This is so cool! What are we fixing again?

I wanted to improve software we had been using for years. I explored APIs, automation platforms, and open-source tools. It was interesting. But I had not defined the problem I was trying to solve.

I had more questions and no plan. I had approached the work exactly the way I tell clients not to. Good job, Martin.

LinkedIn, Facebook, X. Another revolutionary app. Another promise to save hours. Apparently, this is the one I’ve been waiting for. Again.

I get the appeal. When you’re tired of chasing information and keeping everything moving, a convincing demo can feel like relief. One click, a few more tabs, and suddenly you’re researching a solution you weren’t looking for ten minutes ago.

And some of it really is cool. I like seeing what people are building. The trouble starts when “I want to try this” quietly becomes “my business needs this.”

What would we actually use it for?

A pitch can nail how you feel without understanding how your business works.

Some pitches lead to working products. Others lead to a demo, a waiting list, or an idea being tested before the product exists. A polished video doesn’t tell you which.

Testing interest before building can make sense, when that’s clear. But signing up may mean helping someone figure out what to build. You become part of their product research while the work you wanted to improve is still waiting.

I want to see what the builder understands about the work, what already works, and where it still needs a person. A big promise is not much to go on.

The pull you feel toward a new tool is a useful clue. The next step is to connect it to something that actually happens in the business.

For example: a customer asks for an update. Someone opens three files, messages a colleague, and comes back later with an answer. Now we have a sequence we can examine together. The missing piece might be an agreed place to keep the status current.

Before opening another tab, ask:

1. What happened the last time?

   Who needed what, and where did the work slow down?

2. What would a better result look like?

   An answer without three follow-ups? A job that can start without calling the owner?

3. What is the smallest change worth trying?

   Clearer information, a different handoff, something in a tool you already use? Start there and check whether the work gets easier.

Then, if a new tool looks useful, ask to see that task working today. What still needs checking? Are you buying something usable, or joining an experiment?

There’s the setup, the learning, and the time spent helping each other get used to a different way of working. Then there’s the checking and upkeep. Those hours count, even if they weren’t in the demo.

Before changing anything, track a few real jobs: time spent across the team, waiting, follow-ups, and corrections. Agree on what a worthwhile improvement would look like and when you’ll check together.

Try the change on a small scale. Give people time to learn, then compare similar jobs, at the same quality, from request to finished work. Keep the one-time setup and learning effort separate from the work that will keep coming back. Will the savings repay that initial effort soon enough to make sense for your business?

The gain has to pay for the change. A faster step isn’t much help if it leaves someone else with more to chase. Keep what helps, adjust what doesn’t, and drop what adds more work than it removes.

I still like discovering new tools. I just want a job for them before I give them my weekend.