Spreadsheet to business app · Remote
Turn the spreadsheet your business depends on into a shared workflow.
Keep the data, rules, and process your team already understands inside a purpose-built application. With one current record, clear approvals, checked calculations, and reporting that stays up to date.
- One current record
- Clear approvals and next steps
- Dependable calculations and reporting
Start with a free fit review.
You’ll speak directly with Brad Conklin.
If I can’t give you a fixed quote yet, the first paid phase is capped at $500 USD.
Pricing and process →Small, focused projects can start around $2,000 USD total.
Related experience: While at OTR Web Solutions, I built Breeze for Lightning Transportation, turning existing operational data into staff and customer workflows. See the project ↗
A better way to run the work.
| Row | Quote | Customer | Amount | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Q-101 | North Ridge Co. | $2,400 | Sent |
| 3 | Q-102 | Prairie Build | $980 | Draft |
| 4 | Q-104 | Cedar Works | $1,250 | Ask manager |
| 5 | Q-105 | Meadow Supply | $640 | Draft |
| 6 | Q-104 copy | Cedar Works | #REF! | Use other file? |
| 7 | Q-107 | Summit Projects | $1,850 | Reviewing |
| 8 | Q-108 | Clearwater Homes | $2,900 | Draft |
| 9 | Q-109 | Foxridge Contracting | $1,600 | Sent |
| 10 | Q-110 | Aspen Electrical | $4,200 | Pricing |
Quotes / Q-104
Cedar Works
Awaiting approval- Created
- Manager review
- Approved
- Sent
“Ask manager” → a named approval stage
- Quote total
- $1,250
- Owner
- Alex · Sales
- Next step
- Manager review
Line items
| Site survey | 1 × $250 | $250 |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | 2 × $500 | $1,000 |
| Quote total | $1,250 | |
- Alex · SalesSent revision 2 for manager review.
- Alex · SalesChecked the quote calculation.
- Alex · SalesCreated the Cedar Works quote.
The quoting knowledge is already here. Give the team one dependable place to use it.
One shared record · illustrative workflow with fictional data.
Sound familiar?
The hard part is everything around the spreadsheet.
The quote is in the workbook. The approval, version history, and next step often are not. Someone has to piece them together before work can move.
Status
Q-104 · highlighted row“Does yellow mean approved?”
A colour cannot tell the team who needs to decide next.
Version
Q-104 copy · #REF!“Which file has the right price?”
Two copies disagree, so someone has to decide which one to trust.
Decision
Email · Re: Cedar Works quote“Did the manager sign this off?”
The answer lives outside the record, so someone has to chase it.
The data is in the file. The workflow is everywhere else.
Keep what already works
Same information. A better shape.
Your spreadsheet already contains useful business knowledge. Keep the rules, calculations, and terminology that work — and give the surrounding process a clear, shared structure.
The useful knowledge stays. The ambiguity around it does not.
Rows becomes Shared records
Q-104 stays one current quote.
Formulas becomes Checked calculations
The agreed total still comes to $1,250.
Tabs becomes Clear views
Quotes, pricing, and customers get clear homes.
Cell colours becomes Named stages
“Ask manager” becomes “Awaiting approval.”
Approval emails becomes Recorded decisions
The approval stays with revision 2.
Copied reports becomes Current reporting
The summary reflects the approved work.
One quote, from preparation to next step
What changes when the workbook becomes a workflow.
One shared record. Different people. Clear next steps. Follow Q-104: sales prepares the quote, a manager records approval, operations gets the next task, and reporting stays current—all without copying information between files or chasing decisions in email.
Q-104 · Cedar Works · $1,250
-
01
Sales prepares the quote
Q-104 · Cedar Works$1,250
Ready for approval
Quote Q-104 calculation Site survey 1 × $250 $250 Installation 2 × $500 $1,000 Quote total $1,250 Awaiting approval
Inputs checked. Revision 2 sent for review.
Keep the calculation and the working record together.
-
02
Manager records approval
Q-104 · Cedar Works$1,250
Approved
- Version 2
- $1,250
- Received in review queue
- Mar 12, 10:14
- Approval recorded
- Mar 12, 16:03
A later price change needs a new approval.
