THE WORK · LANE 02 — INTERNAL TOOLS
Internal tools that replace the spreadsheet, the Notion table, the half-Airtable — real validation, real audit logs, real exports.
Built around the actual workflow, not bent to whatever a no-code form allows. One senior hand from scope to launch, weekly demos, and a fixed band you can budget against.
BAND $15K–$45KTIMELINE 3–10 WEEKSOWNED BY YOU, DAY ONE
02 — THE CASE
What it replaces, what you get, and where the band lands — the three things to know before you commission.
Excel and Google Sheets stitched together by a fragile macro. Notion databases nobody trusts. Airtable bases that hit the row cap. Three SaaS subscriptions that almost — but never — talk to each other. The pain is daily; the fix is one build.
One interface, one database, one source of truth. A real web application with role-based access, real validation, real audit logs, and real exports — hosted on infrastructure you own, deployable to any cloud, auditable on day one.
Most internal tools land at $15K–$25K over 3–6 weeks; heavier builds run $25K–$45K over 6–10 weeks. Larger surface area or a multi-team workflow moves the work into portal range — $45K–$90K, 10–16 weeks — quoted in writing either way.
03 — THE PATTERN
THE SPREADSHEET, RETIRED
Migration is part of every discovery — your existing spreadsheet, Notion, or Airtable schema is mapped to the new data model and the migration script is written before cutover. Cutover itself is typically a single weekend, with a parallel-run period so nobody works without a net.
CUTOVER — ONE WEEKENDPARALLEL RUN INCLUDED
Read the stack04 — THE FIRST WEEK
Discovery is short, structured, and unmysterious. By Friday of week one you hold a workflow map, a data model, and a fixed-band quote.
A 90-minute workshop — a two-person video call with the people who run the work today. Every step of the current workflow goes on the table: which tools, which spreadsheets, who hands what to whom.
A second 90-minute call. The entities, the integrations — Stripe, CRM, ERP, email — the data sources, and the access roles, written into a data model you can read and challenge.
You receive the workflow map, data model, integration plan, deploy plan, and risk register — with a fixed-band quote attached. Half the discovery fee credits toward the build if you proceed within 30 days.
05 — QUESTIONS
Asked, in some form, by everyone who currently owns the spreadsheet.
No-code platforms work until they don't. The break point is usually one of: row caps, strange permission models, no real audit, painful CSV/SFTP imports, or pricing that scales with users. A custom internal tool removes those ceilings — you own the data, the auth, the queries, and the cost curve.
Yes — it's part of every discovery. We map your existing spreadsheet, Notion, or Airtable schema to the new data model and write the migration script. Cutover is typically a single weekend with a parallel-run period.
Every action is gated by role — Admin / Operator / Viewer is the default ladder, with custom roles added as discovery surfaces them. Every read and write is recorded in the audit log with timestamp and actor, exportable as CSV or queryable from SQL.
Standard internal tools are online-first — browser plus database. Offline-capable versions are possible (PWA, local-first storage, sync), but the architecture changes substantially, so that work moves into the Custom Web App band ($75K+).
You do. The default deploy is Vercel plus a managed PostgreSQL provider, both billed to you — or your own cloud account on AWS or GCP. The deployment is set up under your ownership during the build, so there is nothing to "transfer" at handoff.
It scales. The standard stack handles thousands of users with no architecture change. Hosting cost grows proportionally — database tier, bandwidth — but the application doesn't need a rewrite.
06 — BEGIN
Discovery starts where the pain is — a published fee, a written scope, and half the fee credited toward the build.
DELPHI APP DISCOVERY RIGHT FIT
The workflow walked, the data model written, the build banded — before you commit a dollar to it.
PREFER TO TALK FIRST
Outline the workflow in three sentences. The reply comes within one business day — from the person who would design and build the tool.
CREDIT RULE — 50% OF THE DISCOVERY FEE CREDITS TOWARD YOUR KICKOFF PROJECT RETAINER WITHIN 30 DAYS.