Illustrative workflow
Moving a spreadsheet process into a web application
A shared spreadsheet becomes a web application with forms, approvals, and a record of every change. This is an example of how it could work, not a client case study.
The starting problem
An operations team runs a critical process from a shared spreadsheet: requests, approvals, and status updates. Versions conflict, formulas break, and only one person understands the whole sheet.
Where a person intervenes
- Approvers review and decide on each request in the application.
- An administrator manages users, roles, and the lists of options people choose from.
- The team lead reviews reports that previously required manual spreadsheet work.
How the workflow operates
- 01
The current spreadsheet is mapped: columns, formulas, who edits what, and which rules live only in people's heads.
- 02
A web application replaces the sheet with forms for each request type and validation for required fields.
- 03
Approvals happen in the application, with a record of who approved what and when.
- 04
Status changes notify the right people automatically.
- 05
Existing data is cleaned and imported, and the spreadsheet is archived as read-only.
What it depends on
Whether this works in your business depends on these, so we confirm them before design.
- The current spreadsheet and a person who understands every column and formula
- A list of who edits what, and who approves which requests
- Rules that live only in people’s heads, written down and confirmed
- A plan for cleaning and importing the existing data
What happens when something fails
Every automated step needs a defined fallback and an owner.
- If an approver is unavailable, the request goes to a named backup after an agreed wait.
- If imported data fails validation, it is listed for a person to correct and not silently dropped.
- If a notification cannot be sent, the status change is still recorded and the failure is logged.
- If a user makes a mistake, the change history shows who changed what and when.
Services to explore
Industries where this fits
Other example workflows
Have a workflow like this?
Tell us what happens today and what you’d like to happen instead. We’ll sketch how it could work, including where your team stays in control.