See who approved which version, without finding an email.
-
03
Operations gets the next step
Q-104 · Cedar Works$1,250
Next task
Schedule installation
- Assigned to
- Operations
- Based on
- Q-104 · Approved revision 2
- Quote total
- $1,250
Pending scheduling.
Give the next person a clear task and the information behind it.
-
04
Reporting stays current
Q-104 + Q-105
Current reporting
- Q-104 · Cedar Works Approved
- $1,250
- Q-105 · Meadow Supply Draft
- $640
Total $1,890
The summary reflects the recorded approval and current quote status.
Produce a current overview from the work already recorded.
Illustrative example using fictional data. Your application would follow your own workflow, rules, and access needs.
Preserve what matters. Check what changes.
How I handle your existing workbook.
I start by understanding how it works today. Together, we agree on what to preserve, what to improve, and which part is worth building first.
-
01
Understand what’s already there.
I identify the records, calculations, reports, and workflow steps already inside the workbook, along with the handoffs around it.
Workbook- Quotes / records
- Pricing / rules
- Reports / views
- Approvals / workflow
- Imports / exports
I also identify lookup tables, terminology, macros, and the handoffs people manage outside the file.
Preserve what matters before changing anything.
-
02
Validate the rules. Build one useful workflow.
Together, we choose one useful workflow, then check representative examples, rounding, and edge cases before carrying the result into the application.
Workbook example$1,250Agreed calculation$1,250- Calculation matches
- Approval rule matches
- Output matches
Illustrative comparison. Real checks use your agreed examples.
We agree on what must match, investigate discrepancies, and only carry trusted results into the workflow.
The first workflow is checked before it is trusted.
-
03
Move it carefully into everyday use.
I retain the original workbook during transition, trial the workflow, check imports, and agree on the cutover plan so the team knows which version to trust.
- Original retained
- Checked workflow
- Agreed cutover
- Handover
We agree on data imports, permissions, ownership, backups, and handover arrangements before the new workflow becomes the source of truth. Practical handover.
Transition happens by agreement, not by surprise.
Start with a free fit review.
If the requirements are clear enough, I provide a fixed quote directly. If important questions need investigation first, I’ll propose a small planning phase for one reasonably bounded workbook-led process, at an agreed price of no more than $500 USDPrices are shown in USD for a consistent North American reference. Canadian projects are quoted and invoiced in CAD at the equivalent amount. US projects are quoted and invoiced in USD. Once quoted, the project or phase amount is fixed in the agreed currency.. We agree on its scope and price, and you explicitly approve it before work starts.
You do not have to commit to a large build while important questions are still unresolved.
What to share for the free review
Share a workbook, a redacted or sample copy, or a workflow description.
What you leave with
- Requirements and findings: how the work happens today, the business rules that matter, and what the review establishes.
- A recommended approach: what to preserve or change, alternatives, the first useful scope and its boundaries.
- A basis for implementation: acceptance criteria, dependencies, and a fixed proposal with delivery timing and operating responsibilities when the build is viable and sufficiently defined.
If the right answer is not to proceed, you receive the reasons and alternatives instead. If essential information remains unavailable, the handoff explains what is blocked and what would need to be resolved.
The handoff is yours to keep. You can use it with Featherply, another developer, or nobody.
- 01Free fit reviewQuote directly when clearInvestigate important questions only if needed, within an agreed planning cap.
- 02You approve the buildFirst useful phaseScope, acceptance criteria, price and timing agreed before implementation
- 03Continue if neededAdditional workSeparately agreed and approved, one phase at a time
Planning covers
- Current workflow mapped
- Calculations and rules to preserve or change
- Proposed first build and boundaries
- Fixed build proposal when viable and sufficiently defined
What you receive
- Documented requirements, findings, and business rules
- Yours to keep whether or not you continue
- Important unknowns identified before build work begins
- Reasons and alternatives if building is unsuitable
Illustrative sample: Alder & Line separates approval of a quote revision from permission to release the job. Its handoff defines calculations, permissions, screens, migration, and acceptance checks. The team can use the rules even if it keeps the workbook.
