Your ERP and spreadsheets tell different stories
You have invested heavily in your system, but important decisions still rely on a spreadsheet maintained on the side.
Technology consultant for manufacturing businesses
Are you running the business — or is it running you?
You have an ERP system, data and capable people. Yet information still needs chasing, the numbers do not add up, and important decisions wait for a handful of people.
I help you find where your business is losing capacity, what is causing the problem, and what is worth fixing, automating or preparing for AI.
30 minutes · Online · No obligation · No sales presentation
- Manufacturing businesses
- Around 50–300 employees
- Czech Republic
Processes→Data→Business knowledge→Automation→AI
You have the systems. Unnecessary work still fills the day.
Every department has its own numbers
Sales, production and finance describe the same order differently. Management has to establish the facts before it can make a decision.
The same data gets entered more than once
Information is copied from email into the ERP, from the ERP into Excel, and from Excel into a report.
People spend their time searching
The document is on a shared drive, the details are in an email, and the crucial exception exists only in an experienced colleague’s head.
Meetings become information updates
Time goes into finding out what happened, which order is stuck and whose figures are correct, leaving little room for decisions.
A key person holds the process together
When the planner, supervisor or owner is away, work stops because nobody else has the full picture.
More apps. Just as much work.
A new tool solves one step but creates another place where someone has to enter or check data.
These problems are connected. Your processes, data, responsibilities and business knowledge are not working together as a whole.
Your biggest losses may lie between people and systems.
Copying a record takes a few minutes. So does finding the right document. One extra meeting will not bring the business down.
But these small losses happen every day across sales, purchasing, warehousing, production, quality and administration.
- Skilled people are buried in routine work.
- Decisions rely on incomplete or conflicting data.
- Processes depend on what individuals remember.
- You add people and technology, yet the workload stays the same.
Before hiring more people, check how much of your existing team’s time goes into work that could already have been eliminated.
Take back control
Build a business you can rely on.
- Management can see what actually needs a decision.
- People can find information without chasing colleagues.
- A standard order moves through the business without unnecessary intervention.
- Exceptions have clear rules and someone responsible for resolving them.
- Technology reduces the work people have to do.
A manufacturing business needs a way of working people can depend on, without relying on a few individuals to save the day.
Automate a broken process and the mistakes happen faster.
AI can process an enquiry, find information, check data or prepare the facts for a decision.
First, you need to know how the process actually works, which sources you can trust, who is responsible for the result and when a person needs to decide.
I start with a practical question: “Which tasks could we handle better than we do today?”
Business context
Before technology takes on work, it needs the right context.
Processes, data, knowledge and rules need to fit together so automation and AI have a reliable foundation to work from.
Think of AI as another member of the team: it needs to know the process, have the right information and follow your business rules.
Sometimes the right answer is to fix a process, assign responsibility or bring the data into line. AI is one option among several.
- 01ProcessesHow work actually gets done, including handovers, responsibilities and exceptions.
- 02DataWhere information comes from and which source to use in each situation.
- 03Knowledge and rulesWhat people carry in their heads and how they make decisions.
- 04Business contextWhat the technology may access, do or recommend, and when it must involve a person.
- 05Automation and AIWork that can be delegated safely, with a benefit you can measure.
Start with work that takes up your team’s time today.
Incoming enquiries
A system can extract the key details from an email, look up the customer and prepare the information for the next step or a draft quotation.
Orders and documents
With clear rules for routine cases and exceptions, data can move between email, forms, your ERP and other systems without being retyped.
Business information
An employee can get an answer from approved company sources and see where it came from.
Data checks and exceptions
Management can receive ongoing alerts about situations that need attention, without waiting for the next report.
Business knowledge
Procedures, experience and decision rules can remain available when the person who knows them is away.
Focus human attention on the work that needs human judgement.
First, let’s see how your business really works.
Digital Business Review
Before recommending technology, I need to understand your operations.
The Digital Business Review maps how work and information actually move through your company, including the gaps between documented procedures, system settings and everyday practice.
I talk to people, observe specific tasks and look for delays, duplicate data entry, time spent searching, manual checks, unclear responsibilities and dependence on individuals.
