What to know before you have software built.

The questions we get asked in meetings, answered here once and for all. Real costs, timelines, data migration, and the cases where off-the-shelf software does the job just fine.

FeaturedCosts and budget5 min readHow much does a custom business app cost?By

Jérôme KnopsRead the article

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Choosing your tool5 min readMulti-site, multi-company: what standard software gets wrongOff-the-shelf software holds up fine on one site. Across several sites and companies, each team bends it its own way, and group reporting gets rebuilt by hand every month.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Method and guarantees4 min readA first working version in a few weeks, not a yearHow long before an application built for your business is usable? The method that gets a first working version live in a few weeks, not after a year of specifications.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Hours and payroll5 min readClocking devices, geolocation: what French law actually requiresFrench law requires counting hours when schedules differ between employees, but imposes neither a clocking device nor geolocation. What stays a management choice.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Quotes and follow-ups5 min readLost quotes: know the reason, not just the numberYou know how many quotes you lose. Do you know why? A grid to tag every lost quote with one reason, and what each reason tells you to change.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Site and field4 min readThe handover report: sign it on site, with photosAnything not written on the handover report counts as accepted. The method for filling it in during the walkthrough, one photo per snag, instead of rebuilding it afterwards.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Supply chain and transport5 min readGoods damaged on delivery: the claim file to build within three daysA pallet arrives crushed, the driver is in a hurry, the note gets signed. What to write on the delivery note, the three-day deadline to meet, and the file to build that day.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Invoicing and payment5 min readInvoice the day the work is done, not three weeks laterBetween the end of a job and the invoice going out, two or three weeks often pass. How to measure that delay, where the days are lost, and how to bring it down to two.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Costs and budget5 min readPer-user licenses: why your software bill grows with every hireEvery new hire adds a line on every software bill. How to work out what one more employee really costs in licenses, and the three traps that inflate the bill.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Choosing your tool5 min readWhatsApp groups at work: what they fix, what they breakOne group per job site, photos, hours and instructions lost in the thread. What messaging does very well, where it breaks, and how to get the work out of the thread.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Method and guarantees5 min readWhy software projects go off the rails, and how to prevent itAn application project meant to take three months takes twelve, and the team won't use it. The five causes that keep coming back, and the safeguards to set before you sign.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Hours and payroll5 min readOvertime: calculating it correctly from your timesheetsCalendar weeks, overtime rates, public holidays, weeks that straddle two months: a method to go from timesheets to payslips without errors or omissions.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Site and field5 min readSnagging items at handover: tracking them until they're signed offSnags noted at handover get lost between the paper form, the photos and the messages. A method to track each one until the client signs it off.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Quotes and follow-ups5 min readYour quote conversion rate: how to calculate it, and how to read itHow many of your quotes end up signed? The calculation by count and by value, the mistakes that skew the figure, and what it tells you about how you sell.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Costs and budget6 min readWhat a day of inventory really costs youThe cost of stock isn't the purchase price. The six items to add up to know what a day of cover really costs you, and why the figure has doubled in two years.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Supply chain and transport7 min readHow many days of inventory do you actually need?The right number of days of inventory can't be copied. Work it out from your lead times, your ABC classes and your suppliers' reliability.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Method and guarantees6 min readHow many tools are you actually running?Almost nobody can list every tool in their business from memory. How to take stock in half a day, and what the result tells you.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Supply chain and transport4 min readBalancing inventory between sites: when it's worth itMoving goods you've already paid for looks free. The calculation that says whether a transfer between sites really pays, and its conditions.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Invoicing and payment5 min readFrench e-invoicing: what actually changes for a smaller businessReceiving has been mandatory in France since September 1, 2026, issuing follows in 2027. What it means, and the three jobs to do in order.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Costs and budget5 min readThe software that covers 10% of your volumesSoftware that handles only a fraction of your cases costs more than its subscription. How to measure real coverage before you sign.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Invoicing and payment5 min readRecharging between companies in a group, without losing your month to itA shared cost, an allocation key, and someone re-typing all of it by hand every month. How to automate intragroup recharging, and what must stay under human control.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Hours and payroll5 min readCapturing hours in the field without a spreadsheetCounting working time is a legal obligation. What French law actually requires, and the time tracking field crews will accept.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Supply chain and transport6 min readDead stock: where to start once the easy part is doneCutting inventory is easy in year one and hard in year two. How to find what's sleeping in your long tail, and clear it without wrecking service.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Supply chain and transport5 min readSupplier service level: measure it before you suffer itA supplier delivering 92% and one delivering 48% are not the same business. How to calculate each one's real service level, and act on it.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Hours and payroll5 min readPayroll data: why it's always lateBonuses, hours, absences: every month, the same chasing for the same delays. Why reminders don't work, and the mechanism that fixes the problem at source.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Choosing your tool6 min readYour ERP is forty years old, and that isn't the problemAn old ERP that runs well isn't technical debt, it's an asset. How to open it through APIs instead of replacing it, and when to change.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Method and guarantees6 min readWho owns the code of a custom application?Paying for development does not make you the owner of the code: the assignment must be in writing. Six questions to ask before signing.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Supply chain and transport5 min readPacking slip entry: what double keying really costs youRe-keying a packing slip takes three minutes. Over a year it is counted in headcount. How to cost it, and what automation changes.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Site and field5 min readHow to track a job's margin without waiting for the final invoiceMargin is usually discovered at the final invoice, when nothing can be recovered. How to track it as you go, with four figures.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Quotes and follow-ups4 min readThe quotes nobody follows up on, and what they really cost youA quote sent then forgotten costs nothing today, and a lot over a year. How to put a figure on it with your own numbers.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Choosing your tool6 min readExcel, ERP or custom app: which one for what?Spreadsheets, ERPs and custom apps answer different needs. Which for what, and why most companies need two of the three.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article
Costs and budget5 min readHow much does a custom business app cost?The real budget for a custom business tool: setup, subscription, what pushes the price up, and when off-the-shelf works out cheaper.ByJérôme KnopsRead the article

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Who writes here

Jérôme Knops
Founder and CTO of Edenio
Founder and CTO of Edenio. He designs and builds custom business applications for construction, supply chain and hospitality companies.
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