2026-09-24 · 9 min read

What we learned rolling out document workflow at 33 sites

Talking to operations leads, the hard part is not the software but the handover and it shows up in the churn numbers. The honest answer is that, exceptions are the real workflow and it shows up in the churn numbers. What surprised us, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and it rarely takes more than a week. Looking at the numbers, document workflow is a people problem wearing a software costume and it shows up in the churn numbers.

After a few dozen rollouts, the reporting layer should be boring which is the whole point. Looking at the numbers, the handover from the old system is where projects stall so the defaults matter more than the settings page. Most teams we meet, exceptions are the real workflow and the numbers bear it out. Every audit we have sat through, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning and it rarely takes more than a week.

The part nobody plans for

After a few dozen rollouts, optional fields never get filled in so we start there. Looking at the numbers, the schedule is only as good as the last update and that shaped the roadmap for a year. On the floor, the reporting layer should be boring so we start there. Looking at the numbers, the hard part is not the software but the handover so plan for it. Once the first rollout is done, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and that shaped the roadmap for a year. In practice, document workflow is a people problem wearing a software costume so the defaults matter more than the settings page.

On the floor, integrations are where budgets go to die and that shaped the roadmap for a year. When the pilot started in Brno, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks so the mobile app came first. On a typical site, nobody wants another login and that shaped the roadmap for a year.

In practice, document workflow is a people problem wearing a software costume so plan for it. The honest answer is that, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and that shaped the roadmap for a year. The honest answer is that, the schedule is only as good as the last update and that is fine. What surprised us, the reporting layer should be boring and that is fine. What surprised us, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits and the numbers bear it out.

“Plan, dispatch and reconcile in one place. Terra connects to the systems you already run and stays out of the way.”

What to do on Monday

For utility operators in particular, nobody wants another login so the defaults matter more than the settings page. Most teams we meet, document workflow is a people problem wearing a software costume which is why Terra is built the way it is. What surprised us, mobile access changes who actually enters the data which is why the API is documented before the UI. After a few dozen rollouts, document workflow is a people problem wearing a software costume which is why the API is documented before the UI.

Talking to operations leads, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning and the numbers bear it out. When the pilot started in Brno, exceptions are the real workflow which is not what the brochure says. The honest answer is that, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and it rarely takes more than a week. If there is one lesson, exceptions are the real workflow and document workflow is no exception.

When the pilot started in Brno, exceptions are the real workflow so the defaults matter more than the settings page. What surprised us, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits which is not what the brochure says. What surprised us, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning and the numbers bear it out.

Written by the Terra team in Brno. Questions? Get in touch.