Start with the Monday morning job

If a tool does not change Monday morning, it is a demonstration. We begin every engagement with the person who runs the messy process, not with a slide about the process.

That conversation is specific. Which file do they open first? Which number do they not trust? Who do they message when a delivery is late, a cooler is warm, or an invoice does not match the contract? Those answers become the fields, the exceptions, and the report.

A first version should cover that morning, not every department. Once the team uses it for a real week, the next gaps are obvious, and they are cheaper to fix than a large plan written in advance.

Bring that Monday to the first call. The tools you already pay for, and the hour that still depends on a person and a spreadsheet, are enough to start.