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Worked examples of a first build

What a first build looks like for the kinds of business we work with: what you start with, what we build first, and what changes. Named case studies are published only with a client's written approval.

One example for each sector

Each example is the one on that sector's page: what the business starts with, what we build first, and what changes. Read the page for the full picture.

  • A 30-bed residential home with around 45 staff

    Before
    The rota is rebuilt in Excel every fortnight, the training matrix is a colour-coded spreadsheet, supervisions are in a Word log and the daily checks are on paper in ring binders.
    What we build
    • A staff list with roles and contracted hours
    • A four-week rota with shift templates, a skill-mix check per shift, open-shift requests to bank staff and a phone view for carers
    • A course list with renewal periods, certificate uploads and overdue reminders
    • Supervision and appraisal scheduling with a sign-off step
    • Tablet checklists for the weekly fire alarm test and the water and fridge temperatures
    • A payroll export matched to your provider
    • A one-click evidence pack PDF per CQC quality statement
    Outcome
    The manager sees what is overdue each morning, the evidence pack for an inspector is produced in a click, and it all sits beside your existing care-planning system.
    How long
    The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.
  • A four-gang firm with around 60 scaffolds standing

    Before
    A register pad and tag holders on site, a spreadsheet of live scaffolds that nobody updates, and extra-hire invoices raised from memory.
    What we build
    • A job record from quote to erect, handover, alterations, weekly inspections and off-hire
    • A phone inspection form that works offline on site
    • Handover and inspection PDFs
    • A hire counter that raises invoices into Xero at your chosen interval
    • A QR tag per scaffold
    • A board the office checks each morning for inspections due and hire weeks not yet billed
    Outcome
    The office knows every morning what is due for inspection and what has not been billed, and no inspection record can be lost.
    How long
    The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.
  • An eight-lorry firm with a small transfer station

    Before
    Bookings in a diary, skip locations on a whiteboard, permit dates tracked by hand and transfer notes in carbon books.
    What we build
    • An online and office booking screen with a skip-availability view
    • Permit tracking with reminders
    • A driver phone app with the day's run, photos and sign-off
    • A waste record per movement with EWC codes, carrier registration and destination, kept for the statutory period
    • Weighbridge ticket capture
    • Invoicing into Xero
    Outcome
    The waste record is produced once, as part of the job, and is structured so that digital waste tracking submissions can be added when your deadline arrives.
    How long
    The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.
  • A sauce and preserve maker with two production lines

    Before
    Supplier lot numbers written on delivery notes, batch sheets in Excel, finished lot numbers assigned by hand and the mock recall reconstructed from paper.
    What we build
    • An approved-supplier list
    • Goods-in with lot capture
    • Batch records per recipe with CCP checks and sign-off
    • Generated finished lot numbers
    • Dispatch notes linked to around 40 trade customers
    • A two-way trace screen with a mock-recall PDF
    • The allergen matrix
    • A temperature log
    Outcome
    Production staff use it on tablets at no per-user charge, and the mock recall takes minutes, in time for the next audit.
    How long
    The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.
  • A 30-run boarding kennels with a small cattery

    Before
    An A4 diary for availability, paper boarding cards per animal, vaccination certificates photographed on a phone and a register assembled by hand before the inspection.
    What we build
    • The availability chart
    • Online booking requests from your own website
    • The Schedule 4 register
    • Vaccination expiry checks
    • Tablet-signed consent forms
    • Daily care sheets
    • Deposits and invoices with online payment
    • A register export shaped to your council's inspection checklist
    Outcome
    Peak-season pricing and multi-pet discounts follow your own rules, and the register for any date range is a click, before the next peak.
    How long
    The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.
  • A three-technician firm with around 120 commercial contracts

    Before
    Contracts in a spreadsheet, visit reports on carbon pads, bait-station maps drawn in PowerPoint and trend analysis assembled by hand at audit time.
    What we build
    • The contract register and visit calendar
    • The technician's phone form with device checks, photos and signature
    • Branded PDF reports in your existing format
    • A numbered site map per client
    • A client portal with trend charts and report history
    • The chemical register
    • Invoicing into Xero
    Outcome
    Reports reach the client the same day, and the trend chart the auditor asks for is already in the portal, starting with your most audited clients.
    How long
    The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.
  • An agency managing 220 properties with four staff

    Before
    A master spreadsheet per property with every certificate date coloured by hand, Outlook reminders that depend on one person, and landlord statements rebuilt in Excel each month.
    What we build
    • A portfolio register with compliance items per property: gas annual, EICR five-yearly, EPC, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, licensing, deposit protection within 30 days, Right to Rent
    • Email reminders at your chosen intervals
    • A phone inspection checklist with a photo PDF
    • A maintenance job board with contractor emails
    • Monthly landlord statement PDFs from the ledger
    • A key register
    • A tenancy document file
    Outcome
    Nothing lapses unnoticed, and the monthly statements take minutes instead of a day.
    How long
    The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.
  • A first-aid and forklift training company with four trainers

    Before
    An Excel workbook of course dates and delegates, Word certificate templates, DVSA uploads done by hand and no system for renewal reminders.
    What we build
    • The course calendar
    • Employer and delegate records
    • Online booking with automatic joining instructions
    • An attendance register
    • Branded PDF certificates with unique numbers and expiry dates
    • 90, 60 and 30-day renewal emails with a rebooking link
    • A Driver CPC upload worklist flagging the five-working-day deadline
    • A CSV export in your awarding body's learner-registration format
    Outcome
    The refresher business comes back on its own, and the audit records are complete without re-keying.
    How long
    The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.
  • A training records spreadsheet

    Before
    A 40-row workbook with a tab per site, colour-coded renewal dates and certificates in a shared drive.
    What we build
    • A staff list with roles and sites
    • A course list with your own renewal periods
    • Certificate uploads against each record
    • Overdue flags and reminder emails
    • A one-page export for an inspector or an insurer
    Outcome
    The spreadsheet is imported on day one, and from then on the system chases the renewals.
    How long
    The delivery date is in the proposal, not in a sales pitch.

What all of them have in common

  • Logins for each member of staff, with permissions.
  • Reminders for anything with a date.
  • Exports for the accountant and the inspector.
  • An evidence pack or report in one click.
  • Accounts integration where it is in scope (Xero at minimum).
  • Hosted, backed up and supported afterwards.

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