Most finance teams don't lose hours to one dramatic problem; they lose them to a dozen small, repetitive ones. An approval stuck in an email thread. A vendor compliance spreadsheet nobody fully trusts. A budget-vs-actual report rebuilt by hand every single month. None of these are big enough to justify an ERP module, but each one quietly costs someone a day a week.
Why we build mini-apps instead of selling software
The instinct when a spreadsheet process breaks down is to look at a full platform overhaul: a new ERP module, an HR system, a procurement suite. For a process this specific, that's usually overkill: months of implementation and a recurring license cost to solve what is, functionally, a deterministic problem with a handful of inputs and a clear set of rules.
A quick test: is it a mini-app?
- The same inputs arrive every cycle.
- The rules can be written on one page.
- One person is the only one who understands the spreadsheet.
- Approvals travel by email.
- It costs someone hours every month.
Three or more yes answers usually means a deterministic app is hiding inside the process.
A few examples of what we build
- CAPEX approval workflows. Routing, thresholds, and sign-off trails that replace a chain of emails and a shared spreadsheet.
- Budget vs. actual variance trackers. Automated monthly comparison against budget, flagged by cost center, instead of a rebuilt pivot table every close.
- Vendor document & tax intake portals. Compliance verification and invoice parsing in a single self-serve portal for suppliers.
- Expense & petty cash governance apps. Departmental approval flows with instant ledger sync, replacing paper trails and approval chains.
The value isn't a prettier interface. It's that the process lives in one governed place instead of a spreadsheet only one person understands.
Spreadsheet, ERP module or mini-app
- Spreadsheet: quick to start, with no approval trail and no control over who changes what.
- ERP module: governed, but it brings months of implementation and a recurring license.
- Mini-app: governed and fixed-scope, typically shipping in 14 to 21 business days.
How we scope a new one
In a 20-minute audit, we look at whichever manual process is costing your team the most hours right now, whatever that happens to be. If it's not one of the examples above, that's fine: mini-apps are fixed-scope by definition, built around your actual data and workflow rather than picked off a template. If your team is re-keying, re-checking, or rebuilding something by hand every month, there's usually a deterministic app hiding inside it.
The delivery shape
As a fixed-scope mini-app, this kind of tool typically ships production-ready in 14 to 21 business days, scoped, built, and deployed without the multi-month timeline a platform-wide system change would require.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a mini-app take?
Typically 14 to 21 business days from scope to production.
What does it cost?
It is sold as a fixed-scope package. See Packages and Pricing for the Dedicated Mini-App option.
What if our process changes later?
The pricing page promises zero scope creep, so changes are scoped and agreed and never absorbed silently.
Do we have to replace our ERP?
No. A mini-app handles the process your ERP does not, and syncs with the ledger where needed. Our mini-applications service page shows how it fits.
Tell us what's eating your team's hours.
Book a 20-minute audit and bring the process that's costing you the most time, and we'll scope what a mini-app for it would look like.