{
  "id": 9513167,
  "title": "The Comparison Is No Longer the System We Replaced",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/the-comparison-is-no-longer-the-system-we-replaced",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-24T07:18:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/serguey_shinder_4ab9b87b1/the-comparison-is-no-longer-the-system-we-replaced-19eh"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2024, the company replaced its expenses system. The previous system was considered terrible, while the new one is merely competent. However, the satisfaction score did not change significantly. When the author sat with fifteen managers to discuss the reasons behind this, none of them mentioned the old system. Instead, they compared the new expenses system to their banking app, a supermarket account, and even to a phone that automatically fills in details. A depot supervisor expressed frustration about having to type in information she had just photographed, which is a feature of her phone.\n\nThis comparison represents a significant shift in how employees evaluate internal software systems. For most of the author's career, the software they used at work was the most advanced available, so they judged new internal systems against the old one or against nothing. However, this is no longer the case. As more employees encounter superior systems in their personal lives, the bar is rising for internal software as well.\n\nThe issue is further compounded by the way companies buy software. They evaluate products based on features, which are listed in a matrix and defended in committee meetings. People rarely experience a feature matrix in their day-to-day interactions. Instead, they are concerned with the number of steps between wanting something and having it. The demonstration process is often given to a room of people who will only use the product a few times a year.\n\nThe author expects a shift towards evidence-based decision-making in software purchases. This would involve timing the ten most common tasks with real staff on the shortlisted products and publishing those times alongside the price. Products that perform well in these tests but poorly in others would be refused. Investing effort into the minor details, such as pre-filled fields and sensible defaults, could yield significant benefits. This approach, however, is unglamorous and has never been part of a traditional business case. The standard for these evaluations is set by companies that cater to consumers, not to employees, and this standard is continually rising, regardless of whether or not the company makes a purchase.",
  "summary": "We replaced our expenses system in 2024. The one before it was genuinely awful, the new one is competent, and the satisfaction score barely moved. I sat with fifteen managers to find out why, expecting to hear about the change itself. Not one of them mentioned the old system. They compared it with their banking app, with the way a supermarket account remembers a card, with a phone that reads a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}