Found it Already!

A tool for managing websites

This is a story about how a small tool made managing our websites so much easier, how handovers became more fun, and how we improved our services in the process.

We call it Found it Already; we built it for our own use, but we also welcome others to use it.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

In a rush?

Please visit demo.found-it-already.com and have a go.

How it started

In early 2023, we had an intern join our team. To give them a bit of hands-on Silverstripe experience (Silverstripe is the Content Management System (CMS) we use most), we were on the lookout for a project that would give a nice intro to the Silverstripe CMS. Without giving it too much thought, we asked them to build a little tool for managing websites — what could possibly go wrong?

We built it. It was basic, clunky, and old school, but despite our very low expectations for its use, it turned out to be pretty helpful. It helped us keep track of information easily, reduced our mental load, and it was actually pretty fun to use.

Why it fills a niche

Does such a tool exist already? Probably. Very likely.

Having said that, while working in web since 2003, I have never seen anything quite like it. Sure, I have seen a ton of project management tools such as Basecamp, Monday, Teamwork, Trello, Jira, Asana, and so on, but never something so specific for managing websites.

Be sure, it does not replace the project management tool; it links project management tools; it binds them together and it also links with other key information.

For example, Trello with its Kanban style boards is fantastic for managing tasks, but who manages Trello? What if you end up having 20 boards and things get a little murky on the purpose of each board?

How it makes our lives easier

You may know this feeling — Where did I store that password? Who’s the hosting provider? What domain names are linked to that site? What is the client’s phone number, etc. This is what Found it Already is all about.

Here are some of the features that make it so valuable to us:

• One place to connect all the tools (e.g. Bitbucket, Google Analytics, GitHub, Trello, Xero, Monday, Sentry, GoDaddy, etc.)
• We now have quick and easy handovers.
• Review all information for one site or one type of information for every site.
• Passwords are stored in a more secure way and easier to share.
• For any site, we can see when it last had a release.
• It tells us basic information for each project: how much time is available, how much time has been used already, etc.
• It helps us keep track of hours for projects with recurring hours (we call them Service Level Agreements).
• It collates error reports from sentry.io.
• It reminds us about any missing parts for any website.

How it adds value for our customers

There are three ways in which Found it Already adds value for our customers:

1. We work faster and more efficiently because all the key information is at our fingertips.
2. We can invite our customers to Found It Already and they can use the information just like we do.
3. Found it Already contains a Health Check Audit tool that allows us to review websites in a 360 / all things considered type of way. This often exposes “blind spots” for sites.

Working together is key

Of course, Found it Already is far from finished. In the ever changing world of web, most things are out of date before they go live.

We actively work on it to continuously reduce technical debt. Also, we welcome others to join us in using the tool and add their own insights and ideas to make all of our lives easier and to make working in web more fun.

If you like to be part of the Found it Already journey then please email us: yes@found-it-already.com.

See the results

If you would like to see Found it Already in action, then try our demo here: demo.found-it-already.com.

You can also visit the Found It Already homepage.