In this episode of Verify In Field, host Jacob Edmond sits down with Paul Koetke, founder of Koetke Consulting and a Smartsheet Platinum Partner, to explore how growing millwork companies can scale their operations, improve visibility, and reduce manual chaos—all without jumping straight into a massive ERP system.
Whether you’re using Excel to schedule projects or relying on texts and spreadsheets to run your team, this episode shows how Smartsheet can bridge the gap between where you are and where you’re headed. With real-world examples from shops and field teams, Paul breaks down how to set up smart, flexible workflows that grow with your business.
About Our Guest
Paul Koetke is the founder of Koetke Consulting, a Smartsheet Platinum Partner focused on helping growing companies design smarter, leaner operations. A former Customer Success Manager at Smartsheet, Paul specializes in building custom solutions that streamline project management, resource planning, CRM workflows, and more, without the complexity of full-scale ERP systems. His team works with manufacturers, construction firms, and mid-size businesses to build flexible systems that support real-world work.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- How Smartsheet acts as a “middle-of-the-bell-curve” solution
Learn why it’s perfect for companies that have outgrown spreadsheets but aren’t ready for a full ERP. - Why Smartsheet is built to feel like Excel, but do more
Discover how its familiar interface helps teams adopt it quickly while unlocking automated workflows, dashboards, and real-time collaboration. - Standardize how teams work, without forcing everyone into the same tool
Let finance, engineering, and field ops all view the same core data in the format they prefer (cards, grids, dashboards). - Use approval workflows to eliminate manual follow-ups
Whether it’s a change order or PTO request, Smartsheet routes approvals and updates automatically, even to external clients who don’t use the platform. - How QR codes + mobile forms connect the shop floor to your system
Create lean workflows where operators can submit requests, log maintenance, or track parts with a simple scan. - Real-time dashboards replace outdated meetings
Paul shares how Smartsheet dashboards cut weekly reporting from hours to zero and made data more accurate in the process. - Why standardized language is step one in any transformation
Paul walks through how defining terminology up front reduces confusion and accelerates buy-in across teams. - How Smartsheet supports resource planning at scale
Track your team’s availability across jobs, assign workload percentages, and forecast bottlenecks before they hit. - Using Smartsheet to manage people, machines or both
Whether it’s assigning a drafter or tracking hours on a CNC, resource view gives a full picture of your team’s availability. - When it’s time to evolve: qualifying the problem before investing in new tech
Paul explains how to know if your spreadsheet problem is just an inconvenience, or a true growth barrier.
Key Insight
Smartsheet lets you wrap tech around your actual process instead of forcing you into someone else’s software template. Start small, get visible wins, and let adoption grow naturally across departments.
Where to Learn More
- Website: https://www.koetkeconsulting.com
- Paul’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkoetke/
- Smartsheet Website: https://www.smartsheet.com/
Watch Paul’s previous Verify in Field Episode: https://duckworksmw.com/podcasts/the-power-of-smartsheet-streamlining-project-management-with-paul-koetke/?utm_source=Buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast
Final Thoughts
If you’re juggling project schedules, team communication, or growth bottlenecks (and spreadsheets just aren’t cutting it) this episode is for you. Paul shares a practical, non-intimidating approach to building systems that work now and scale later.