Why Simple Systems Now Beat Perfect Systems Later

by Jean-Eric Plamondon | 17 Jul, 2025 | Software & Automation

The short answer: A simple system gets your team moving now, while you’re still finding out what you actually need. A skateboard that actually rolls today beats a Ferrari that won’t be delivered until next year, and a simple, temporary solution builds confidence and reveals where the real problems lie.

Everyone says they want the Ferrari.

They want the all-in-one ERP, the fully automated dashboards, the gold-plated software stack with AI doing all the heavy lifting.

But let me ask you something:

Can your team even ride a skateboard yet?

Because if you’re still managing tasks in your inbox and running meetings with no follow-up, you don’t need a Ferrari (yet).

You just need something that rolls to help you get moving.

Right Now, Your Team Is Walking (Maybe Hobbling)

I walk into companies all the time where people are drowning.

There’s no shared task tracking. No structured meetings. No follow-up system.

Stuff falls through the cracks constantly, and everyone’s in survival mode.

And then leadership says, “We need a system.”

They’re thinking big. They want Odoo. They want Procore.

But I’m looking around thinking, You guys don’t even have a whiteboard.

The problem is: they’re trying to build a steel suspension bridge when they’ve got people wading through the river on foot. (And some of them are limping.)

At GrowthStrategy, we follow an iterative development model that we call the Smart Systems Rollout that is based on the analogy of Skateboard → Scooter → Bike → Motorcycle → Ferrari.

The Skateboard → Scooter → Bike → Motorcycle → Ferrari Path

Here’s how I break it down for clients:

1. Skateboard: Bare-bones but gets you rolling. GoogleSheets. Shared task lists. Meeting notes tracked consistently. This is the start of accountability.
2. Scooter: Lightweight CRM. Maybe Odoo CRM, Zoho CRM, or Monday CRM. Project management tool. Maybe Asana. Maybe JobTread. Just enough structure to start building habits.
3. Bike: Integrated processes. Automations. Real-time metrics, accountability. Still flexible.
4. Motorcycle: Specialized tools. Sophisticated reporting. More speed, more power—but needs balance.
5. Ferrari (ERP): Fully integrated, enterprise-grade systems. Amazing—but expensive, slow to implement, and overkill if you’re not ready.

Each stage solves today’s problems and helps you see what tomorrow’s problems will be.

Trying to jump to the Ferrari before you’ve even tested a scooter?

That’s how you burn hundreds of thousands of dollars and still end up stuck.

Start Simple (Because You Don’t Know What You Need Yet)

One of our clients was considering Procore—a $150K+ software implementation—before they’d even standardized their meeting rhythms.

I said: “Let’s not build a skyscraper on a swamp.”

We started with a spreadsheet.

Not because spreadsheets are sexy, but because they work with a minimal learning curve and, when properly built, they provide short-term wins.

And more importantly, because they force clarity.

• What do you actually need to track?
• What’s the real process?
• Where does it fall apart?

You answer those questions by doing.

Not by spec sheets and software demos.

Prototype the System in Real Life

We set up a basic Conditional Logic Form for quote/opportunity intake.

Every submission is automatically populated in a shared spreadsheet, organized by type, person assigned, or status.

That spreadsheet became the single source of truth: project tracker, communication log, and quote reference.

We’ll eventually move all of this into their ERP.

But only after we know exactly how it needs to work and have established proper habits around their recently-defined processes.

Because the world looks different when you’re traveling at 10 km/h vs 2 km/h.

What you think you need now will look completely different once you’re moving faster.

As for the client who wanted Procore? We learned that the first four months of our engagement produced more results and momentum than the last six months of the prior consultants / industry coaches combined.

Good Enough Now Beats Perfect Later

Everyone wants the polished, permanent solution. But your team needs something this week.

And a skateboard that actually rolls today beats a Ferrari that won’t be delivered until next year (or is stuck in the ditch).

A simple, temporary solution gets people moving, builds confidence, and reveals where the real problems lie.

It’s not wasted work – it’s version one.

So don’t wait for perfect. Just get rolling.

Want to know what your Skateboard would look like? I’m happy to jump on a call and discuss over a no-pressure call.

Common questions

What is the Skateboard to Ferrari path?

It’s the iterative model we call the Smart Systems Rollout: Skateboard, Scooter, Bike, Motorcycle, Ferrari. Each stage solves today’s problems and helps you see what tomorrow’s problems will be.

What does the skateboard stage look like?

Bare-bones but it gets you rolling: Google Sheets, shared task lists, and meeting notes tracked consistently. This is the start of accountability.

Why not jump straight to an ERP?

Trying to jump to the Ferrari before you’ve even tested a scooter is how you burn hundreds of thousands of dollars and still end up stuck. A fully integrated ERP is amazing, but expensive, slow to implement, and overkill if you’re not ready.

When should you move to the bigger system?

Only after you know exactly how it needs to work and have established proper habits around your recently defined processes. What you think you need now will look completely different once you’re moving faster.