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Build a working internal tool for a real or sample business

The capstone project for Internal Business Tools with Airtable & Softr — a free Data & Tech course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

A single live Softr app link (set so it can be opened/viewed for assessment) PLUS a short text note containing: the business and problem, a description of your Airtable base (tables, links, the formula/rollup and the automation you built), confirmation that a test record submitted through your form appears in Airtable, and your go-to-market note (price, retainer, how you'd find your first client). Include an Airtable share link or screenshots if your app's data isn't fully visible without login.

What to do, step by step

  1. Choose one real or realistic Nigerian small business and ONE tool pattern from Lesson 6 to build for it — for example an inventory tracker for a boutique, a mini-CRM for an estate agent, an order/delivery tracker for a food vendor, or a client portal for a consultant. Write one or two sentences naming the business and the problem your tool solves.
  2. Build the Airtable base: create at least TWO linked tables (e.g. Customers linked to Orders, or Products linked to Stock Movements) with sensible field types (use a Currency field in ₦ for any money). Add at least 5 real-looking records per table, at least one formula or rollup (e.g. profit, line total, total spend or a reorder flag), and at least TWO useful views (e.g. a Kanban by status and a filtered list).
  3. Add at least ONE automation in Airtable that does real work by itself — for example a low-stock alert email, a status-change notification, or a follow-up reminder — and test it with a dummy record so you can confirm it fires.
  4. Build the Softr app connected to that base, with at least one user-facing VIEW (a List and/or Details page showing your records, with search) AND at least one working FORM that writes a new record back into Airtable. Add basic access control — either a login-protected page (bonus: logged-in-user filtering so a user sees only their own records) or, if public, make sure no sensitive cost/profit fields are exposed.
  5. Publish the Softr app to a live link, open it on a phone, and submit a real test record through your form to confirm the full flow works end to end (form in Softr → new record in Airtable → automation/formula fires).
  6. Write a short go-to-market note (4-6 sentences): which Nigerian business this tool is for, the one-off price in ₦ you'd charge, a monthly retainer figure, and how you'd find and pitch your first client for it.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 7 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
Airtable base structure — at least two correctly linked tables, sensible field types (₦ Currency), and realistic records25%
Smarts — at least one working formula/rollup AND one tested automation that does real work by itself20%
Softr app — a live, published link with a user-facing list/details view (with search) that displays the data cleanly on mobile20%
Working form & data flow — a form that writes a new record back into Airtable, proven end to end with a test submission20%
Access control & go-to-market — sensible permissions (login or no exposed sensitive fields) plus a clear, realistic pricing and client-finding note15%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Internal Business Tools with Airtable & Softr before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Internal Business Tools with Airtable & Softr is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Ready to earn this certificate?

Internal Business Tools with Airtable & Softr is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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