From Side Project to Essential Tool: Sian’s Reporting Story

At Evoluted, every second Friday is dedicated to what’s known internally as 10% time for our Software Engineers. Called so because it makes up 10% of the working fortnight, it’s a chance for the development team to step away from client work and focus on developing new skills, exploring ideas or building something entirely their own.

For Sian Atkinson, one of those days led to a project that would grow far beyond its original scope. What started as a small experiment has since evolved into a tool that now plays a key role in how we deliver monthly client reports.

A simple problem, repeated many times

A few years ago, generating monthly reports was a time-consuming process. Each Project Manager had to request a script to be run, wait for a developer to pick it up, and then manually transform the resulting data into something client-ready. Individually, the task was manageable. Across multiple clients and projects each month, it quickly added up.

At the time, Sian was a Junior Developer, still early in her career and finding her feet.

“When the project was first suggested to me, it was definitely outside my comfort zone,” she recalls. “I’d only been at Evoluted a couple of weeks and was still learning the basics.”

Learning by doing

The first version of the reporting tool was simple. It automated a complex SQL script and generated CSV files that Project Managers could use as a starting point. However, getting there was anything but simple.

Sian learned as she went, tackling unfamiliar concepts and regularly reaching out to teammates for support. Each blocker became an opportunity to ask questions, build confidence and expand her understanding. Looking back, she recalls it as a defining experience:

“It really shaped how I approach problems,” she says. “Everyone was so supportive and patient. It made a huge difference early on.”

The result was not perfect, but it worked. It removed a key bottleneck and made reporting more efficient, even if some manual work remained.

From background tool to everyday essential

After its initial release, the tool quietly did its job in the background. Over time, it became part of the reporting process, even as Sian moved on to other work.

Then came a turning point. A request for improvements brought the tool back into focus, and with it, an opportunity to rethink what it could do.

By this point, Evoluted’s reporting needs had evolved. The agency had rebranded, reports had become more polished, and expectations were higher. The original tool no longer fully met those needs.

Rethinking the approach

One of the biggest limitations was the data source. The original version relied on a database that updated once a day, meaning reports could be slightly out of date. There was also still a significant amount of manual work required to transform raw data into a polished, client-friendly format.

Sian began by tackling smaller improvements. Automating repetitive tasks like updating dates, titles and report details helped reduce errors and save time. From there, the project quickly expanded.

Discovering Google Docs app scripts opened up new possibilities. By generating documents directly from templates, Sian could begin to bridge the gap between raw data and finished reports. That shift changed everything.

Building something more powerful

The next step was to rebuild the tool around live data. Instead of relying on a static database, Sian integrated directly with Harvest and Asana using their APIs.