Before you add another system

Shopping for software? Start with the problem you’re trying to solve.

A construction or shop management platform can cover a huge amount of ground. For a small company, the harder question is whether you need the whole thing or just need a few parts of the business to work better.

Before adding another system, we look at where the work is getting stuck and what would make it easier to run.

Tell us what’s stuck
An owner at a laptop reviewing the office work that has followed him home.

What usually happens

The software is only one part of the work.

The demo is usually the easy part. The harder part is building the job list, setting up the forms, moving the files, teaching the team, and keeping everyone using the new process once the business gets busy again.

In a small company, that setup often lands on the owner. A tool meant to save time can end up creating another process the owner has to maintain.

The software may simply be more system than the company needs right now.

What we do instead

We start with two problems and build from there.

The first month is spent understanding how work really moves through the company and where it tends to stall. Once we agree on the two problems, we build the fixes around the tools and habits already in place.

That might mean improving the inbox, job folders, estimating process, follow-up, forms, or the handoff between the office and the field or shop floor. Software gets added only where it helps the process work better.

The result should feel familiar to the team, because it was built around the company they already know how to run.

What we fix

Organize the work, systemize what repeats, and improve discoverability.

We look at how work actually moves through the company and find the two places creating the most drag. Then we fix those two and make sure the team can keep them running.

A clipboard holding an organized job checklist.

Run the work

Give the team a reliable way to move work from the first inquiry to a clear handoff.

  • Job intake and quotes
  • Estimating and proposals
  • Office, field and shop handoffs
  • Customer follow-up
A business search listing and a local map pin.

Win the work

Make it easier for the right customers to find your company and get in touch.

  • Search and local listings
  • Useful landing pages
  • Inquiry tracking
  • Google Ads

For owner-run general contractors, specialty contractors, fabrication shops, machine shops, and service and trade businesses.

If you’re comparing options

Ask what it will take to make the work better.

Whether you’re considering Procore or a shop management tool, include the setup, day-to-day use and handoff in your decision.

Who will set it up?

Find out who will organize the files, build the forms, and get the team started. With Shop & Field, that work is part of the agreed engagement.

What will the team use?

Start with the work people actually do each week. We build and test the agreed fixes alongside the team.

What stays with the business?

Make ownership and ongoing responsibilities clear. Our work, documentation, software accounts and advertising accounts stay with your company.

The six months

Six months to fix two important parts of the business and hand them back working better.

We agree on the two problems, learn how the work currently moves, build the fixes, and test them in the real business. Most weeks require a few hours of your time.

01

Month 01

Learn

Understand your business, your people, and where the work gets stuck. Agree on the two problems and what a useful fix looks like.

02

Months 02 to 05

Build

Build the fixes around your existing tools, put them to work, and help the team use them. Improve discoverability as the business becomes ready for more work.

03

Month 06

Hand off

Stabilize the process, document how it works, and make sure your team can keep it going.

We agree on the two problems before we start. Software and advertising accounts stay in your company’s name, and everything we build stays with you whether we keep working together or not.

What this looks like in practice

A clearer path from the first inquiry to the proposal.

We’re building this with an owner-run commercial contractor, starting with getting bids reviewed, priced, and out the door.

Plan Room brings the job information, drawings, trade quotes, estimate and proposal into a shared workflow. The company keeps its familiar working files, with people reviewing the important decisions.

The example is anonymized. Ask us to walk you through the build when we talk.

Talk through your own workflow
An anonymized real build

Plan Room

Prototype

Explore the path from a new opportunity to a reviewed proposal.

01 Intake and job folders

Keep the inquiry, walkthrough notes, drawings and due date together in one job folder.

Job folder Ready for review
02 Plans and quantities

Record quantities alongside their source drawings. An estimator checks uncertain measurements before they go into a bid package.

Quantity worksheet Human review
03 Quotes and estimate

Compare trade quotes, surface exclusions, and carry reviewed numbers into the company’s existing estimate workbook.

Estimate workbook Excel
04 Proposal and handoff

Prepare the proposal from the reviewed estimate and agreed scope. The team checks it and decides when to send it.

Proposal draft Word

Example content from a prototype. These panels explain the workflow; they do not process live jobs.

Who leads it

Work directly with Hannah and Dan.

Hannah, project operations lead

Hannah

Project operations

Helps companies get organized, tighten up their process, and make the work run without everything going through the owner.

Dan, systems and growth lead, cropped from his original Election Commission photograph

Dan

Systems & growth

Builds the systems that support the work and helps companies get found through practical marketing and technology.

Let’s get started

Show us the two things that keep following you home.

Tell us a little about your company and where the work gets stuck. We’ll use that to start a 20-minute conversation about whether we’re a good fit.

You don’t have to have both problems figured out before we talk.