Technology modernization · Atlanta, Georgia

A plan first.
Then the technology.

Underson Associates helps engineering and legal firms modernize the spreadsheets, systems, data and workflows behind their expertise. We start with a free, detailed roadmap and a working prototype of your most valuable fix, before you commit to anything.

Get your free roadmap & prototype Try a sample prototype

No contract. No commitment until you're comfortable.

Technology Modernization RoadmapSheet 2 of 9
Current-state scorecard
Tools & software2.4
Data & documents1.8
Workflow automation1.5
Reporting & insight1.2
Security & compliance3.2
0–3 months

Quick wins

  • Standard report templates
  • Shared file structure
3–12 months

Core upgrades

  • Automated compliance tracking
  • Searchable project archive
12+ months

Long term

  • Connected billing & projects
  • Firm-wide dashboards
Why we work this way

Every week, a new tool promises to transform your firm. Very few arrive with a plan.

The usual pitch

  • A product looking for a problem
  • A contract before anyone understands your work
  • Big promises, vague outcomes

How we start

  • Your processes first, tools second
  • A written plan and a working prototype before any commitment
  • Specific hours, costs and next steps
Try a sample prototype

From the spreadsheet you check every Monday to a tool that checks itself.

This is the kind of prototype we build for free. Pick a sample, look at the spreadsheet as it is today, then switch to the prototype. Your own prototype would be built around your firm's process.

Sample data for fictional projects and matters. Time savings are illustrative, and your roadmap estimates them for your firm.

What you get, free

A complete roadmap, and a working prototype of the first fix.

After a few conversations with your leaders and team leads, we deliver a detailed written roadmap. Then we build a working prototype of the highest-value item on it, so you can see the solution run before deciding anything.

Plus: a working prototype

See it work on your kind of data before you spend a dollar.

  • Your top opportunityWe choose the highest-value item from the roadmap together.
  • Built in 1–2 weeksA focused, working tool, not slides or mockups.
  • Sample or anonymized dataNo access to your systems, and nothing confidential leaves your firm.
  • Yours to try for 30 daysYour team uses it and tells us what works. If you want it running on real data, that's the first project.
  1. 01
    Current-state snapshotYour tools, systems, data flows and pain points by team, in plain language.
  2. 02
    Modernization scorecardA maturity rating across seven areas, so leadership sees the whole picture at a glance.
  3. 03
    Top opportunitiesThe upgrades that matter most, each with the problem, the solution, estimated time and cost savings, and difficulty.
  4. 04
    Phased roadmapQuick wins, core upgrades and long-term changes, in the order that makes sense.
  5. 05
    Build, buy or do it yourselfFor each item, whether off-the-shelf software, your IT team or a custom build fits best, even when that isn't us.
  6. 06
    Budget ranges and expected returnHonest cost ranges for each phase, so you can plan regardless of who does the work.
  7. 07
    Risks and dependenciesWhat has to happen first, what could go wrong, and how to handle client data safely.
How it works

Four steps, and you're in control of every one.

Step 1

Conversation

A short call to understand your firm, your goals and what's frustrating your teams. See what to expect.

20 minutes
Step 2

Assessment

We talk with your leaders and team leads and review examples of how the work is done today.

2–4 weeks
Step 3

Roadmap & prototype

We walk your leadership through the roadmap, then build a working prototype of the top opportunity for your team to try.

1–2 weeks
Step 4

You decide

Use the plan with your own team, another vendor, or us. If we work together, you get a fixed-scope proposal to put the prototype into production.

Your timeline
What we modernize

Everything behind the expertise.

Most firms don't need one tool. They need the pieces to fit together.

Tools & software

What each team uses, what's outdated, what overlaps, and what's missing.

Aging spreadsheet models → reliable tools

Data & documents

Finding past work, version confusion, and knowledge locked in people's heads.

Scattered files → searchable archive

Workflows & automation

Repetitive steps, copy-and-paste between systems, and manual reports.

Manual checks → automated alerts

New tools, adopted safely

Where newer tools, including AI, genuinely help, where they don't, and how to roll them out responsibly.

Drafting, review, research, analysis

Systems & integration

Timekeeping, billing, projects and CRM that don't talk to each other.

Disconnected systems → one view

Security & compliance

How client data is handled, who has access, and tools staff adopt on their own.

Tool policies, access clean-up

People & adoption

Training, internal champions, and a rollout order people will actually follow.

New tools that stick
Who we serve

Firms where expertise is the product, and time is the constraint.

Engineering & utility consulting

Firms serving utilities, cooperatives, municipalities and infrastructure clients.

