Case 01 / A property business / Strategic project / In progress
Give the portfolio a clear job.
A property business needed its information joined up. The strategic work included deciding what belonged in the app, what stayed outside it and what needed attention next.
By Gemma Hurlstone · Real sessions and builds
01 / The observation
What came into view.
The portfolio app needed a clear job. Every new idea had to earn its place.
The original conversations covered content, the inbox, contacts and portfolio analysis. As the app developed, property sourcing and more document workflows joined the discussion. Those jobs had different purposes. Putting every research result and every file inside the portfolio would make it harder to keep the core clear.
The question in the project review
“It’s just research. Is it going to start to clutter it up?”
Gemma, recorded review call, 13 October 2026.
02 / The decision
So the work changed.
Keep the app focused on the active property portfolio. Test sourcing as a separate AI workflow. Keep original files in OneDrive and design the app around links to that agreed source, rather than creating another pile of copies.
The portfolio app
The properties being managed and their portfolio information.
Core app in developmentOriginal files in OneDrive
Keep one agreed original. The app would link to it.
Connection still to implementProperty sourcing
Research possible deals separately, before adding anything to the portfolio.
Separate workflow agreedThe agreed structure at the October review. This diagram does not show completed integrations.
Choose the tool for the work
Show them how the app could work.
I built a prototype from their existing spreadsheets so the founders could review the structure. The client chose the app route. The first phase centred on the property portfolio, with the wider CRM left for later.
Protect the useful core
A possible deal is different from a property you manage.
When sourcing entered the October conversation, I asked whether research results belonged inside the active portfolio. We agreed to keep sourcing separate at that stage. The client would supply criteria and worked examples so the workflow could be designed around an actual decision.
Keep one reliable original
The spreadsheet still needs a home.
We agreed that original files should live in OneDrive, with the app linking to them. That would avoid competing spreadsheet versions. The connection still needed to be implemented.
Let the review change the priority
Make the next thing useful in the working week.
The review brought invoice visibility to the top of the next-work list. We also clarified who should receive investor documents. Those details changed the implementation priorities and access design.
- Prototype reviewed
- Portfolio core built
- Next work agreed
The recorded progression of an ongoing project. This does not mark the whole build as complete.
03 / The result
What happened next.
A reviewed prototype, a developing app and clearer decisions about what belongs in it.
The client chose the app after reviewing the prototype. We built portfolio and financial views, although some financial reporting has only been checked with demo data. At the October review, we agreed to keep sourcing separate, keep original files in OneDrive and prioritise invoice visibility.
Source: Prototype review, 16 September 2026. Project records and review call, 13 October 2026.
Another brief. A different thing to notice.
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A useful system has a clear job. The judgement continues as the work develops.
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