Why is this important?
Why is anticipating a project timeline important? Assessing the time it will take to build your system is crucial to setting expectations before starting an Airtable build. It enables you to anticipate hurdles you might run into down the road and make sound business decisions. Without taking this crucial step, it is easy to lose focus and direction when developing.
Consultants can bring clarity to this process because they are able to leverage prior experience to estimate how long a project will take to build. Claribase has worked with over 200 clients on projects with varied complexity. We have also worked with a variety of use cases ranging from CRMs, marketing tools, financial tools, event planning, case management systems, and beyond. Having seen many different bases, use cases, and industries, we are able to assess the complexity of a system’s requirements and provide a time estimate with more accuracy.
Key Factors to Consider When Assessing Timeline
Anticipating the time it will take to build a project is more nuanced than just determining if the project will be complex or not. There are some key factors that contribute to the timeline of a project and some important questions to ask yourself for each factor. Factors include:
1. The Complexity of the Workflow Itself
- What are all of the aspects of the workflow?
- What data is required?
- Will the workflow require interactions between data in different tables?
- What automations would help streamline the workflow?
- Does the workflow need to be flexible or rigid?
2. The Size of Team
- Who will be using the system?
- How many people will be using the system? How frequently?
3. How well team members handle change
- Is your team quick to adopt new tools or will they require extensive training to transition to a new system?
- What is their current level of comfort with technology?
4. Who is building the Stystem
- Who is responsible for the build?
- Do they have the time and ability to plan, design, implement, and onboard your team to a new system in Airtable?
5. Are the requirements Clearly Defined
- Who are the key stakeholders using your system?
- Are key stakeholder requirements clearly defined?
Phases of a Project
At Claribase, our projects with clients often move through the following phases:
Discovery & Design
[approx. 1 - 4 weeks]
This phase involves understanding pain points in your current system, reviewing current trackers, and collecting key requirements of the system. The requirements gained during discovery inform the complexity of the design and the architecture of the base in this phase.
Development
[approx. 1 - 6 months]
Development involves building out the base architecture, interfaces, and automations based on the design developed from the previous phase.
Ongoing Support
[approx. 6 - 12 months or longer]
Ongoing support is offered during or after the launch of your system. We can accommodate new feature requests that arise as the system is used, bug fixes, and can also provide onboarding support in the form of training sessions or office hours.
Timelines Depend on Experience
Another key factor to consider when building a system in Airtable is the experience level of the builder. People often underestimate how long it will take to build a system that meets their requirements and is also scalable and well-designed. There are often 3 experience levels with Airtable builders:
Novice
People who have never used Airtable before or know very little about the software. A builder with this experience level would likely need to invest a lot of time and effort into learning Airtable before even beginning the project. Otherwise, they could be building the plane as they fly it. It’s challenging for a novice builder to take on Airtable projects with a medium or high level of complexity because of their lack of experience.
Experienced Builder
People who are familiar with how to use Airtable (e.g., how to make automations and interfaces). However, they don’t have much experience with architecting well-designed and scalable systems. This builder can ensure the system they plan on building will satisfy the client’s needs in the short and long term.
Experienced Airtable Architect
This is where most consultants land. These builders are experienced with using Airtable as a tool to build bespoke systems for varying business needs. They have experience building streamlined workflows, using automations and interfaces efficiently, and building scalable systems that support long-term growth without disruption. An experienced Airtable architect or consultant will ultimately speed up your project development.
At Claribase, we have an excellent team of experienced builders and Airtable architects who have worked with many different clients across industries, use cases, and project complexities. This experience enables us to build out simple to highly complex systems methodically and efficiently, ultimately speeding up the design and implementation of a system.
Book a free introduction call with Claribase for an estimate on your Airtable project and the time it will take to build it.
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Want to learn more even about Airtable? Claribase has just released its very own Airtable course, Airtable Mastery! This course is brought to you by award-winning Airtable instructors who will walk you through every step of the way.
Whether you’re a solopreneur, a small business owner, or a member of a larger team, this course is perfect for anyone looking to supercharge their data organization and management.