See a sample planning handoff (Discovery PDF) →Pricing and scope
- One principal workflow: around $2,000 USD total
- If a planning phase is needed, its agreed cost of no more than $500 USD is included in that planning amount.
- Final implementation scope and price agreed before development
- Larger workflows, integrations, and complex migrations scoped separately
Scope noteA small focused project centres on one principal workflow. If planning reveals a broader scope, we agree on a different scope and price before implementation begins.
Working terms
- Before the first build, we agree on scope, acceptance criteria, price, and timeline.
- Additional work requires explicit approval
- Completed work stays yours at every stage
Some spreadsheets should stay spreadsheets. I’ll look at how yours is actually used before recommending an application.
Often includes:
- Quoting → approved quotes
- Scheduling → assigned work
- Approvals → decision queues
- Requests → tracked outcomes
- Inventory → shared availability
- Inspections → recorded findings
Before you begin.
Do I have to pay to get a quote?
The enquiry and fit review are free. If the requirements are clear enough, I provide a fixed quote directly. If important questions need investigation, I explain the work first and propose a small planning phase with an agreed price of no more than $500 USD. No paid work starts until its scope and price are agreed and you explicitly approve it.
What does the planning phase include?
A map of the current workflow, preserved calculations and rules, findings, proposed changes, scope boundaries, and acceptance checks. You keep the documented requirements, findings, recommended approach, scope boundaries, and acceptance criteria. When the build is viable and sufficiently defined, the handoff includes a fixed proposal for the first implementation, with timing and operating responsibilities. If the right answer is not to proceed, you receive the reasons and alternatives instead. You can use the handoff with Featherply, another developer, or nobody. See the illustrative handoff (PDF).
Can I stop after planning?
Yes. The requirements, findings, and recommended approach remain yours. You can use the handoff with Featherply, another developer, or nobody. Each later paid phase requires separate approval.
What should I budget?
For a small project centred on one principal workflow, plan around $2,000 USD total. If a planning phase is needed, its agreed cost of no more than $500 USD is included in that planning amount. We agree on the final implementation scope and price before development begins. Larger workflows, integrations, and complex migrations are scoped separately.
Can we keep using the workbook during transition?
We agree on the transition and cutover plan before the application becomes the source of truth. Imports, exports, integrations, and any parallel use are part of the agreed scope.
Who owns what I receive?
Completed work stays yours. The planning handoff is yours to keep and use with Featherply, another developer, or nobody. For build phases, ownership of the completed application and source code, along with access and handover details, is set out in the agreed scope.
What ongoing costs might exist?
Hosting, third-party services or licences, and support may carry ongoing costs. We identify what the proposed workflow needs and agree on hosting arrangements and support responsibilities as part of the project scope.
How can I begin without uploading confidential data?
Send a redacted or sample workbook, or describe the workflow instead. Screenshots can be shared by email. Share only what you are comfortable sending.
Start a conversation
Start with the spreadsheet you already have.
No project brief required. Start with a workbook, redacted copy, screenshots, sample data, or a quick walkthrough of the process you already use.
I’ll review your message and reply within two business days with any initial questions and a suggested next step. This initial fit review is free.
No paid work starts until its scope and price are agreed and you explicitly approve it.
Privacy and file handling
Uploaded files are private and used only to review your enquiry. Intake copies are automatically deleted within 30 days. If we agree to use a file for a project, its project copy is handled separately. This period does not apply to email correspondence or copies downloaded for review.
Share only what you are comfortable sending. Redacted copies and sample data are welcome. I treat what you share as private and use it only to review your enquiry unless we agree to use it for a project.
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Your workbook or workflow description starts a free fit review.
No paid work starts until its scope and price are agreed and you explicitly approve it.
Share the workbook
Send a spreadsheet and your email address. A redacted copy or sample data is welcome; a name and note are optional. You can also use email to share screenshots or arrange a walkthrough.
Describe the workflow instead
Tell me what the spreadsheet does, who uses it, and where the handoffs become difficult. You do not need to know the solution yet.