Create Micro Apps with Sheets & Apps Script: 5 Small Projects for Non-Developers

Build useful micro apps with Sheets & Apps Script — fast, no dev degree required

Spending hours rebuilding the same trackers, forms, and automations? You don’t need to hire a developer or buy an expensive app. In 2026 the fastest route for small teams and solo operators is building micro apps inside Google Sheets with a few formulas, pivot tables, and lightweight Apps Script. These mini projects are quick to ship, easy to maintain, and tailored to the exact way your business works.

Below are five practical, step‑by‑step micro apps you can build today — even if you’re not a developer. Each project focuses on real business tasks (decision-making, bookings, inventory checks, approvals, and daily KPIs) and combines no-code techniques with short, copy‑paste Apps Script snippets. Designed for small businesses and operations teams, these starter apps are the fast path to automating repetitive work and reducing errors.

“Micro apps let non-developers ship tools tailored to their workflow — fast.” — inspired by the 2025 micro‑apps movement where creators built lightweight personal apps for immediate use.

The 2026 context: Why micro apps matter for small businesses

Over late 2024–2025 and into 2026 we've seen a few trends converge: better AI code assistants, tighter cloud integrations, and more powerful spreadsheet features. Small businesses prefer lean, affordable solutions rather than full-blown SaaS platforms. The result: a surge in lightweight, internal tools — micro apps — built by non-developers who know the business best.

These micro apps excel when you need something that is:

• Fast to build and iterate
• Custom to your workflow
• Low-cost and easy to maintain
• Integrated with Google Sheets and common APIs (Zapier, email, Slack)

How this guide is structured

Each mini project contains:

• A one-paragraph “what it does” summary
• Step-by-step setup (sheet layout, formulas, pivot tips)
• Short Apps Script you can copy/paste
• Testing and deployment notes for non-developers

Project 1 — Dinner‑Decider (simple recommendation engine)

What it does: pick a restaurant for the group using a weighted preference model. Great for teams, families, or recurring social groups.

Step 1 — Sheet layout

1. Sheet 'Places' columns: Name | Cuisine | Price | Distance | ScoreBase
2. Sheet 'Votes' columns: Person | CuisinePref | PricePref | DistancePref
3. Sheet 'Run' cells: number of choices to return and a RUN button (menu-triggered)

Step 2 — scoring formula

On the 'Places' sheet add a column Score that aggregates base score and preference matches. Example formula for cell E2 (copy down):

=C2 * 0.3 + D2 * 0.2 + IF(ISNUMBER(MATCH(B2, JOIN(",", Votes!B2:B),0)), 10, 0) + A2

Adjust weights to taste. The idea: combine objective metrics with matched preferences.

Step 3 — Apps Script: pick top N and email

Open Extensions > Apps Script, create a new project and paste this minimal script. It reads the Scores column and writes the top results to the 'Run' sheet.

function pickDinner(){
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
  const places = ss.getSheetByName('Places');
  const run = ss.getSheetByName('Run');
  const data = places.getRange(2,1,places.getLastRow()-1,5).getValues();
  data.sort((a,b)=> b[4]-a[4]); // sort by Score (col 5)
  const top = data.slice(0,3).map(r=> [r[0], r[1], r[4]]);
  run.getRange(2,1,top.length,3).clearContent();
  run.getRange(2,1,top.length,3).setValues(top);
}

function onOpen(){
  SpreadsheetApp.getUi().createMenu('Micro Apps')
    .addItem('Pick Dinner','pickDinner')
    .addToUi();
}

Notes

• Run pickDinner after populating Votes. Adjust the slice to return more or fewer options.
• Want to add a survey? Use an HtmlService sidebar and log responses to the Votes sheet.

Project 2 — Booking form + confirmation (web‑style form inside Sheets)

What it does: simple booking form for appointments or resource reservations that writes to a sheet and sends confirmations by email.