  • Rate study and cost-of-service models Rates
  • Compliance evidence and audit tracking NERC
  • Study results screening and reporting Planning
  • Field data to design sheets and material lists Design
  • Proposals, project budgets and invoicing Firm-wide

Legal

Law firms and in-house legal teams, with confidentiality built into every recommendation.

  • Client intake and conflict checks Intake
  • Document assembly from templates Drafting
  • Deadline and docket tracking Operations
  • Time entry review before billing Billing
  • First-pass contract and document review Review
Working examples

What modernized tools can look like.

Interactive examples built on fictional data. Your roadmap decides what makes sense for your firm.

Rates & regulatory

Rate study workbench

A cost-of-service spreadsheet turned into an interactive tool with rate design, member bill impacts, and an automatically drafted board memo.

Open example → Compliance

CIP Evidence Desk

Automated NERC CIP evidence checks and procedure gap review, with every citation checked against the source document.

Open example → Transmission planning

Interconnection Study Screener

Screens contingency results for a new large load, sizes network upgrades with planning-level costs, and drafts the report section.

Open example →
What you can expect

How we work with every firm.

A plan, not hype

Every recommendation comes with the problem it solves, the hours it saves, and what it will take.

You keep the plan

The roadmap is yours, whether you hire us, use your own team, or buy software off the shelf.

Honest about fit

If an existing product or your IT team is the better answer, the roadmap says so.

Your experts stay in charge

Tools support professional judgment. Engineers and attorneys make the calls.

Confidentiality first

NDAs up front, minimal data access, and clear answers about where information goes.

Fixed scope, no surprises

If we build something together, you get a fixed-scope proposal with a clear price.

Questions

What firms usually ask.

Why are the roadmap and prototype free?

Because it's the best way for you to judge us. You see our thinking in the roadmap and our work in the prototype. If both are good, you'll want to work with us. If they aren't, you shouldn't. Either way, you keep a roadmap your firm can use.

What's the difference between the prototype and a finished tool?

The prototype proves the idea works, using sample or anonymized data in our environment. A finished tool connects to your real systems and data, is tested for your edge cases, and comes with support. That's the first paid project, if you want it.

What's the catch?

There isn't one. You don't sign anything, and there's no obligation. The only cost is a few hours of your team's time.

Our client data is sensitive. How do you handle it?

We sign your NDA before we start, and the assessment is built on conversations and examples rather than system access. Every recommendation in the roadmap addresses where data would live and who could see it.

We already have an IT department.

Good. The roadmap will show which items your IT team can take on directly. We focus on the professional workflows, like models, compliance, studies and documents, that IT teams rarely have time for.

We've tried new software before and it didn't stick.

That usually happens when a tool comes first and the process comes second. We start with how your work actually gets done, then choose tools that fit it.

What happens after the prototype?

Whatever you decide. If you'd like our help, we'll propose a fixed-scope first project, usually turning the prototype into a production tool with measurable results, with ongoing support available afterward.

Your first conversation

What happens in the 20-minute call.

A conversation, not a sales pitch. By the end, you'll know whether a roadmap and prototype make sense for your firm, and exactly what would happen next.

  1. 0–10 min
    Your firm and your goals

    We mostly listen. We'll ask how your teams are organized, where the repetitive hours go, which tools and spreadsheets everyone depends on, and what you've already tried.

  2. 10–15 min
    How the roadmap and prototype work

    We explain what the assessment involves, what you'd receive, and how the prototype is chosen. If it helps, we'll show a working example close to your field.

  3. 15–20 min
    Next steps, if it's a fit

    Together we decide whether to go ahead, who we'd talk to on your team, and when. If you want an NDA, we'll sign yours.

Questions we'll likely ask

  • What work takes more hours than it should?
  • Which spreadsheets or tools would cause trouble if their owner left?
  • Where do errors or rework tend to show up?
  • What would your team do with an extra day a week?
  • Which tools has your team started using on their own?

Good to know

Who should join
Someone who can make decisions, plus a team lead if you'd like.
What to prepare
Nothing. Bring the problems you already know about.
How we meet
A scheduled video call, or an in-person meeting at your office anywhere in the Atlanta area.
What we won't do
No hard sell, no pricing pressure, and nothing to sign.
Afterward
Within one business day, a short written summary of what we heard and the proposed next steps.
Contact us

Let's schedule your 20-minute conversation.

Tell us a little about your firm. We'll reply within one business day with a few times to talk.

Email
Phone [Business phone]
Location Atlanta, Georgia · Serving firms across the Southeast

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