RS Interior Designs: Removing the bottleneck between design and ordering
The problem wasn't how long ordering took. It was how much work had to be repeated before ordering could begin.
RS Interior Designs
Challenge
As projects grew in number and complexity, product information had to be recreated between design and ordering, creating unnecessary administration, manual checking and reliance on experienced team members.
What we did
Redesigned the design-to-ordering workflow and developed a connected system bringing product information, commercial checks, ordering and delivery tracking together.
Outcome
A redesigned process intended to reduce duplicated work, identify potential problems earlier and help the business take on more projects without a corresponding increase in administration.
The broader pattern this reveals
Growth doesn't always create more complicated work. Sometimes it simply exposes the inefficiencies already there.
Information is entered more than once. Experienced people spend increasing amounts of time checking details. Systems that worked at a smaller scale struggle as project volumes rise.
The business continues to deliver, but only because people put more effort into keeping everything moving.
The bottleneck isn't necessarily the volume of work. It's the amount of unnecessary work created by the process itself.
Why automating ordering wasn't enough
RS Interior Designs manages projects from initial design through product sourcing, ordering and installation.
Each project involves numerous decisions about furniture, lighting, fabrics and finishes. Product information develops across design boards, supplier websites, emails and conversations.
But once a client approved a design, much of that information had to be manually entered into the existing ordering system.
Product specifications, supplier discounts, VAT and client funds all required checking before orders could be placed.
The obvious solution was to automate data entry.
But we challenged that assumption.
Why automate the reconstruction of information that could have been captured properly in the first place?
That question changed the direction of the project.
The real problem
Information was structured too late
Product details existed during design, but the information needed for ordering was assembled largely after approval.
The handover created duplication
Specifications, prices and supplier details had to be transferred or reconstructed from boards, emails and documents.
Commercial checks were disconnected
Discounts, VAT calculations and client funds required separate spreadsheets and manual verification.
Delivery problems could surface late
Identifying delayed or stalled orders depended on people checking supplier communications and tracking information.
The underlying issue wasn't a lack of information. It was when that information became usable and how it moved through the business.
How we approached it
We started by understanding the complete workflow, rather than looking for a quicker way to enter data into the existing system.
1. Followed the product journey
Working with the RS team, we traced how a product moves from initial selection through client approval, purchasing and delivery.
This revealed where information was recreated, which checks required specialist judgement and where delays could develop without being noticed.
2. Moved information capture earlier
The most important decision was to start building the order list during design.
Product details, supplier information and pricing could be captured progressively as designers made their selections.
By the time a client approved a scheme, much of the information needed for ordering would already exist.
3. Designed around the complete workflow
Rather than adding automation to the existing ordering software, we designed a connected replacement system.
Product records, commercial calculations, ordering and delivery tracking would share the same information.
This also allowed us to build financial checks into the workflow, rather than leaving them dependent on separate spreadsheets.
4. Applied AI where it added value
AI helps extract and structure product information from supplier websites and identify potential delivery issues.
Designers still make product selections, verify specifications and approve orders.
The objective was to remove repetitive work while keeping important commercial and design decisions with the team.
What it looks like in practice
From product selection to ordering
A designer finds a product on a supplier's website.
Previously, its details might have been added to a design board and then recreated in the ordering system after client approval.
In the redesigned workflow, AI helps capture the product information as part of the design process.
The designer checks the details, and the order record develops alongside the scheme.
When the client approves, the information is ready to move towards purchasing.
From tracking deliveries to identifying problems
Supplier updates, expected delivery dates and tracking information are brought together.
Rather than relying on someone to notice a stalled order, the system is designed to flag potential delays.
The team can investigate before a delivery issue affects installation.
What changed
2 — Connected workflows
Design-to-ordering and delivery tracking brought together.
1 — Integrated system
Product information, commercial checks, purchasing and delivery visibility connected.
0 — Manual order-list rebuilds
The design objective is to eliminate the need to reconstruct product information after client approval.
These describe the redesigned system and its intended workflow. Operational results will be assessed following launch.
Why this worked
The initial problem appeared to be inefficient ordering.
But automating data entry would have made an inefficient handover faster without removing the reason it existed.
By examining the entire process, we identified an opportunity to capture information once, at the point it became available, and reuse it throughout the project.
AI supports that process, but the bigger improvement comes from redesigning how the work happens.
The goal isn't simply faster ordering. It's helping RS manage more projects without creating more unnecessary work.
What this proves
Sometimes the biggest opportunity isn't automating an existing task. It's redesigning the process so the task no longer needs to happen.
Facing a similar challenge?
If your business relies on people repeatedly entering, checking or chasing information as work moves between teams, the problem may be the underlying process rather than the tools.
At The Foundry, we help businesses identify those bottlenecks and build practical systems that remove unnecessary work.
Let's talk about where your processes are slowing you down.