Step 1 — sheet layout

• Sheet 'Bookings' columns: Timestamp | Name | Email | Date | Time | Resource | Status

Step 2 — create a sidebar form

Apps Script + HtmlService makes a form appear as a right-hand sidebar. Non-developers can paste the script below and create a simple UI file.

// Code.gs
function onOpen(){
  SpreadsheetApp.getUi().createMenu('Micro Apps')
    .addItem('Open Booking Form','showBooking')
    .addToUi();
}

function showBooking(){
  const html = HtmlService.createHtmlOutputFromFile('BookingForm')
    .setTitle('Booking Form');
  SpreadsheetApp.getUi().showSidebar(html);
}

function saveBooking(data){
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName('Bookings');
  sheet.appendRow([new Date(), data.name, data.email, data.date, data.time, data.resource, 'Pending']);
  // send confirmation
  MailApp.sendEmail(data.email, 'Booking received', 'Thanks '+data.name+' — we got your booking.');
  return 'Saved';
}

  

  

  

  

  Room ARoom B

  Book

Deployment and permissions

• After saving the script, run onOpen once in the editor to create the menu and accept permissions.
• Use this pattern for team-facing forms where responses live in Sheets and confirmations are automated.

Project 3 — Inventory Checker (onEdit alert + threshold dashboard)

What it does: watch stock levels and flag low items in real time. Perfect for small retail or office supplies.

Step 1 — sheet layout

• Sheet 'Inventory' columns: SKU | Item | OnHand | ReorderPoint | LastChecked

Step 2 — conditional formulas & pivot

Use a conditional column to mark low stock:

=IF(C2 < D2, "LOW", "OK")

Create a pivot table for the 'Reorder' dashboard: Rows=Item, Values=OnHand (SUM), Filter by Status=LOW. That becomes your quick reorder list.

Step 3 — Apps Script: onEdit alert and Slack/Email notification

function onEdit(e){
  const sh = e.range.getSheet();
  if(sh.getName()!=='Inventory') return;
  const row = e.range.getRow();
  if(row==1) return;
  const onHand = sh.getRange(row,3).getValue();
  const reorder = sh.getRange(row,4).getValue();
  if(onHand < reorder){
    const item = sh.getRange(row,2).getValue();
    // send email or post to Slack via webhook
    MailApp.sendEmail('ops@yourcompany.com','Low stock: '+item, item+' is low: '+onHand+' (reorder '+reorder+')');
    sh.getRange(row,5).setValue(new Date());
  }
}

Notes

• Use a time-based trigger if you prefer periodic checks rather than onEdit.
• For Slack, use UrlFetchApp.fetch with your webhook URL (keep webhook secret in Apps Script Properties).

Project 4 — Expense approval micro app (form, approve button, audit trail)

What it does: let team members submit small expense requests and managers approve them with a single click.

Step 1 — sheet layout

• 'Expenses' columns: Timestamp | Submitter | Amount | Purpose | Receipt (URL) | Status | Approver | ApprovedAt

Step 2 — formula & pivot

Use a pivot table to show pending request totals by submitter. Use SUMIF to compute monthly approved totals for budget tracking:

=SUMIFS(Expenses!C:C, Expenses!F:F, "Approved", Expenses!B:B, $A2)

Step 3 — Apps Script: approval menu + audit

function approveSelected(){
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
  const sh = ss.getActiveSheet();
  const sel = ss.getSelection().getActiveRange();
  sel.getValues().forEach((r,i)=>{
    const row = sel.getRow()+i;
    // assume Status is col 6
    sh.getRange(row,6).setValue('Approved');
    sh.getRange(row,7).setValue(Session.getActiveUser().getEmail());
    sh.getRange(row,8).setValue(new Date());
  });
}

UX tips

• Protect the Approver columns and only give managers edit access.
• Add a filter view for 'Pending' so managers can see requests quickly.

