The Audit
Before you modernize,know what to change first.
The systems in your agreed scope, reviewed hands-on. A recommendation for each — keep, replace, or rebuild — and a phased roadmap designed to minimize operational disruption.
$4,500Fixed fee
A complimentary, 20-minute conversation with us to understand what's getting in the way and whether an audit would help.
Systems Modernization Audit
What's holding the business back, what's it costing us, and what do we modernize first?
$4,500
Fixed fee · 50% on signature · 50% on delivery, net 15
Who it's for
Established, profitable companies whose software has become the ceiling — and who want an independent answer before committing to a modernization project.
Review areas — agreed before signing
- Lead capture, payments, customer data, and CRM — hands-on against your live data, not at the configuration level
- The systems unique to how you operate — reservations, dispatch, scheduling, inventory, field tooling
- Legacy and homegrown systems, and the spreadsheets quietly doing load-bearing work between them
- Third-party connections within scope, with observed issues and potential failure points documented
- Interviews with the teams in scope — such as sales, operations, finance, and engineering — with on-site visits agreed before signing
What you receive
- Full written Modernization Report
- One report covering findings across the agreed systems and workflows, an architecture diagram and data-flow documentation, and a keep / replace / rebuild recommendation for each system in scope. It includes named replacement products where appropriate and a sequenced roadmap with effort and cost estimates, designed to minimize operational disruption.
- Presentation to your team
- We walk your team through the report, explain the recommendations and their order of priority, and discuss the next steps. Includes time for questions during the presentation and a follow-up Q&A call after delivery.
Scope agreed before signingBefore you sign, we agree in writing on the systems and workflows to review, the deliverables, access requirements, and the delivery schedule. The fixed fee covers that agreed scope; any additional work is scoped and approved separately.
Out of scopePenetration testing, code-level security testing, and compliance certification (PCI-DSS, SOC 2) unless separately scoped. The audit is advisory — implementation is separate work.
An illustrated audit example
One lead. Three rounds of retyping.
Website to inbox. Inbox to spreadsheet. Then the same customer details go into deposit and purchasing systems. Each handoff takes someone away from the next lead.
Based on a real workflow. All figures below are illustrative assumptions, not measured client results.
Today, people are the connection.
A lead arrives by email. Someone copies it into a spreadsheet, then types the same details into the deposit system, and again into purchasing. Every copy is another chance to get it wrong.
Manual entry
Website & inbox
300 enquiries / month
- Name
- Dana Reyes
- dana@reyesevents.co
- Qty
- 12
A lead arrives by email.
Google Sheets
300 lead records / month
- Name
- Dana Reyes
- dana@reyesevents.co
- Qty
- 12
Someone copies the details into a sheet.
Retype · 4 min
Deposit system
45 customers / month
- Name
- Dana Reyes
- dana@reyesevents.co
- Qty
- 12
Customer details are typed in again.
Retype · 4 min
Purchasing system
45 customer records / month
- Name
- Dana Reyes
- dana@reyesevents.co
- Qty
- 21
The same details are entered a third time.
Retype · 3 min
Only 45 of the 300 leads reach the later stages in this example. We count those entries separately, rather than assuming every lead becomes a customer.
Connected: entered once, sent where it’s needed.
The customer’s details are checked on the website and saved to one CRM. Alerts reach the right people, each system receives the data it needs, and updates flow back. Each entry gets a 30-second review instead of retyping.
Automated
Website form
300 enquiries / month
- Name
- Dana Reyes
- dana@reyesevents.co
- Qty
- 12
The customer types their own details. Required fields and formats are checked before submit.
CRM / database
One source of truth
- Name
- Dana Reyes
- dana@reyesevents.co
- Qty
- 12
- Follow-up logged· Team inbox
- Deposit paid· Deposits
- PO raised· Purchasing
Team inbox
New lead alert
Follow-up logged
Deposits
Customer details
Deposit paid
Purchasing
Order details
PO raised
People still approve deposits and purchases. The connection carries customer details; it does not authorize payments or orders.
