Mike Till and his team at ProBuilt Software spent three and a half years building something that multiple development firms told them was impossible: true multitasking in the browser.
The problem they tackled affects virtually every web application in use today. When you open QuickBooks Online and want to compare two invoices side by side, you can't. The invoice grid disappears when you click on an individual record. You see one thing at a time, period. This limitation extends across Salesforce, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and practically every SaaS application developers have built over the past two decades.
Till, who previously built and sold to PE a transportation management system company, became frustrated with this constraint during the pandemic. His team had successfully created desktop software that allowed dispatchers and accountants to manage multiple windows and tasks simultaneously. Moving to the cloud meant giving up that capability.
Why Web Apps Got Stuck
The single-page constraint isn't accidental. It's architectural. Web applications evolved from document-based websites where navigation between pages made sense. Early frameworks reinforced this pattern, and developers built upon it. The result is what ProBuilt calls "one-page-at-a-time" (OPAT) architecture.
Users adapt to these limitations, but adaptation doesn't eliminate productivity costs. Till's team calculated that multitasking capabilities could compress eight hours of work into five hours for many business application users. The math becomes significant when applied across organizations with hundreds or thousands of software users.
How They Actually Built It
ProBuilt's Floating Forms architecture enables multiple interactive forms within a single browser window. Their implementation includes two core technologies: floating forms that operate independently within the browser viewport, and data stacking that allows multiple lists and data views to remain active simultaneously.
The company has built a full ERP application as proof of concept, demonstrating accounting, CRM, and operations modules running in the same browser window with forms that can be moved, resized, and operated concurrently.
"Our patent-pending 'Floating-Forms' technology is the much-needed solution to the antiquated, painfully inefficient 'one-page-at-a-time' design standard that has plagued every browser-based online software application ever made in the last twenty-five years," said Till.
Why Big Tech Companies Haven't Done This
ProBuilt faced significant skepticism from development firms during their research phase. Multiple companies told them their goals were technically impossible, which Till says motivated the team to continue. Three and a half years of development later, they have working software and a patent application.
The technical achievement raises questions about why larger software companies haven't implemented similar solutions. Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and Salesforce have the resources to tackle browser multitasking, yet these capabilities remain absent from their flagship applications.
License It, Don't Build It
Rather than competing directly with established software vendors, ProBuilt is licensing their architecture to other companies. They're targeting SaaS developers who want to differentiate their applications and enterprise software vendors looking to modernize their platforms.
The licensing model addresses a practical reality: building multitasking capabilities internally would require significant R&D investment and time. ProBuilt offers a faster path to market for companies willing to integrate their technology.
Ditching QuickBooks Dependencies
ProBuilt's second revenue stream addresses a different market gap through white-labeling. Most vertical SaaS applications today rely on external integrations for accounting and CRM functionality. Construction management software connects to QuickBooks. Field service platforms integrate with Salesforce. These integrations create dependencies on third-party systems and often result in clunky user experiences.
ProBuilt offers white-label versions of their ERP modules that software companies can embed directly into their own platforms. A construction management platform could license ProBuilt's accounting module and present it as their own native functionality, eliminating the QuickBooks dependency entirely.
This approach gives SaaS companies more control over their technology stack and user experience while potentially opening new revenue streams. Instead of directing customers to external accounting software, they can offer integrated financial management as part of their core platform.
The white-label modules run on ProBuilt's Floating Forms architecture, meaning customers get both the embedded functionality and the multitasking capabilities that standard integrations can't provide. A dispatcher could manage job scheduling and invoice creation simultaneously within the same application window.
Government Agencies Are Paying Attention
The technology has attracted attention from federal agencies, particularly those dealing with time-critical decision making. Government representatives have shown interest in applications where personnel must analyze multiple data sources simultaneously, such as field operations and intelligence analysis.
The security and productivity implications for government applications add credibility to ProBuilt's claims about the technology's significance.
Why This Matters Now
ProBuilt's emergence comes during a period when productivity tools face increased scrutiny. Recent studies suggest that many organizations aren't seeing expected returns from AI investments, creating openness to alternative productivity improvements.
The company's focus on foundational architecture rather than add-on features positions them differently from the current wave of AI-powered productivity tools. Their approach addresses interface limitations rather than content generation or analysis.
Market Adoption and Implementation
Adopting ProBuilt's architecture represents a strategic technology decision that requires integration planning from software companies. The technology provides a new foundation for application development that affects how developers design user interfaces and manage application workflow."
Companies evaluating the architecture can assess implementation requirements against competitive advantages. The patent-pending status provides market differentiation opportunities during the adoption phase.
ProBuilt has opened their licensing program and reports initial interest from both established software vendors and emerging SaaS companies. The company operates from The Woodlands, Texas, and maintains all development in-house.
The impact of browser-based multitasking will become clearer as more software companies evaluate and potentially adopt ProBuilt's approach.