The S.T.A.R.T. Framework: How to professionally develop Glide apps effectively and sustainably

After building Glide apps for several years, across more than 70 different clients and use cases, I realised something very simple: the difference between a “good Glide builder” and a professional Glide expert is not technical skill. It is process.

Most Glide experts already know how to create relations, build computed columns, design layouts, trigger actions, and automate workflows. The problem is not ability. The problem is building a reliable, repeatable development discipline that allows you to scale your work, protect your profit, and hand over production-ready apps without firefighting.

That is why I built the S.T.A.R.T. Developing Now framework. It is not a tutorial. It is a system for running Glide projects in a way that keeps you in control, keeps the client confident, and keeps the app maintainable long after hand-off.

S.T.A.R.T. stands for:

1. Specification
2. Tables
3. App Layout
4. Run Actions & Automations
5. Testing & Transfer

The order matters. When you skip or reverse steps, you create what I call “data debt”, “scope debt”, and “support debt”. Many Glide builders are talented, but still lose weeks of time fixing what could have been prevented in the first 48 hours. S.T.A.R.T. is the cure for that.

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1. Specification: Document everything before you build anything

Many experts still start building too early. The client explains the idea, you open Glide, and within 30 minutes, you already have screens and components. It feels productive. It is not. Every time I allowed myself to build without locking the scope, I paid for it later in rework, scope creep, or unpaid revisions.

A specification is not a perfect document. It is a mutual agreement of what will be delivered, including what is NOT included.

A proper Specification includes:

• User roles and access rules
• Key data objects (tables you expect to build)
• Main workflows (ex, request → approval → notification)
• Automations required
• “Must have now” vs “maybe later” features
• Estimated timeline and delivery stages

At this stage, I often create a simple diagram of the app structure, nothing fancy, just enough to spot missing logic.

PRO TIP: Scope Shield When a client asks for new features later, you can say: “That is a Phase 2 item. I can estimate it once Phase 1 is delivered.” This is how experts stop losing money to endless tweaks.

2. Tables: Build your data model before your UI. Always.

Less experienced builders design screens first, then start adding columns and relations later. This is how database chaos begins. If the app is built on unstable tables, every screen will eventually have to be rebuilt. If the tables are solid, the UI builds itself.

A clean table structure gives you:

• Predictable logic
• Faster performance
• Easier maintenance
• Lower risk of breaking relations
• Less duplicated data

In Glide, data is not “supporting the app”. It is the app. The UI only visualises what the tables define. 

What I do in this step:

• Create all main tables before any layout work
• Name columns with consistent prefix logic (ex: “Order/Date”, not “date”)
• Add row owner or role-based access columns early
• Create relations while tables are still empty
• Insert a few sample rows to test logic
• Only create computed columns AFTER base fields are stable

PRO TIP: Naming Prevents Data Debt If you do not use a naming standard, you will eventually rebuild the app only to solve column confusion. Column chaos is one of the biggest hidden costs in Glide projects.

3. App Layout: Design the interface based on the data, not the other way around

Once the tables are stable, I open the Layout section. Never before. The first screen I always build is the signed-in user home screen. That screen is the anchor of the entire navigation structure.

I design apps based on roles, not pages. Every role sees only what belongs to them. This improves UX and security at the same time.

General layout rules I follow:

• One screen per table, reused with filters instead of duplicates
• Conditional visibility everywhere (roles, permissions, status)
• No fields exposed that users do not need to see
• Minimal components: every extra component costs load time
• Reuse screens by filtering collections instead of creating 12 versions of the same view

PRO TIP: The 80% Screen Rule If you are building more than 12 screens, 80% of them are probably the same screen repeated with small changes. Fix it with:

1. Filters
2. Visibility rules
3. Role-based conditions

This is how you build real scalability instead of UI spaghetti.

4. Run Actions & Automations: This is where the app turns into a system, not just a database with buttons

Most Glide apps fail not because of UI, but because of action logic that was added piece by piece with no strategy. When the app grows, the actions become impossible to debug.

At this stage, I attach logic in 3 layers:

1. Local actions: add, edit, delete, update status
2. Workflow actions: multi-step processes triggered by a single user event
3. System automations: scheduled jobs, notifications, external integrations

Before I build any action, I write a sentence about its purpose. If I cannot describe the action in one line, it means I am combining too much logic in one place.

PRO TIP: Reusable Logic Whenever possible, build actions that can be reused for multiple roles or screens. Reusable logic = lower maintenance + faster iteration. Also, watch for automation performance traps:

• Too many queries
• Heavy computed columns inside large tables
• Triggering workflows on every user update

Glide gives a lot of power, but every action has cost. Experts know when to automate and when to leave logic manual.

5. Testing & Transfer: The most ignored step, and the most profitable

If you test by clicking around and saying “looks okay”, you will always pay later. I do what I call video QA. I record short screen captures (1–3 minutes each) showing every function of the app while I test it.

This creates three benefits at once:

1. I am forced to test cleanly because I am recording proof
2. The client receives a self-training library
3. Support tickets drop by 70–80% because there is already documentation

Then comes hand-off. A real expert never disappears after publishing. I always provide a 14-day warranty for bug fixes only. Not new features, not scope changes,  just bugs. It creates trust, reduces pressure during launch, and prevents urgent calls 3 months later.

PRO TIP: Warranty with Boundaries When you define the warranty correctly, you turn support into goodwill instead of free labor.

More about data management and hygiene

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Why S.T.A.R.T. works for Experts

You already know how to build apps. S.T.A.R.T. is about something else:

• Protecting your time
• Reducing rework
• Controlling scope
• Maintaining performance
• Handing over apps without chaos
• Scaling from freelancer → agency without burning out

Most experts do not fail from lack of skill. They fail from lack of process. Following these steps will help you keep your sanity while also offering clients a higher standard of professionalism and a more effective end product. 

Final note to fellow experts:

Glide is becoming more powerful. The market is becoming more crowded. The only way to stand out now is not building faster, but building predictably. Clients do not buy a Glide app. They buy certainty. S.T.A.R.T. is the method I use to deliver that certainty every time. If you want more templates, diagrams, workflow sheets or want me to break down the framework into a printable PDF, contact me through my website or the Glide Expert Directory and I will share it.