Time returned to the team.
Monthly data handling for the same workload.
Fewer chances to copy it wrong.
Original quantity
12
Retyped quantity
21
At an assumed 2% error rate, 390 manual entries could mean about 8 entries with a mistake each month. A wrong detail can carry into the next system.
Connecting records removes these retyping steps. Original input errors and sync failures still need validation and monitoring.
What if that time went into the next conversation?
Intake alone frees 17.5 hours. Put 75% of that time into follow-up, allow 10 minutes per attempt, and reach 60% of those leads. That creates room for about 47 more conversations.
Same enquiries. More follow-through.
180 → ~227
leads potentially reached each month
At a 25% customer conversion rate, that could mean ~12 additional customers.
A scenario, not a forecast. It assumes available demand, follow-up capacity, and the same conversion rate for the additional leads.
The sample numbers, explained
Existing monthly workload
300 enquiries; 180 leads reached; 25% become customers, giving 45 deposit records and 45 purchasing records. One entry per record, per system.
Manual entry: (300 × 4 min) + (45 × 4 min) + (45 × 3 min) = 1,515 min. Connected review: (300 + 45 + 45) × 0.5 min = 195 min. Difference: 22 hours.
Error illustration: 390 entries × 2% = 7.8 expected entries with a mistake. This is an assumed per-entry rate, not a measured error rate or a count of unique affected customers. No correction time is added to the savings.
Possible additional follow-up
Intake savings: 300 × (4 − 0.5 min) = 17.5 hours. Reallocate 75%, divided by 10 minutes per attempt: 78 whole additional attempts, capped by the 120 leads not yet reached.
78 × 60% reach rate = 46.8 additional leads reached. At 25% conversion, that is 11.7 possible additional customers. Display figures are rounded.
Later-stage savings are not used to project sales gains. Time comparisons hold the original workload fixed; serving extra customers takes additional work. Setup, ongoing maintenance, sales conversations beyond the attempt allowance, and fulfilment are not included.
The audit would verify the actual volumes, time per entry, error patterns, and available connections, then document the findings and a recommended sequence in your report. Implementation is scoped separately.
The honest answer, even when it doesn't pay us.
We also build custom software, so the audit is held to a standing commitment: it does not end in a sales pitch.
- IIf an off-the-shelf product solves the problem, we name it and offer to set it up.
- IIIf a custom build is the right answer, we scope it separately — and that scope is yours to take to any developer.
- IIIEvery recommendation is made on the merits of your systems. Full stop.
Before you book.
How is the scope agreed?
Before you sign, we agree in writing on the systems and workflows to review, the deliverables, access requirements, and the delivery schedule. The fixed fee covers that agreed scope; any additional work is scoped and approved separately.
What access does Cathedral Software need?
Read-only or limited-access roles are sufficient for most systems. You provision credentials, we act as a temporary authorized user, and everything is returned or revoked at the close of the engagement. All work is covered by an NDA.
How long does the audit take?
Timing depends on the systems and workflows in scope. Before you sign, we agree on milestones and a delivery schedule, including when access and interviews are needed. Kickoff puts that agreed plan into motion.
What if we don't hire Cathedral Software to build anything afterward?
Then the audit did its job. The report and roadmap are yours to act on however you choose, including with another developer.
What happens if access takes a while to set up?
We identify access requirements before you sign. If access or interviews are delayed, we agree on a revised delivery schedule with you. Those delays do not change the fee for the agreed scope.
Do you do security audits or compliance certification?
Not as part of the audit. Penetration testing, code-level security review, and compliance certification (PCI-DSS, SOC 2) can be separately scoped if needed.
How does payment work?
$4,500, fixed. 50% on signature, 50% on delivery, net 15. The signature deposit is non-refundable once kickoff has occurred. Invoiced through Stripe; ACH, wire, or card.
See what your software is holding back.
A complimentary, 20-minute conversation with us to understand what's getting in the way and whether an audit would help.