7 signs it’s time for a custom system

If your main EXCEL is called “final_v27.xlsx”, this post is for you. 👋

How to know you’ve outgrown spreadsheets ? Here - 7 signs it’s time for a custom system:

1. No one knows which file is the “latest version”;

2. Copy-paste and manual checks eat hours every week;

3. You can’t set proper roles/permissions or track who changed what;

4. Reporting means exporting, merging and fixing data by hand;

5. Processes jump between several tools with gaps in the middle;

6. Onboarding is slow because the workflow lives in someone’s head;

7. You worry about data loss, access control or compliance.

What a custom web app gives you instead:

• one source of truth for your data;

• built-in rules, validations and permissions;

• automation for repetitive steps;

• integrations instead of manual copy-paste;

• an audit trail so you always know who did what and when.

If 2 or more of these points hit home, here’s a simple way to start:

1. Map one concrete workflow on a whiteboard (steps, people, data).  

2. Pick the ugliest part (most manual, most errors) as your v1 target.  

3. Measure minutes saved per item × items per month × hourly cost - that’s your monthly ROI.

If you want help mapping that first version, contact Vizual and we’ll sketch a lightweight plan for your process.