates under clear controls, and is then repeated across the portfolio.
Read the guideHow to stand up systems after a carve-out before the TSA ends.
A carve-out exits its transition services agreement by inventorying every service the parent provides, deciding which to replace with purchased products and which to build, migrating data out, running both in parallel until the numbers match, then cutting over in order.
Read the guideHow to reduce key-person risk in a company’s technology before exit.
Find every system that depends on one person, move administrative access and credentials into accounts the company controls, write runbooks someone else can follow, spread knowledge across at least two people, and test the result as a buyer would.
Read the guideHow to prioritize technology investments at a portfolio company across the hold period.
Tie every technology initiative to a value creation lever, fix the risks that threaten operations first, fund the work that builds value next, prepare for exit as work ships, and budget each phase against a written scope.
Read the guideHow to consolidate reporting after an acquisition.
Agree on shared definitions for revenue, margin, and other key measures across both businesses, map customers, products, and locations between their systems, build a reporting layer that reconciles to both ledgers, and automate the most-used reports first.
Read the guideAcquired companies on different CRMs and ERPs: consolidate, connect, or leave alone?
Leave a system alone when the acquired business runs well on it and little needs sharing, connect systems when you need shared records and reporting now, and consolidate onto one platform once processes, data, and the target system are settled.
Read the guideThe first 100 days: a technology plan after a private equity acquisition.
A 100-day technology plan secures access and accounts, stabilizes the systems the business runs on, turns diligence into an inventory and risk list, delivers the reporting the fund needs first, and scopes one value creation project in writing.
Read the guideHow to build a board reporting dashboard from QuickBooks and your CRM.
Agree on what the board package must show, define revenue, bookings, and margin in writing, pull data from QuickBooks and the CRM on a schedule into one reporting layer, and reconcile it against the books before each meeting.
Read the guideHow to standardize processes across acquired companies before the next add-on.
Define one standard process for the work every location does, build it once as the platform company’s system, move each add-on onto it with a repeatable plan, and allow local variation only where the business genuinely requires it.
Read the guideWhat will buyers look at in our systems at exit?
Buyers examine who controls system access, how secure and documented the systems are, which people and vendors they depend on, whether the data reconciles, and which contracts and licenses transfer. Preparing answers early keeps findings from weakening the terms.
Read the guideHow to build pricing and quoting discipline at a portfolio company.
Pricing discipline means moving pricing rules out of spreadsheets and people’s heads into a documented, shared system, requiring approval for discounts beyond set limits, showing margin on every quote, and applying the same rules at every location and add-on.
Read the guideWhat systems does a shared services back office need after acquisitions?
A shared services back office needs one finance system or a consolidated chart of accounts, shared purchasing and vendor records, a common HR and payroll platform where practical, and reporting that shows results by company and in total.
Read the guideWhat should a search fund CEO do about the acquired company’s systems after closing?
Secure access and backups first, inventory the systems and capture what the founder knows, build investor reporting from connected records, then decide about the expensive vertical tool in phases while preparing shared records for add-ons.
Read the guideIndustries
Guides for specific industries.
What custom healthcare software must handle to support HIPAA requirements.
Custom healthcare software that handles protected health information needs access controls, audit logging, encryption, secure hosting under a business associate agreement, backups, and minimum-necessary data practices, confirmed against the organization’s obligations with counsel or compliance advisers.
Read the guideHow should a multi-location dental group track referrals?
Referral tracking software for a multi-location dental group records each referral from source to scheduled and completed treatment, across every office, so the group can see which referring providers send patients, where referrals stall, and who follows up.
Read the guideWhat should construction change order management software do?
Construction change order management software tracks each change from the first field issue through pricing, approval, and billing, keeps the cost and schedule impact visible, and records who approved what, so changes get paid and disputes have evidence.
Read the guideWhen does a manufacturer need custom software alongside its ERP?
Manufacturers need custom software when a core workflow, such as quoting, scheduling, shop floor tracking, or quality, cannot be done well inside the ERP. The usual answer is a focused application connected to the ERP, not a replacement.
Read the guideHow can a law firm automate client intake and engagement?
A law firm can automate client intake and engagement by collecting inquiries through structured forms, running conflict checks before substantive details are gathered, generating engagement letters from approved templates, and opening the matter once the client signs.
