The Night Your FrankenStack Stopped Making Sense and How to Fix It

It always starts innocently enough. Maybe you bolt on a new platform to quickly fill a business requirement, and another tool to fix a process gap.  

But, before long, your RevOps tech stack starts to creak and groan under the weight of a dozen logins, a hundred automations, and a data flow diagram that looks more like a crime scene than a strategy. 

We’ve seen it more times than we can count: what began as a neat, well-intentioned system slowly mutates into a tangled, unholy collection of parts. Ultimately, this leads to duplicated effort, missing insights, and the unsettling feeling you’re never quite sure whether that subscription you’re paying for is actually doing anything. 

If that sounds uncomfortably familiar, don’t panic. Every FrankenStack can be revived with the right tools, a steady hand, and a bit of gentle re-stitching. 

Does Your Stack Show the Classic Monster Signs? 

There’s a point when every FrankenStack starts showing its stitches. Data goes missing, contacts appear twice (or five times), and no one’s entirely sure which version of a report is the “real” one.  

If you’re seeing any of these symptoms, it might be time to call in a specialist: 

• Duplicate data. The same contact shows up in three tools but is only updated in one. 

• Clashing automations. Workflows compete for the same trigger, confusing your team. 

• Mismatched reporting. Sales, marketing, and finance all see a completely different story. 

• Shadow subscriptions. Forgotten tools quietly bill you each month, but you don’t know if you can turn them off. 

• Permission nightmares. Everyone has access to everything, yet no one knows who actually owns what. 

These are the telltale symptoms of a FrankenStack system that’s been patched together over time. But, if you’re still unsure whether these apply to your systems, you can always book a quick diagnostic from Secret Source martech specialists. 

Spotting the monster is the first step. Once you know what’s hiding under the hood, you can start making sense of it again with a FrankenStack autopsy. 

How to Perform a FrankenStack Autopsy 

Fixing a FrankenStack doesn’t start with tearing systems apart. It starts with understanding how the creature came to life in the first place. 

Begin by mapping your ideal customer journey. Your tech stack should serve this journey, not hinder it. That means that anything which doesn’t help to progress the pipeline is on the chopping block. 

To do this, list every tool in your stack and what it’s meant to do, then trace how data moves between them. Where does it start? Where does it get stuck? You’ll quickly spot where processes overlap or where a single point of failure could derail everything. 

Next, examine ownership. Who’s responsible for each platform? Are roles clear, or muddied?  

From there, test your integrations. Follow a lead or customer journey from start to finish. If it vanishes halfway through, you’ve found a weak seam. 

Finally, document your findings. Even a simple flow diagram helps you see where to trim, merge, or rebuild. You’ll know exactly which parts to keep and which are just dead weight. 

If that sounds daunting, we can help. We’ve already done this for clients dozens of times and can return a clear, no-nonsense plan for bringing your stack back to life; all you have to do is get in touch to get the ball rolling. 

Once we’ve identified the problem(s), here’s how we fix them for you. 

The Secret Source Secret to FrankenStack Surgery 

Once you’ve mapped your FrankenStack’s anatomy, it’s time to make some clean incisions. The goal isn’t to rip everything out and start again, but rather to reconnect the vital systems so they actually work together. 

Start with the redundancies. If two tools handle the same task, pick the one that integrates best with the rest of your stack and retire the other. Then move on to your data: clean it, enrich it, and make sure there’s a single repository for it so there’s a single source of truth across teams. 

With the clutter gone, rebuild your key automations. Keep them lean, well-documented, and test them thoroughly one step at a time. Every automation should have a clear purpose and a named owner. 

Finally, roll out changes gradually. Communicate what’s happening, log what’s been fixed, and make sure every team knows where their part fits in the new, healthier system. 

Of course, all that’s easier said than done. That’s why it’s best to bring in experts with a steadier hand on the scalpel to help you. 

Get Your FrankenStack Review 

If your stack’s starting to groan under its own weight, now’s the time to steady the table and take a proper look. We’ll review every moving part, spot the overlaps, and show you where a few careful cuts could bring clarity, speed, and sanity back to your marketing ops. 

You’ll get a clear summary of what’s working, what’s holding you back, and what a lean, efficient setup could look like. 

Just get in touch to get started.