Can you describe the problem you aimed to solve with No Code?
I needed to build a system to track all tasks, projects, groups, accounts, dates, checklists, etc all in one place. It had to be built with No Code but also be built to be dynamic and flexible.
Tell us about the solution.
I've built something I call the People Brain and it's an Airtable base that is a CRM/Trello/Github/Monday.com hybrid of all of my favorite bits and pieces from over the years.
The idea is that every time a new task needs to be done (whether it's QA, a phone call, an idea, follow-up etc) it goes into the base. I think of all of these things as "cards" and even the biggest, most complex things really just boil down into one card. The system is broken into Airtable tables like: People, Cards, Accounts, Resources, Support etc. The only required tables are People and Cards.
You can have whatever tables you need for your own projects but every Card needs a person attached to it (but not necessarily the other way around). We use Airtable Automations to send messages directly to Slack based on important attributes to us like status, dates, etc. These can be customized by anyone in their own base of course. I've been using Airtable for a number of years now and I've refined and iterated on this design over the years.
At a high level, the system keeps the entire organization aware of what's going on with specific matters. All without leaving Slack. Teammates can even opt in to a weekly report (these go into a [Draft] state and act like our Inbox). We use various apps like Search (for people and cards). One other thing is that, as you know, Airtable makes the use cases pretty much unlimited. I remember building this type of thing for another business a few years ago and I needed multiple Zaps, Google forms, and webhooks to make everything work correctly.
Platforms used?
Airtable, Zapier, Slack (and more to come)
What was the most challenging part of implementation?
Not knowing where to start (or finish). It's so easy to build on that it requires much discipline to not just add things for the sake of it.
Return on investment or wins generated thus far?
In various ways, it saves me probably 10 hours a week. 40 hours a month. That's a big impact.
Advice to other No Code Operators looking to implement a similar solution?
Design and build with purpose. This is probably the 100th Airtable base I have made - each one better than the last. Stick with it, and remember that this community is only getting started!
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