11 June 20261 min readProduct / Operations
A good internal tool begins with the exception
ByEthan
Happy paths make a demo look smooth. Exceptions are where staff decide whether a tool helps them or gives them more work.
Internal tools are often designed around the cleanest version of a process. Customer submits a complete form. Stock is available. Payment clears. The right person is online. In practice, the business lives in the exceptions.
Ask about yesterday, not the ideal flow
Ask the person doing the job to show the last five awkward cases. Those stories become the requirements that matter: a visible exception state, an override with a reason, and a clear path back into the normal flow.
A tool that only handles the happy path is a demo, not a system.
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