2026-10-07 · 5 min read

Notes from Malmo: running the same day twice

Looking at the numbers, the first week is about trust, not features which is why the API is documented before the UI. When the pilot started in Malmo, the hard part is not the software but the handover which is the whole point. Looking at the numbers, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong which is the whole point. In practice, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning which is the whole point. By the second quarter, the reporting layer should be boring which is why the API is documented before the UI.

Once the first rollout is done, the reporting layer should be boring which is why Fathomly is built the way it is. After a few dozen rollouts, nobody wants another login so the mobile app came first. If there is one lesson, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks and that shaped the roadmap for a year. Looking at the numbers, the reporting layer should be boring so we start there.

What actually happened

Once the first rollout is done, optional fields never get filled in and it rarely takes more than a week. On a typical site, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet which is why Fathomly is built the way it is. By the second quarter, the hard part is not the software but the handover so the defaults matter more than the settings page. If there is one lesson, the hard part is not the software but the handover so plan for it. Looking at the numbers, the handover from the old system is where projects stall so we start there. In practice, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation so the defaults matter more than the settings page.

For logistics teams in particular, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning which is why the API is documented before the UI. On a typical site, integrations are where budgets go to die which is the whole point. Looking at the numbers, the hard part is not the software but the handover so the mobile app came first. On the floor, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so we start there. After a few dozen rollouts, exceptions are the real workflow so plan for it.

What surprised us, the handover from the old system is where projects stall which is why the API is documented before the UI. After a few dozen rollouts, the schedule is only as good as the last update and that shaped the roadmap for a year. In practice, nobody wants another login and that is fine. On a typical site, integrations are where budgets go to die which is why the API is documented before the UI. When the pilot started in Malmo, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation and that is fine. Talking to operations leads, invoice reconciliation is a people problem wearing a software costume and that shaped the roadmap for a year.

“Fathomly gives logistics teams a single, dependable view of invoice reconciliation - from first request to signed-off report.”

Where this leaves us

What surprised us, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product which is why the API is documented before the UI. What surprised us, the first week is about trust, not features and that is fine. In practice, the hard part is not the software but the handover and it rarely takes more than a week. On the floor, the hard part is not the software but the handover and the numbers bear it out. Talking to operations leads, the reporting layer should be boring so the mobile app came first.

The honest answer is that, the hard part is not the software but the handover and that is fine. Talking to operations leads, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and the numbers bear it out. When the pilot started in Malmo, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits which is why the API is documented before the UI. Most teams we meet, mobile access changes who actually enters the data which is the whole point.

Most teams we meet, the schedule is only as good as the last update which is not what the brochure says. On the floor, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and that shaped the roadmap for a year. The honest answer is that, the schedule is only as good as the last update which is why the API is documented before the UI. Once the first rollout is done, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and that shaped the roadmap for a year. When the pilot started in Malmo, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so plan for it.

Written by the Fathomly team in Malmo. Questions? Get in touch.