The Intersection 001
- Erin Wright
- Apr 24
- 2 min read
Momentum gets all the glory. But sometimes, real progress starts when you pause. Whether it’s moving to a new platform or refining a strategy, we’ve seen time and time again: slowing down just enough to ask the right questions often gets you further than racing down a checklist.
Build for Now — Not for Then
When it comes to transitions — whether you're redesigning a complex CPQ setup or shifting from NPSP to the new Nonprofit Cloud — the default (even if we don't mean to) is to just replicate what we had before.
It’s familiar. It feels safe.
But just because you can copy and paste… doesn’t mean you should.
This is your moment to pause — and:
Rethink your processes — are they actually serving the way your teams and customers work today? Or the ways they want to work?
Optimize your data — are you collecting what you actually need, or just what you always have?
Evaluate your workflows — do they fit your broader tech ecosystem and strategy?
Redefine success — are your goals clear, shared, and supported by how you actually operate?
A Simple Framework:
Recreate, Reimagine, Retire
We use this mindset often when approaching platform or process redesigns.
Assign each of your processes or functions to one of these buckets — then compare notes across teams. You might be surprised where there’s alignment (or where there isn’t):
Recreate – Some things really do need to stay — compliance requirements, validated workflows, tightly optimized operations. Just keep in mind: even those may need tweaks to fit a new data model or platform design.
Reimagine – Start fresh. Challenge your organizational assumptions and status quo. Dream a little. Form a cross-functional team and explore what’s possible — not just what’s familiar. Focus on needs and goals, not legacy constraints.
Retire – Let it go. Don’t drag old processes, unused reports, or unnecessary fields into your shiny new solution. Technical debt sneaks in quickly when we’re not intentional.
ODNOS on Experience:
Build Smarter. Not Louder.
Your platform can be more than just a tool — but only if you know how to connect design, purpose, and timing. That’s what turns potential into impact.
Platforms like Salesforce or ServiceNow are built with best practices, industry workflows, and years of feedback baked in. They’re powerful. But using something just because it exists — or because someone asked for it — isn’t strategy. It’s noise.
That’s the value of working with someone who understands your business, who cares enough to dig deep, and who knows the technology that’s meant to support it.
Let’s Talk
Not sure if it’s time to change your system — or just change how you’re using it?
Whether you’re rethinking a platform, a process, or just trying to make sense of what’s next — we’re here for it.
