Most manufacturers already have the product data they need. The problem isn’t that it’s missing — it’s that no one can actually use it when it matters.
Specs live in PDFs. Configuration rules are locked in someone’s head. Use cases are spread across emails, support tickets, old slides. And the one person who used to explain it all? Gone. Or busy. Or halfway out the door.
Meanwhile, the business keeps going —5, 10, maybe 50 million in revenue. But it’s not growing. In fact, it hasn’t grown in years. The founder is still in the weeds, solving problems no one else can because they’re the only one who still remembers how things actually work.
The team? Fifteen people on paper — but seven are replaced every year. Not because they’re bad, but because onboarding is hard, processes are tribal, and people burn out. Knowledge walks out the door faster than it gets written down.
And no, you can’t just throw money at the problem. There’s no spare headcount, no free time, and no appetite for a 12-month IT project with vague outcomes.
So what’s left?
Maybe it’s time to stop looking for another system — and start turning what you already know into something your team can actually use.
Specs live in PDFs. Configuration rules are locked in someone’s head. Use cases are spread across emails, support tickets, old slides. And the one person who used to explain it all? Gone. Or busy. Or halfway out the door.
Meanwhile, the business keeps going —5, 10, maybe 50 million in revenue. But it’s not growing. In fact, it hasn’t grown in years. The founder is still in the weeds, solving problems no one else can because they’re the only one who still remembers how things actually work.
The team? Fifteen people on paper — but seven are replaced every year. Not because they’re bad, but because onboarding is hard, processes are tribal, and people burn out. Knowledge walks out the door faster than it gets written down.
And no, you can’t just throw money at the problem. There’s no spare headcount, no free time, and no appetite for a 12-month IT project with vague outcomes.
So what’s left?
Maybe it’s time to stop looking for another system — and start turning what you already know into something your team can actually use.
