Skip to main content

Building for small teams.

Practical patterns that scale with your team, not your budget.

  • The console the artwork diagrams People, tasks and data feeding output.
  • Founder Rick Lofton. Role list: To Verify.
View the small-team checklistExplore software builds

Build note — Tools

Building for small teams.

Practical patterns that scale with your team, not your budget.

  • The console the artwork diagrams People, tasks and data feeding output.
  • Founder Rick Lofton. Role list: To Verify.

Small team system pattern

  • People
  • Tasks
  • Data
  • Output People, tasks and data all feed the output.

Small team system pattern

  • People
  • Tasks
  • Data
  • Output People, tasks and data all feed the output.

Lean feature-priority table

  • Core workflow User value High. Effort Medium. P1 (To Verify)
  • Status visibility User value High. Effort Low. P1 (To Verify)
  • Permissions User value High. Effort Low. P1 (To Verify)
  • Automation User value Medium. Effort Medium. P2 (To Verify)
  • Reporting User value Medium. Effort High. P3 (To Verify)
  • Integrations User value Low. Effort High. P3 (To Verify)
  • Custom fields User value Low. Effort Medium. P4 (To Verify)

This is the only table in the whole delivery whose cells hold real values rather than TBD. None of them is approved for publication, so every one is carried as To Verify.

Lean feature-priority table

  • Core workflow User value High. Effort Medium. P1 (To Verify)
  • Status visibility User value High. Effort Low. P1 (To Verify)
  • Permissions User value High. Effort Low. P1 (To Verify)
  • Automation User value Medium. Effort Medium. P2 (To Verify)
  • Reporting User value Medium. Effort High. P3 (To Verify)
  • Integrations User value Low. Effort High. P3 (To Verify)
  • Custom fields User value Low. Effort Medium. P4 (To Verify)

This is the only table in the whole delivery whose cells hold real values rather than TBD. None of them is approved for publication, so every one is carried as To Verify.

Role-overlap matrix

  • Producer Owner and contributor. To Verify
  • Creator Contributor. To Verify
  • Operator Contributor and reviewer. To Verify
  • Client Reviewer and viewer. To Verify

The supplied master crops its own plate: the matrix title is cut at the top edge and its legend at the bottom. The heading and the rows here are live, so the information is not lost.

Role-overlap matrix

  • Producer Owner and contributor. To Verify
  • Creator Contributor. To Verify
  • Operator Contributor and reviewer. To Verify
  • Client Reviewer and viewer. To Verify

The supplied master crops its own plate: the matrix title is cut at the top edge and its legend at the bottom. The heading and the rows here are live, so the information is not lost.

Buy, build or configure

  • Buy Use purpose-built software when it solves the need cleanly. To Verify
    • Best for common needs
    • Best for low differentiation
  • Build Build when it's core to your workflow or a differentiator. To Verify
    • Best for unique needs
    • Best for deep integration
  • Configure Configure and connect before you customize. To Verify
    • Best for standard tools
    • Best for flexible models

The supplied master crops its own plate: the panel title is cut at the top edge.

Buy, build or configure

  • Buy Use purpose-built software when it solves the need cleanly. To Verify
    • Best for common needs
    • Best for low differentiation
  • Build Build when it's core to your workflow or a differentiator. To Verify
    • Best for unique needs
    • Best for deep integration
  • Configure Configure and connect before you customize. To Verify
    • Best for standard tools
    • Best for flexible models

The supplied master crops its own plate: the panel title is cut at the top edge.

Maintenance checklist

  • Review roles and permissions TBD
  • Validate key workflow states TBD
  • Check integrations and handoffs TBD
  • Remove unused tools and access TBD
  • Update documentation and decisions TBD
  • Schedule a system health review TBD

Maintenance checklist

  • Review roles and permissions TBD
  • Validate key workflow states TBD
  • Check integrations and handoffs TBD
  • Remove unused tools and access TBD
  • Update documentation and decisions TBD
  • Schedule a system health review TBD

Anti-patterns to avoid

  • Too many tools, weak connections To Verify
  • Custom everything, unclear outcomes To Verify
  • Hidden status and private work To Verify
  • Unclear ownership and handoffs To Verify
  • Permissions that no one understands To Verify
  • Docs that don't get updated To Verify

Anti-patterns to avoid

  • Too many tools, weak connections To Verify
  • Custom everything, unclear outcomes To Verify
  • Hidden status and private work To Verify
  • Unclear ownership and handoffs To Verify
  • Permissions that no one understands To Verify
  • Docs that don't get updated To Verify

Build less. Connect it better.

Start a projectExplore all notes

Build less. Connect it better.

Publication status

Every status, count, date, metric and credit on this page is To Verify. Nothing here is published as a verified outcome.

What is not verified on this page

  • Every priority, user-value and effort rating in the lean feature-priority table. These are the only painted cells in the delivery that are not TBD and they are not approved.
  • Every cell of the role-overlap matrix, painted TO VERIFY.
  • Every column of the buy, build or configure decision, painted TO VERIFY.
  • Every row of the maintenance checklist, painted TBD.
  • Every anti-pattern row, painted TO VERIFY.
  • The founder role list painted on the hero.

Start a project

Every build starts with a problem worth solving. The eight-step brief is the way in.

Start a projectContact and support routing