I am a non-technical owner and our operations manager is asking to spend budget on several custom API integrations. How do I evaluate these tech proposals and cut through the hype so we only fund tools that drive actual bottom-line efficiency?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You do not need to understand code to evaluate a technical proposal. Your job is to enforce operational discipline and protect the bottom line. When your operations manager presents a tech project, strip away the technical jargon and focus on how it affects your cash and capacity.

Require every technical proposal to answer three non-negotiable operational questions:

- Which core process in our Process Component will this automation directly improve?
- How many hours of manual labor will this tool eliminate every single week?
- Which specific seat on our Accountability Chart will reclaim this saved capacity, and what high-value work will they do with that time?

If the proposal cannot define the exact process being optimized, reject it. Never approve budget for general tech experimentation or tools that promise vague productivity gains.

If the proposal passes these three questions, structure the project as an operations-improvement project rather than a technical project. Set a clear, measurable Rock for the upcoming quarter to build and test a minimum viable version.

Hold your Integrator accountable for delivering a working tool that meets these parameters within ninety days. If the pilot fails to deliver the promised hours of reclaimed capacity, kill the project. This disciplined approach keeps your leadership team focused on what drives actual company valuation rather than chasing shiny software trends.