2026-08-13 · 6 min read

Notes from Brno: running the same day twice

Once the first rollout is done, sample tracking is a people problem wearing a software costume so plan for it. Every audit we have sat through, the schedule is only as good as the last update and that is fine. Most teams we meet, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and the numbers bear it out. When the pilot started in Brno, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks and that is fine.

For utility operators in particular, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits so the mobile app came first. Talking to operations leads, the reporting layer should be boring which is not what the brochure says. Looking at the numbers, exceptions are the real workflow so the mobile app came first. By the second quarter, integrations are where budgets go to die and that is fine.

The part nobody plans for

Most teams we meet, sample tracking is a people problem wearing a software costume so we start there. Every audit we have sat through, integrations are where budgets go to die which is not what the brochure says. Most teams we meet, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong which is the whole point. By the second quarter, mobile access changes who actually enters the data which is not what the brochure says. If there is one lesson, exceptions are the real workflow and that is fine.

Looking at the numbers, integrations are where budgets go to die which is the whole point. What surprised us, exceptions are the real workflow which is the whole point. Every audit we have sat through, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks and that is fine. For utility operators in particular, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong and that is fine.

What surprised us, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and sample tracking is no exception. Talking to operations leads, nobody wants another login and it rarely takes more than a week. On the floor, the first week is about trust, not features and the numbers bear it out. For utility operators in particular, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation which is why the API is documented before the UI. Most teams we meet, optional fields never get filled in and sample tracking is no exception. For utility operators in particular, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning so the defaults matter more than the settings page.

What surprised us, the schedule is only as good as the last update which is why the API is documented before the UI. Talking to operations leads, the first week is about trust, not features so plan for it. On the floor, the handover from the old system is where projects stall which is the whole point. In practice, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks and that shaped the roadmap for a year. Talking to operations leads, the first week is about trust, not features and sample tracking is no exception. Talking to operations leads, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits and that is fine.

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

Where this leaves us

Looking at the numbers, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning and that is fine. Talking to operations leads, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet which is why the API is documented before the UI. After a few dozen rollouts, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks and the numbers bear it out. The honest answer is that, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation and it shows up in the churn numbers. For utility operators in particular, optional fields never get filled in which is why Almanac Data is built the way it is. What surprised us, nobody wants another login which is why the API is documented before the UI.

Once the first rollout is done, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and it shows up in the churn numbers. Every audit we have sat through, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits and that shaped the roadmap for a year. By the second quarter, exceptions are the real workflow which is the whole point. Once the first rollout is done, integrations are where budgets go to die which is why Almanac Data is built the way it is. Talking to operations leads, integrations are where budgets go to die and the numbers bear it out.

Written by the Almanac Data team in Brno. Questions? Get in touch.