You leave with a clear picture of:
Where time and capacity are being lost
The specific activities consuming your team’s time without creating enough value in return.
What is causing the problem
Whether the cause is a process, unclear responsibility, a missing rule, unreliable data or a system limitation.
What needs fixing first
Where you need a clear way of working or someone responsible for the outcome before automation can help.
What you can automate now
Opportunities with a clear result, available data and a manageable level of effort.
Where AI could help
Tasks involving text, varied inputs, business knowledge or information needed for decisions.
What to do first
Priorities based on expected benefit, risk and effort, starting with a specific process and a measurable result.
Discuss a Digital Business Review →
The first 30 minutes are free, with no obligation to continue.
From everyday work to a change you can measure.
- 01
Understand what happens today
I talk to your people, follow specific processes and map the systems, data, handovers and exceptions involved.
- 02
Find the cause
“We have too many spreadsheets” or “We need new software” often describes a symptom. I look for what is causing it.
- 03
Measure the impact
Together, we establish how much time, waiting, rework or unnecessary effort the current situation creates, and how we will recognise an improvement.
- 04
Define a better way of working
I work out what people should do, what conventional automation can handle and where AI makes sense.
- 05
Set the priorities
We agree what to do now, what to prepare for later and what to leave out.
- 06
Check the result
If you decide to continue, we start with a clearly defined change, someone responsible for it, a baseline and a measurable result.
The outcome
Technology should take work off your hands.
The result should be a business where people spend less time searching, data moves without being retyped, and routine work can proceed without the owner stepping in.
The goal is a business that works better.
Michal Plaček
My background is in manufacturing, processes and ERP. Today, I connect that experience with automation and AI.
My experience comes from working inside manufacturing businesses.
I have worked on how sales, purchasing, warehousing, production, orders and invoicing operate, and how ERP systems connect them.
For years, I have translated real business operations into digital systems. That means understanding the process, identifying exceptions, clarifying responsibilities and turning a business need into a technical solution.
Today, I bring that foundation to automation and AI.
I work independently of any one platform. I start by understanding how your business needs to work, then look for technology that can help.
- Experience in manufacturing and ERP.
- A view across processes, data and people.
- Independence from specific software platforms.
- A clear diagnosis before a recommendation.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Digital Business Review only for companies that already want to use AI?+
No. It often makes more sense to start with a specific business problem. The review shows whether the answer is a process improvement, consistent data, conventional automation, AI or a combination of changes.
Will we need to replace our ERP?+
No. First, we establish which systems are doing their job, where the real problem lies and how you could use or connect your existing tools more effectively. I would only recommend replacing a system if there were a specific reason to do so.
Do we have to digitise the whole company first?+
No. You can start with one process that has a clear outcome, someone responsible for it and the data it needs. Your business does not have to be perfect. You do need to know what you want to change and how you will measure the benefit.
What is the difference between automation and AI?+
Conventional automation works well when a task can be described using precise rules. AI helps with text, varied inputs, knowledge and preparing information for decisions. In practice, the two often work together.
What if you find that AI is not right for us yet?+
That is a useful finding too. You will get a clear explanation of what needs to be addressed first and which change could have a greater impact with less risk.
Do we only get an analysis, or can you help with implementation?+
The Digital Business Review has value on its own and does not commit you to further work. If you decide to continue, I can help define an initial pilot, choose an approach and oversee implementation. We agree the scope based on what the review reveals.
How much time will our team need to commit?+
That depends on the scope and the number of processes we review. Before starting, we agree exactly who I need to speak to, what I will observe and which materials I need. The aim is to understand your operations while keeping them running.
Do you only work with manufacturing businesses?+
Manufacturing is my main area of experience and my primary focus. The same principles for processes, data and business knowledge also apply to warehousing and other businesses with complex operations. During the initial call, we will check whether my experience is a good fit for your situation.
The first step
Find where your business is losing the most capacity.
In our first 30 minutes, we will look at where people spend the most time searching, retyping, checking or waiting for decisions. Together, we will see whether a Digital Business Review is a useful next step.
Book a free 30-minute callOnline · No obligation · Directly with Michal