Case study • Travel operations
Real case study
Illustration for the travel operations case study

Excel → PDF automation for a Tokyo travel agency

Two internal Windows tools for a 5-person logistics team: generate guide invoices and client itineraries from SharePoint-synced Excel data, with fast regeneration when plans change.

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Snapshot

Built around real numbers and how the team actually works.

Context

Hundreds of inbound tours per month.

  • 5-person logistics team
  • Shared Excel workbooks
  • Seasonal workload with a monthly monthly paperwork cycle

Busy-month output

One peak month example from operations.

  • ~300 missions split across ~40 guides
  • ~40 invoices (one per guide)
  • ~100 itineraries (one per client trip)
  • ~140 PDFs generated

Before → after

From manual copy/paste to repeatable generation.

  • ~5-15 hours/month → ~10 minutes/month
  • Fewer errors from naming/format inconsistencies
  • Flexible re-generation, reduced cost of changes

The problem

Routine Excel work as a recurring operational burden.

Scattered inputs

Information lived across multiple Excel files updated daily by multiple people. The team relied on heavy filtering, copy/paste, and manual PDF exports.

  • Inconsistent naming conventions
  • Accents and variant spellings in people/place names
  • Late itinerary changes causing rework and duplicates
  • High volume of manual repetitive work inevitably creates errors and frustration

Non-negotiable constraints

The new way of working had to reasonably fit into existing processes and templates.

  • Keep Excel as the source of truth
  • No disruption to other teams using the same files
  • Configurable rules maintained by non-technical staff
  • Safe operation (no overwriting originals)

What we built

Two small tools, focused on speed, safety, and hands-on control.

Invoice generator (simple Windows tool)

Generate correct PDF invoices

  • Automatically finds source workbooks and templates
  • Guided selection: staff member, period, and custom rules
  • Exports PDFs with consistent naming and correct data

Itinerary generator

Populate itinerary templates per mission and export clean client PDFs.

  • Pulls itinerary steps, dates, hotels, transport and ticket info
  • If itinerary changes → easy regeneration

Excel-based configuration

Rules live in Excel so logistics team can update them without engineering support.

  • Fine-grained pay adjustments
  • Name equivalences across different internal conventions
  • Built-in checks to prevent configuration mistakes

Team workflow

Best-effort automation, but never silent guesses.

  1. Quick checks first (missing files, Excel locks) before doing any work.
  2. Auto-discover source workbooks; prompt only when multiple candidates exist.
  3. Pick the relevant year/sheet, then choose guide(s) and the billing interval.
  4. Apply pricing rules and special cases from the configuration workbook.
  5. Handle accents and spelling variants; ask for confirmation when it’s unclear.
  6. Generate outputs in a temporary working folder (originals untouched).
  7. Export PDFs and write a clear run history for easy review when something looks off.

The goal was a tool the team could trust on a busy month: predictable outputs, clear prompts, and no risky side effects.

Outcomes

Speed, consistency, and fewer avoidable errors.

  • Busy month example: ~300 missions / ~40 guides / ~100 itineraries → ~140 PDFs generated
  • Time reduced from ~5-15 hours/month to ~10 minutes/month
  • Easy re-generation when last-minute itinerary changes happen
  • More consistent outputs (templates, naming, and formatting)
  • Clear run history for troubleshooting and team confidence

Launch & handover

Lightweight delivery, fast rollout.

Seamless integration

Packaged as a simple Windows .exe so the team could run it without changing their surrounding processes.

  • Works with existing SharePoint-synced Excel files
  • No platform migration, no new accounts, no new UI to learn
  • Designed so other teams can keep working as before

Fast iteration

First demo in October; used in production by January. Early edge cases were fixed quickly with team feedback.

  • Documentation + FAQ
  • In-office walkthrough for the team and management
  • Optional follow-up support for new rules and exceptions

Have a similar pain point?

If spreadsheets, PDFs, and month-end operations admin are taking too much time, there is usually a safe, lightweight fix.

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