Enterprise SaaS
CRM128
Six integrated modules replacing the WhatsApp-and-Excel stack most Nigerian SMEs run on.
- Client
- GEN128 Ltd., Lagos
- Role
- IT Project Manager & Product Designer
- Period
- Feb 2023 – Dec 2023
- Platform
- Web + mobile
- Status
- Live
- Live
- crm128.com
The problem
The Nigerian SME software stack is WhatsApp, Excel, and a notebook. Not because owners do not know better tools exist, but because every better tool asks them to migrate one function at a time and the seams between those tools are where their business leaks.
What I did
Scoped from interviews, not from competitors. We talked to SME owners about what they actually did on a Tuesday, which is how the module list became six rather than two: clients, inventory, accounts, HR, projects, appointments.
Built a shared Figma component library first. With a team covering six modules, consistency had to be structural, not a review step.
Led both IT and design. New protocols and accountability mechanisms on a custom-built CRM, with fortnightly performance reviews.
Delivered in phases, with moderated usability testing between them.
The hard call
Six modules in one year is the wrong answer to almost every product question. Here it was the right one: a three-module product does not replace the spreadsheet, and anything that does not replace the spreadsheet does not get adopted.
What happened
- Six integrated modules shipped in twelve months, live at crm128.com
- A team of 10+ led across IT and design
- Measurable improvement in delivery speed and quality across the year
