Back to Blog
7 min read

From Micro-App to Full Custom Web Software: The Protiva Spectrum

We build across the whole range, from a one-day Workspace automation to a full custom CRM or event platform. Here's how to know which one your business actually needs.

Not Every Problem Needs a Platform

One of the most useful things an audit does is right-size the solution. Sometimes the answer is a 200-line Apps Script that runs on a schedule. Sometimes it's a full multi-tenant web application with auth, roles, dashboards, and integrations. Both are valid. Picking the wrong size is what wastes money.

The Spectrum, End to End

  1. Workflow automation (hours to days). Gmail triage, Sheets sync, Calendar workflows, document generation. Ships fast, low risk.
  2. Micro-app (1 to 3 weeks). A focused tool solving one workflow: an intake form, a triage board, a reporting dashboard, a shared internal utility.
  3. AI automation (1 to 4 weeks). LLM-powered classification, drafting, extraction, or agents wired into your existing stack.
  4. Full custom web software (4 to 12 weeks). Custom CRMs, event management platforms, lead management systems, booking platforms, client portals, internal SaaS. Auth, roles, data model, dashboards, integrations, the works.

How to Tell Which One You Need

  • One workflow, one person, repetitive? Automation.
  • One workflow, several people, needs a UI? Micro-app.
  • Judgment-heavy work with patterns? AI automation.
  • Multiple workflows, multiple roles, shared data? Custom web software.

Why the Same Team Should Handle All of It

The reason we build across the whole spectrum is that most engagements start small and grow. A Workspace automation reveals a data model that becomes a micro-app. The micro-app gets adopted and needs auth and roles. Suddenly you have a product. If a different vendor built each layer, you have a mess. If one team owns it end to end, you have a system.

What You Own at the End

Regardless of size, you own the code, the data, and the infrastructure. No vendor lock-in, no seat pricing, no forced migrations. That's the point of custom, it belongs to your business.

Where to Start

Start with the audit. A structured week of discovery is enough to place your workflows on this spectrum, size the first project honestly, and give you a roadmap you can actually act on, with us or anyone else.