New software can be helpful. It also adds accounts, settings, and someone to maintain it. Before choosing a solution, start with a simpler question: At what specific point does the work become complicated right now?
Start with two or three recurring tasks
Choose situations your team is familiar with: receiving a request, preparing a quote, tracking an order, or preparing an invoice. Track each task from the initial message to its final filing. Make a note of the software, spreadsheets, shared email inboxes, and paper documents that are actually used. A tool that’s not immediately obvious can be crucial—such as a file maintained by a single person or access to an individual account, for example.
For each step, note four pieces of information: who performs the action, what data goes in, what data comes out, and who corrects any errors. The goal is not to compile an exhaustive list of software programs. It is to understand the workflow and the responsibilities associated with it.
Identify duplicates and dependencies
Choose a specific piece of information, such as a contact’s address, and track it from the moment it’s first entered until it’s last used. Where is it created? Into which tools is it copied? Which version takes precedence if two values differ? Who can edit it? A four-box diagram is often enough to highlight manual exports, duplicate entries, or validation steps.
Also note the dependencies: access rights, subscription, the person who knows how to configure it, backups, the ability to export data, and the procedure to follow if the tool is unavailable. These are operational elements, even if they do not appear on any screen.
Do not confuse a technical inventory with a treatment log
The information system map presented by ANSSI helps illustrate the components and their connections. If you process personal data, the CNIL also provides a register of processing activities: this describes processing activities by purpose and is not limited to a list of applications. These two views complement each other. The exact obligations depend on your specific situation.
Choose the simplest action that solves the problem
Once the workflow is clear, compare four options: keep the process and document it, fine-tune an existing tool, integrate two tools, or replace a component that is no longer suitable. Before establishing a connection, verify the fields, permissions, exceptions, and manual recovery procedures. Before replacing a component, verify the costs, the data to be migrated, and the exit conditions. A purchase is no substitute for a clear work policy.
Fictional example: A small team enters the details of a request into its sales tool, then re-enters them for billing purposes. First, the team identifies where the reference address needs to be corrected. It then tests the transfer of a limited number of fields, with human verification of ambiguous records. This example illustrates a method; it does not describe a client result from Digitrend Création.
Keep a record that someone else can pick up where you left off
For each selected workflow, document its objective, the person responsible, the tools involved, the reference data, the required permissions, known errors, and the manual fallback solution. Date this document and specify who will review it. If no one can explain the workflow after its creator leaves, the simplification process is not complete.
You can start today with a single recurring re-entry. Map out its path and ask yourself if it calls for a better setting, a connection, or a real change in tools. Our Solutions page outlines ways to approach these choices. To discuss your specific challenges, describe your project to us. To clarify the journey of the people who use your tools, check out Experience and Clarity. Find this guide in “Choosing and Simplifying Your Tools.”