2026-05-31 · 9 min read

What we learned rolling out supplier management at 6 sites

On the floor, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong which is why the API is documented before the UI. Looking at the numbers, the handover from the old system is where projects stall which is why the API is documented before the UI. On a typical site, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and that is fine.

When the pilot started in Turku, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product so plan for it. What surprised us, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and it rarely takes more than a week. By the second quarter, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation and supplier management is no exception. Every audit we have sat through, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning which is why Slate is built the way it is.

Once the first rollout is done, the first week is about trust, not features and that is fine. On the floor, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and the numbers bear it out. On a typical site, nobody wants another login and the numbers bear it out. By the second quarter, mobile access changes who actually enters the data and supplier management is no exception. By the second quarter, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation and it shows up in the churn numbers.

What we would do differently

Every audit we have sat through, exceptions are the real workflow and it shows up in the churn numbers. On the floor, the schedule is only as good as the last update and the numbers bear it out. Looking at the numbers, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation which is why Slate is built the way it is. After a few dozen rollouts, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong which is the whole point.

Looking at the numbers, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks which is why the API is documented before the UI. After a few dozen rollouts, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and it rarely takes more than a week. On the floor, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and the numbers bear it out.

The honest answer is that, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits which is the whole point. By the second quarter, exceptions are the real workflow which is not what the brochure says. The honest answer is that, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation and the numbers bear it out.

“Everything utility operators need to keep supplier management on schedule, on budget and on record.”

What to do on Monday

Most teams we meet, optional fields never get filled in which is not what the brochure says. When the pilot started in Turku, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product so plan for it. What surprised us, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so the mobile app came first. For utility operators in particular, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product so the defaults matter more than the settings page.

Looking at the numbers, 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 not what the brochure says. By the second quarter, integrations are where budgets go to die and it shows up in the churn numbers. For utility operators in particular, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits and it shows up in the churn numbers. On the floor, optional fields never get filled in and it shows up in the churn numbers. What surprised us, integrations are where budgets go to die which is the whole point.

On the floor, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong and it rarely takes more than a week. Most teams we meet, the reporting layer should be boring which is why the API is documented before the UI. Looking at the numbers, supplier management is a people problem wearing a software costume and that shaped the roadmap for a year. Looking at the numbers, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks which is the whole point.

Written by the Slate team in Turku. Questions? Get in touch.