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Problems

Eighteen problems every decorated-goods business recognises.

Most of these are not technology problems. They are process problems that technology was supposed to solve but did not. Each one has a page that explains what it looks like, why it happens, and how to fix it.

Problem map · DO-ART-118

Eighteen problems, four places they start.

Every problem page on the site, grouped by where the failure actually begins. Thirteen of eighteen are not technology problems, they are process problems technology was supposed to solve.

Eighteen problems, four places they startEvery problem page on the site, grouped by where the failure actually beginsDO-ART-118 · REV 01DECODED OPS · ISSUEDDATAPROCESSPLATFORMPEOPLE5454problemsproblemsproblemsproblemsData scatteredSystems don't talkInventory blindSpreadsheet addictioneCommerce not connectedManual workaroundsSlow processesCan't scale operationsSeasonal peaksWrong ERP softwareLegacy systemERP implementation failureBuy vs buildDisaster recoveryOps in the owner's headNo ops ownerGrowth bottleneckAI paralysisTHE TECHNOLOGY ONEThirteen of eighteen are not technology problems.They are process problems technology was supposed to solve, and did not. Which is why the audit comes first.TITLEEIGHTEEN PROBLEMS, FOUR PLACES THEY STARTDRAWING NO.DO-ART-118REV01

AI paralysis

AI is promising to revolutionise your sector, but you do not know where to start or who to trust.

Growth bottleneck

The business stops where you stop. Every decision still goes through the owner.

Buy vs build

Off-the-shelf software or custom application: when each makes sense and how to decide.

Can't scale operations

The operation cannot grow because every order needs manual intervention.

Data scattered

Supplier data, stock levels, and order info live in separate systems that do not talk to each other.

Disaster recovery

Your business has no plan for what happens if the server room floods or the platform goes dark.

eCommerce not connected

The website shows stock that is not real and prices that are three months out of date.

ERP implementation failure

You bought an ERP and it did not land. The vendor has moved on and the platform is half-adopted.

Inventory blind

You do not know what stock you hold, where it is, or what it cost, and neither does your platform.

Legacy system

The platform you bought ten years ago was not built for decoration, and it shows.

Manual workarounds

Staff spend more time working around the system than the system saves them.

No ops owner

Nobody in the business is responsible for operations, so nothing gets fixed until it breaks.

Ops in the owner's head

If you got hit by a bus tomorrow, nobody would know how to run your business.

Seasonal peaks

Your busiest month is four times your quietest, and your systems cannot flex.

Slow processes

A quote that should take ten minutes takes three days because the data is not where it needs to be.

Spreadsheet addiction

The spreadsheet that runs your business is one corrupted file away from disaster.

Systems don't talk

The website, the accounts package, and the warehouse system all hold different versions of the truth.

Wrong ERP software

You chose the wrong platform and now you are stuck with a five-year contract and a system nobody uses.