Synthetic Sample Review Report
This sample report illustrates the structure, financial analysis, and engineering recommendations provided in a standard £400 / $500 SaaS & Workflow Review.
1. Software Spend Map (Sample Dataset)
Sample data. Invented.| Subscription Category | Seats | Monthly Fee | Annual Cost | Core Grievance / Bottleneck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations & Work Management | 18 | £450 | £5,400 | Strict per-user tax on external contractors |
| Client Portal & Approvals | 8 | £280 | £3,360 | Limited custom fields; clumsy email notifications |
| Accounting & Invoicing Platform | 3 | £65 | £780 | Core financial compliance; zero complaints |
| Timesheet & Billable Hours Tracker | 18 | £360 | £4,320 | Disconnected from payroll; manual spreadsheet export |
| Email & Cloud Office Suite | 18 | £216 | £2,592 | Commodity service; excellent deliverability |
2. Architectural Classifications
Accounting & Office Suite
Recommendation: Keep. Both tools are commoditised and inexpensive relative to the regulatory and security burden of replacement. Building custom replacements would require ongoing tax compliance maintenance.
Client Portal & Approvals
Recommendation: Replace with self-hosted tool. Can be replaced by an open-source self-hosted portal running on a small VPS. Removes the per-client license tier and allows direct styling under agency domain.
Timesheet Reconciliation Workflow
Recommendation: Build bounded custom workflow. Replace the separate per-seat tracking tool and manual re-keying with a tailored intake script feeding directly into invoicing with human approval gates.
3. Running Cost Modeling vs Subscription (Sample Workflow)
Sample data. Invented.We model every ongoing operational obligation of owning the workflow. Note: In accordance with our honesty rules, we never publish guaranteed or aggregate savings figures.
Current Subscription Outlay
Estimated Run Cost (Owned on VPS)
4. Feasibility Risks & Final Recommendation
Technical Risks: The client uses a legacy accounting API that requires OAuth token renewal every 90 days. The proposed custom workflow must implement automatic token refresh and fail gracefully with an email alert to the finance lead if re-authentication is required.
Recommendation: Proceed with a bounded Workflow Pilot to replace the timesheet reconciliation tool. Keep accounting and email on existing SaaS. Target delivery in 3 weeks, preceded by a formal technical specification confirmed in writing.
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