Articles
Field notes from database-first software work.
Patterns we keep running into across accounting, legal, wealth, hospitals and manufacturing. Shorter than a case study, longer than a LinkedIn post. Written when we've seen the same shape twice.
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All field notes (12)
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Field note
LEAP integration checklist for Melbourne law firms
21 May 2026
legal-tech · integration · leap
Six questions to answer before any LEAP integration. A Melbourne-shaped checklist for practice managers covering matters, trust, documents, intake and conflicts.
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Field note
Xero to Karbon: the data problems no one warns you about
7 May 2026
karbon · xero · accounting-firms
Moving from Xero Practice Manager to Karbon? The visible work is rebuilding workflows. The invisible work is the data, and that is where most firms get hurt.
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Field note
Client portals that partners will actually use
3 May 2026
client-portal · portals · law-firms
Most client portals fail the partner test. The three signals of a portal that survives, what to keep in email, and the two-week pilot we run before any build.
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Field note
Microsoft Access database modernisation: what changes between 2007 and now
3 May 2026
access-database · legacy-modernisation · custom-software
Microsoft Access was the right answer in 2007. The 2026 modernisation path keeps the data shape, swaps the engine, and leaves the front-end for last.
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Field note
From Claude prototype to production: what actually has to change
3 May 2026
ai-coding · production · security
A working prototype built in Cursor, Claude or v0 is not a working product. The four things that change between the two are predictable. Here's what they are.
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Field note
Custom LMS for CPD compliance in regulated industries
3 May 2026
lms · cpd-compliance · allied-health
Why Moodle, Canvas and TalentLMS struggle with regulated CPD, what the regulator's audit really asks for, and when a custom LMS for CPD is the right call.
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Field note
Custom CRM vs Salesforce for a 30-person firm
3 May 2026
crm · comparison · salesforce
When a 30-person professional services firm should choose Salesforce, when a custom CRM pays off faster, and the seat-licence maths most firms get wrong.
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Field note
Excel to web app: when to rebuild vs when to patch
3 May 2026
spreadsheets · excel-to-web-app · custom-software
When patching a spreadsheet stops being economical, and what the rebuild actually costs at three sizes. A practical decision framework, not a sales pitch.
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Field note
The hidden cost of running a 30-person firm without a real CRM
3 May 2026
crm · cost-of-inaction · professional-services
Most 30-person firms believe they have a CRM. They have a contact list in Xero, a referral spreadsheet, an intake inbox and notes scattered across Outlook. Here is the maths.
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Field note
Moodle vs Canvas vs custom for AHPRA CPD: a 2026 comparison
3 May 2026
lms · comparison · ahpra-cpd
Moodle, Canvas and TalentLMS are excellent at delivering courses. We compare them against a custom build for AHPRA CPD evidence, and where each holds up.
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Field note
Staff portals: the sibling that determines whether the client portal works
3 May 2026
client-portal · staff-portal · professional-services
The staff portal is the back-office half that decides whether the client portal gets used. A six-week sequence that ships the staff side first, with five workflows it has to absorb.
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Field note
Xplan integration: what advisers can and cannot extract
3 May 2026
wealth-management · integration · xplan
What an Xplan integration can actually pull out, what it cannot, and where the licensee compliance overlay limits what a wealth practice is allowed to automate.
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Recognise a pattern from your own firm?
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