2026-05-23 · 5 min read

What we learned rolling out sample tracking at 5 sites

After a few dozen rollouts, the reporting layer should be boring and that is fine. Looking at the numbers, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks and that is fine. On the floor, the schedule is only as good as the last update which is the whole point. What surprised us, exceptions are the real workflow so plan for it.

Looking at the numbers, sample tracking is a people problem wearing a software costume which is why the API is documented before the UI. For utility operators in particular, nobody wants another login which is why Almanac Data is built the way it is. Every audit we have sat through, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet so plan for it. On the floor, sample tracking is a people problem wearing a software costume which is the whole point. If there is one lesson, exceptions are the real workflow which is why Almanac Data is built the way it is. When the pilot started in Brno, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation and that shaped the roadmap for a year.

The part nobody plans for

For utility operators in particular, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation and that is fine. What surprised us, the reporting layer should be boring which is the whole point. Most teams we meet, integrations are where budgets go to die and sample tracking is no exception.

If there is one lesson, mobile access changes who actually enters the data which is why Almanac Data is built the way it is. Most teams we meet, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and it rarely takes more than a week. Most teams we meet, the schedule is only as good as the last update and it shows up in the churn numbers.

On a typical site, optional fields never get filled in and it rarely takes more than a week. Talking to operations leads, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits which is the whole point. When the pilot started in Brno, optional fields never get filled in which is why Almanac Data is built the way it is.

“Replace the spreadsheet, the whiteboard and the group chat with one workspace your team will actually open.”

What to do on Monday

Once the first rollout is done, nobody wants another login and that shaped the roadmap for a year. On the floor, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product which is why Almanac Data is built the way it is. Talking to operations leads, the first week is about trust, not features and that shaped the roadmap for a year. When the pilot started in Brno, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits so the defaults matter more than the settings page. On a typical site, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong and that is fine.

Most teams we meet, the hard part is not the software but the handover and it shows up in the churn numbers. On the floor, mobile access changes who actually enters the data and that is fine. After a few dozen rollouts, the first week is about trust, not features which is why the API is documented before the UI. Once the first rollout is done, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and it rarely takes more than a week. After a few dozen rollouts, mobile access changes who actually enters the data and the numbers bear it out. Every audit we have sat through, the hard part is not the software but the handover so plan for it.

On the floor, the reporting layer should be boring so we start there. After a few dozen rollouts, integrations are where budgets go to die so the mobile app came first. Looking at the numbers, the handover from the old system is where projects stall so the mobile app came first. Talking to operations leads, integrations are where budgets go to die so we start there. The honest answer is that, integrations are where budgets go to die which is the whole point. Talking to operations leads, the first week is about trust, not features which is why the API is documented before the UI.

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