# SPB Utility Services > How a 15-person utility operator replaced enterprise maintenance software with a custom operating system built on Coda. **Replaced $12K/year of enterprise tools** Outgrown the cheap tools, priced out of the enterprise ones — so they built the one in between. Client: SPB Utility Services Industry: Utilities Services: Custom App, Automation ## Key metrics - $12K/year — Enterprise tool cost removed - 2 weeks — Build to live on operator iPads - 70 — Sites on one system ## What we built Replaced $12K/year of enterprise maintenance licences with a Coda work-order app the field team runs from iPads across roughly 70 sites. ## Challenge Daniel Peterson, founder of SPB Utility Services, faced a predicament most growing businesses know well: he’d outgrown his tools, but hadn’t yet scaled into the enterprise ones built to replace them. SPB manages water and wastewater utilities across roughly 70 locations in northern Nevada with a team of about 15 people. Field operators were spending too much time on lengthy, open-ended work orders that were difficult to navigate and easy to abandon mid-fill. Without native filtering, operators had to sift through hundreds of open work orders across all sites just to find their assignments — causing jobs to slip and time wasted on rework. Backlogs grew and incomplete entries became the norm. For Daniel, keeping up meant hours of manual, tedious editing each week, touching work orders one by one. “The tools we were using previously were great products but they weren’t worth the money,” said Daniel. “At our size, we didn’t use most of the functionality that they offered, so it was either overpay to over-engineer, go back to more rigid project management tools, or build something myself. I chose the latter.” He came to SimplaDocs with a clear goal: build an application that could support SPB’s operations today and grow with the business tomorrow. ## Solution After hearing Daniel’s vision and understanding SPB’s current state, SimplaDocs created a two-phase process. First: get the work order system under control. Second: build a leadership operating system bespoke to SPB’s way of working that would support its growth. Phase one started by mapping the user journey for the field operations team. Through user interviews with SPB team members, SimplaDocs understood what wasn’t working and developed a plan to streamline the process — adding easy-to-set recurring tasks and intuitive filtering that saved operators time placing work orders and gave them full transparency into their day’s assignments. Within two weeks of developing the app, SimplaDocs had completed onboarding and launched SPB’s new system to all field operators’ iPads. Next, the team built the tools Daniel needed to manage his business strategically. Bulk editing work orders — previously hours of tedious manual updating each week — was replaced by a web of automations that let him update hundreds of work orders across all of northern Nevada in minutes. One of the most impactful moments came when Daniel used AI to mock up his ideal dashboard. “I spent at least 10 hours one weekend creating the perfect dashboard for our new work order management system,” he said. After walking the team through how he wanted to engage with it, they brought it to life in Coda — fully functional and connected to his live data. - Bespoke web app for field operations, launched to operators’ iPads within two weeks - Work order system with recurring tasks, intuitive filtering, and essential-fields-only workflows - Automated bulk editing replacing hours of weekly manual updates - Leadership dashboard, built from Daniel’s own AI mockup, monitoring work orders and blockers statewide ## Results - Replaced $12K/year in enterprise tools with a custom-built Coda app SPB uses every day - Launched to field operators across roughly 70 locations within two weeks of development - Bulk work order updates across northern Nevada went from hours of manual editing each week to minutes - Eliminated backlog clutter through simplified, essential-fields-only workflows ## How the engagement ran ### How long did it take? Two weeks from build to launch on field operators’ iPads for phase one. The operating-system build-out is ongoing. ### What did the engagement look like? Two phases: a defined build to get the work order system under control, then an ongoing operating-system build-out working directly with the founder. ### Which systems did it touch? Coda, iPad, UpKeep, MaintainX ## Impact Field operators save time each week filing and finding work orders, and Daniel manages operations behind the scenes with automations handling the repetitive work and a dashboard giving him line of sight into the health of his business. ## Where it is now SPB is continuing the momentum by building out a full custom operating system. They’re adding an asset management database that lets field operators quickly find digital documentation of parts and processes — finally replacing paper manuals — as well as an internal wiki mapping SPB’s standard operating procedures, helping new hires onboard faster and the broader team stay aligned. > The most important thing SimplaDocs delivered was peace of mind. Now I know I have the freedom to build what’s best for my operations, my people, and my business — without being constrained by tools or ongoing costs. > — Daniel Peterson, Founder, SPB Utility Services > From the start, I was struck by how thoughtful the SimplaDocs team was. They didn’t just implement what I asked — they challenged my thinking and thought strategically about what they were building. SimplaDocs felt more like thought partners than a consultant. > — Daniel Peterson, Founder, SPB Utility Services --- Source: https://simpladocs.com/work/spb-utility-services