10 min read
The Automation That Said Success and Did Nothing for a Month
A composite story: an n8n workflow stays green for a month while no trade invoices go out, and the audit, ledger and daily check that make green mean done.
Read post→
32 articles
Field Stories
Composite stories from the businesses I build for: an invented company, a real problem, and the system I would build to fix it, told the way it would unfold. Each links to its full blueprint in the use case library.
10 min read
The PDF Invoice a German Customer Stopped Accepting
A composite story: a German customer bounces a PDF invoice, the old ERP can't make XRechnung, and a converter layer issues validated e-invoices before 2027.
Read post→
9 min read
The Supplier Invoice That Was Paid Twice
A composite story: one supplier invoice arrives twice and is paid twice, and the intake, supplier matching and duplicate checks that hold the copy.
Read post→
8 min read
The Overdue Invoice That Was Really a Dispute
A composite story: reminders keep chasing an invoice the customer disputed in a reply nobody read, and the collections workflow that reads the thread first.
Read post→
10 min read
The Rejected Candidate Who Asked Why the AI Screener Said No
A rejected candidate asks why, and the AI match score has no answer. The explainable CV screening that quotes evidence, with a recruiter deciding every no.
Read post→
10 min read
The Colleague Who Knows Where Everything Is in SharePoint
One long-serving colleague answers every 'where is the template' question. The Teams assistant that answers from SharePoint, with sources and permissions.
Read post→
10 min read
The Dispatch Spreadsheet That Ran a 40-Truck Fleet
A haulier's 40-tab dispatch workbook breaks as the fleet grows. The internal tool that replaces it, with rules, roles and history, and keeps Excel exports.
Read post→
9 min read
The Cancelled Physio Appointment Nobody Filled
A physio practice's cancelled slots stay empty while patients wait weeks. The waitlist agent that offers each slot by message, under rules the practice sets.
Read post→
10 min read
The Liability Cap Nobody Caught in Clause 14
A composite story: a liability cap switched off by a definition on page two, and a contract review that checks every clause against the legal playbook.
Read post→
10 min read
The Break Clause Buried on Page 43 of a Lease
A composite story: a tenant break missing from a seller's lease schedule, and an abstraction that cites every term and computes critical dates in code.
Read post→
10 min read
The Tariff Code That Held a Container at the Port
A composite story: a container held over a tariff code copied from a lookalike row, and a workflow that drafts customs declarations for a declarant to sign.
Read post→
10 min read
Fourteen Documents for One Mortgage, and Three Still Missing
A composite story: a mortgage file stalled on three missing documents, and a workflow that asks for exactly what is missing and checks every upload.
Read post→
10 min read
The Vibe-Coded App That Just Got Its First Paying Customer
A composite story: a Lovable app's first paying customer still sees the trial banner, and the audit that fixes data, keys and billing before the second.
Read post→
9 min read
The AI Bill That Tripled in a Month, and Nobody Knew Why
A composite story: a SaaS company's model bill triples in a month with no feature to blame, and the cost audit that tags every call and finds the cause.
Read post→
9 min read
The Associate Who Pasted a Client Contract Into ChatGPT
A composite story: a law firm finds client contracts in personal ChatGPT accounts, and the private AI gateway that gives staff a sanctioned route, not a ban.
Read post→
9 min read
When the Sales Team Asked Claude About Stock Levels
A composite story: a distributor's sales reps paste ERP exports into Claude, and the scoped MCP server that lets them ask SAP directly, without the keys.
Read post→
10 min read
Friday, 17:55: The Court Deadline Nobody Had Docketed
A composite story: a court order filed behind a brief in beA, and a docketing workflow where a model reads, code counts the days and a lawyer confirms.
Read post→
10 min read
The Call a Law Firm Misses at 7 p.m.
A composite story: a law firm loses evening inquiries and calls prospects back before the conflict check. The intake workflow that puts conflicts first.
Read post→
8 min read
How I'd End the January Receipt Chase at an Accounting Firm
A composite story: a small practice chasing 230 clients for receipts every January, and a workflow that asks each client for exactly what is missing.
Read post→
9 min read
The Payslip That Was Edited Before It Reached the Lender
A composite story: an edited payslip scored clean, an honest one flagged, and a fraud check that tests claims against bank data while people decide.
Read post→
10 min read
The Solar Roof That Waited 16 Days for Its Grid Paperwork
A composite story: a solar installer buried in grid operator portals and MaStR entries, and an AI agent that fills each filing up to the submit button.
Read post→
10 min read
The Public Tender a Small Contractor Almost Didn't Bid On
A composite story: a small contractor nearly skips a 212-page public tender nobody has time to read, and an AI assistant builds its compliance matrix.
Read post→
10 min read
The Burst Pipe Call That Went to Voicemail at 11 p.m.
A composite story: a heating and plumbing firm whose after-hours calls hit voicemail, and an AI phone agent that puts emergencies through and books the rest.
Read post→
10 min read
Forty Freight Quote Requests Before 9 a.m.
A composite story: a road forwarder loses spot loads to slow replies, and the AI agent that reads quote emails in four languages and prices them by its rules.
Read post→
10 min read
The RFQ Backlog That Decides Which Jobs a Machine Shop Wins
A composite story: a job shop wins only the RFQs its estimator reaches, and the workflow that reads drawings and costs parts from its own ERP history.
Read post→
9 min read
The Broker Submission That Sat Unread for Four Days
A composite story: an MGA's broker submissions sit unread while brokers place risks elsewhere, and a workflow that reads and triages them for underwriters.
Read post→
9 min read
Nine Hours of Screenshots Every Monday for Client Reports
A composite story: an agency's account managers lose Mondays to screenshots, and a reporting pipeline that drafts client commentary from proven causes.
Read post→
10 min read
300 Faxed Referrals a Week, All Typed in by Hand
A composite story: a radiology group re-keys 300 faxed referrals a week, and a workflow reads, checks and chases them while clinicians keep clinical calls.
Read post→
10 min read
2 a.m., Water Through the Ceiling: A Property Manager's Night
A composite story: one on-call night at a property manager, and an AI agent that triages tenant WhatsApp requests so only real emergencies wake anyone.
Read post→
9 min read
The 40,000 Candidates a Staffing Agency Forgot It Had
A composite story: an IT staffing agency pays to source contractors already in its ATS, and a workflow that finds them and drafts outreach for recruiters.
Read post→
10 min read
23:40, a Family of Four, and a Police Report Due in 24 Hours
A composite story: a night desk registers late guests by hand, and a workflow that files Alloggiati Web and SES.HOSPEDAJES reports on time.
Read post→
8 min read
The Site Diary Entry That Started a Change Order Clock
A composite story: an electrical subcontractor, a hindrance buried in a site diary, and an AI agent that flags VOB/B notice deadlines before they pass.
Read post→