Read the guideHow should a fintech product design its ledger on top of a banking partner?
A fintech built on a banking partner should keep an internal double-entry ledger that records every customer balance and money movement, reconciles daily against the partner bank’s records, and treats the bank as the holder of funds.
Read the guideHow do accounting firms combine practice systems and client data after a merger?
Inventory what each firm runs, choose which system holds each record, match clients and services with agreed definitions, and migrate outside tax season. A shared reporting layer gives leadership one view while offices converge.
Read the guideHow can a staffing agency automate timesheets, payroll, and invoicing?
Capture hours once, have the client approve them in a portal, check them against the placement’s pay and bill rates, and post the same approved record to payroll and invoicing, with exceptions routed to a person.
Read the guideShould a home services platform move acquired brands onto one field service system?
Not by default. Connect the brands first: shared booking, memberships, and reporting on common definitions. Consolidate a brand onto one field service system when the comparison shows the move pays for the disruption to its technicians and dispatchers.
Read the guideHow to automate maintenance requests and vendor dispatch on top of AppFolio or Yardi.
Keep AppFolio or Yardi as the record for leases and the ledger. Add structured intake, triage rules, vendor dispatch with insurance checks, and a vendor view, then sync work orders and bills back to the property management system.
Read the guideHow do law firms connect practice management, document management, and billing?
Law firms connect these systems by naming one record for each kind of matter data, opening the matter once and pushing it to document management and billing, and syncing time and invoices through each system’s API or scheduled exports.
Read the guideHow can a veterinary group report consistently across hospitals on different practice systems?
A veterinary group gets consistent reporting by agreeing on shared definitions for visits, clients, and revenue, pulling data from each practice system into one reporting layer, and reconciling it against accounting, while hospitals keep running the systems they have.
Read the guideHow can a training provider automate enrollment, scheduling, and certificates?
A training provider automates enrollment, scheduling, and credentials by creating each student once, scheduling classes against instructor and room availability, issuing credentials from attendance and assessment rules, and syncing everything with the learning platform and accounting.
Read the guideHow to check AI legal research for hallucinated citations.
Treat every citation in AI output as unverified until it has been read in its source: confirm the authority exists, says what the draft claims, is quoted word for word, and is still good law. Then build those checks into the tool and the firm’s AI policy.
Read the guideHow a small law firm chooses and rolls out a legal AI tool.
Start from the work, not the product: list the tasks the firm wants help with, compare the tools tied to its research service and practice system on real matters, then roll out with connections, workflows, a written AI use policy, and training by role.
Read the guideHow to redesign a law firm website without losing search visibility.
List every page and the searches it brings in, keep or improve the content that earns visits, redirect every old address to its matching new page, carry over titles and structured data, and check the move in Search Console after launch.
Read the guideHow a law firm answers every new inquiry.
Bring every call, form, chat, and email into one queue with a person responsible, acknowledge each inquiry at once, screen and check conflicts before gathering details, book the consultation, and follow up with people who do not book.
Read the guideHow does a business unit at a large company get a custom application built outside the central IT backlog?
Scope the initiative in writing, bring IT and enterprise architecture in early, pass security review and procurement as part of the work, connect to the systems of record, and plan the handover to internal teams from the start.
Read the guideHow should a venture-backed startup prepare its software for due diligence in the next funding round?
Document how the system works, tidy access and security basics, reduce dependence on any one person, tie reported metrics to the underlying data, and write down known risks honestly before investors start their technical review.
Read the guideHow does a family office consolidate reporting across operating companies and investments?
Map every entity and what it holds, connect each accounting and investment system as the record for its part, agree on definitions and access first, then build the consolidated view in phases around the principals’ real questions.
Read the guideHow do ESOP companies share operating performance with employee-owners?
Pick a few measures people can influence, define them in plain language, show each at the level where people work, build them from shared records, and leave plan values and valuation to the plan’s advisors.
Read the guideHow does an owner-led business choose its first custom software project?
Pick one complete workflow that worries the owner, depends on one or two people, and touches systems already in place. Scope it in writing, agree on the price before work starts, and let the result guide the next project.
Read the guideHow does a franchisor get consistent sales and royalty reporting from franchisees on different systems?
Agree on one definition of reportable sales, connect each point of sale or field service system by API or file import, calculate royalties under each agreement’s terms, and have finance review the amounts before invoicing.
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