ClientFlow OS
A CRM for agencies and service businesses — leads, deals, tasks, and client history in one pipeline instead of five tools and a group chat.
ClientFlow OS is a client-grade build roadmap — a fully scoped system I'm building as a portfolio product. This page is the build spec, labeled as such. It is not a delivered client project.
Overview
ClientFlow is a client-grade CRM I'm building as a portfolio product, aimed at the small service teams that generic CRMs are too heavy for. This page documents the build specification: the workflow it replaces, the system design, and the v1 scope. It will become a full case study as the build ships.
The problem
Most small service businesses track leads in a spreadsheet, conversations in an inbox, and tasks in someone's head. Follow-ups slip because nothing reminds anyone, handoffs lose context because history lives in private threads, and the owner can't see pipeline value without asking around. The tools exist — they're just not one system.
The solution
A pipeline-first CRM shaped around how small service teams actually sell: a kanban board where deals move through explicit stages, client profiles that collect every note, task, and status change into one timeline, and a follow-up queue that turns 'remembering to check in' into a daily worklist.
Key features
Kanban deal pipeline
Stages, owners, and deal values — move a card and the pipeline numbers update with it.
Client profiles & timeline
Every note, task, and status change in one scrollable history per client.
Follow-up queue
Due and overdue follow-ups as a daily worklist, not calendar archaeology.
Task assignment
Small-team handoffs with owners and due dates attached directly to deals.
Pipeline reporting
Win rate, stage conversion, and pipeline value — without exporting anything.
CSV import & export
Bring in the old lead sheet; get your data back out anytime. No lock-in.
Business value
- Follow-ups stop depending on memory — the deals that slip are the ones nobody was reminded about.
- New team members inherit full client context instead of asking 'where are we with this one?'
- The owner sees pipeline value and win rate live, without a Friday reporting ritual.
- The client list stays yours — importable in, exportable out.
What I've built so far
- A complete v1 specification: 11 screens, the relational data model, and a permission matrix for three roles.
- Pipeline mechanics designed before code — stage rules, deal ownership, and what 'won' actually triggers.
- An activity-timeline model that keeps notes, tasks, and status changes in one queryable history.
- UI direction: a calm, dense board that holds up on a laptop in a client meeting.
Lessons learned
- CRMs fail on data-entry friction — every required field removed from the spec makes adoption more likely.
- Designing the timeline as an append-only activity log simplifies both the UI and future auditability.
- Small teams need opinionated defaults, not configuration screens — the spec cuts settings ruthlessly.
The build roadmap
- v1 — pipeline board, client profiles, tasks, and CSV import/export.
- v1.1 — follow-up queue with a daily digest view.
- v2 — email logging and simple pipeline reports.
- Later — rule-based lead scoring to rank the follow-up queue. No black boxes.
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Read the case studyWant a system like this behind your business?
Describe how the work happens today — spreadsheet, inbox, whiteboard — in a message on the platform where you found this portfolio, and I’ll come back with an honest scope: what to build first, and what it takes.