CONSUMER / SYSTEM BUILD
02
Turning a manual vendor-sourcing process into a searchable system
Vendor questions became a lookup instead of a research project.
The problem
The knowledge existed but wasn't queryable, so the same research happened repeatedly and new team members couldn't self-serve.
What we built
A structured directory with the sourcing and enrichment pipeline behind it, in the place the team already worked, so adding a vendor was a side effect of normal work rather than an extra chore.
What changed
Vendor questions became a lookup instead of a research project.
What we'd do differently
When a workflow depends on one person's memory, the deployment risk isn't the model — it's whether the system captures knowledge as a byproduct of work people already do.