Project 5 — Daily KPI micro dashboard (pivot + macro + scheduled email)

What it does: pull together daily metrics into a compact dashboard and email a summary to the team every morning.

Step 1 — data model

Keep a 'Transactions' sheet recording Date, Type, Amount, Source. Use a pivot table to summarize totals by day and metric.

Step 2 — pivot & formulas

Create a pivot that shows daily totals by Type. Then on the Dashboard sheet use formulas to extract key KPIs:

=GETPIVOTDATA("Amount", Pivot!$A$3, "Date", TODAY())

Step 3 — macro to refresh and Apps Script to email

Record a macro to refresh the pivot (Extensions > Macros > Record) or use App Script to refresh:

function sendDailyKPI(){
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
  // optionally refresh pivot tables by calling PivotTable.refresh() if available
  const dashboard = ss.getSheetByName('Dashboard');
  const kpi = dashboard.getRange('B2').getValue();
  MailApp.sendEmail('team@company.com','Daily KPIs', 'Today\'s main KPI: '+kpi);
}

Use a time-driven trigger (daily at 8:00) to run sendDailyKPI automatically.

Practical tips for non‑developers (testing, security, scalability)

• Start small: build the simplest version and add bits. A minimal booking form that emails confirmations is better than an incomplete web app.
• Use test data: always test Apps Script on a copy of the sheet before switching to production.
• Permissions: scripts that send email or access external services will ask for authorization — read the scopes before accepting.
• Protect columns: use protected ranges for critical fields (approvals, formulas) to avoid accidental edits.
• Secrets: store API keys and webhooks in Script Properties, not directly in code.
• Audit trail: write timestamps and user emails when important changes happen so you can trace actions later.

Advanced tips: integrate AI and external tools (2026‑forward)

As of 2026, AI-assistants are standard for spreadsheet users. Use code generation tools (GPT-4o style copilots or Claude) to draft Apps Script snippets, but always review and test the code. For more advanced micro apps:

• Connect Sheets to Zapier or Make to link with CRMs (handy if you outgrow the micro app).
• Use Google Cloud Functions or simple webhooks for tasks that require heavy lifting (image processing, PDF creation).
• Consider AppSheet for mobile UIs if you need a shared mobile app — but keep your Sheets-based micro apps for fast internal processes.

Real-world example (experience you can trust)

One small catering business we worked with replaced its manual booking emails and phone calls with a Sheet-based booking micro app. They deployed a sidebar form, automated confirmation emails, and a pivot-driven dashboard for daily coverage. Within two weeks they cut booking email time by 60% and eliminated double-bookings. This is typical: micro apps built in 1–2 weeks deliver immediate value because they map exactly to existing workflows.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Over-engineering: don't build a full CRM when a bookings sheet plus confirmations will do.
• Skipping tests: small scripts can cause big changes — use copies and log statements during development.
• No access control: limit who can edit production sheets to protect formulas and audit data.
• Poor naming: use clear sheet and column names so future you (or a teammate) can understand the app.

Actionable takeaways

1. Pick one micro app to build this week. Start with the Dinner‑Decider if you want a fun, low-risk project.
2. Copy the scripts above into a test sheet, run onOpen once to authorize, then run each function to see results.
3. Protect critical ranges and add timestamp audit fields before moving to production.
4. Schedule one daily or weekly trigger (for KPIs or inventory checks) to automate routine reporting.
5. If you need help, use an AI coding assistant to generate a first draft of the Apps Script and then review it line-by-line.

Where to go next — templates and learning

If you want to skip the setup, we offer downloadable starter templates for each of these micro apps: booking form, inventory checker, expense approvals, dinner decider, and KPI dashboard. Each template includes working Apps Script code, a guide for deployment, and a one-page cheat sheet of formulas. For teams ready to scale, our premium pack includes integrations for Slack and Zapier and a 30‑minute onboarding session.

Closing: ship small, iterate fast

Micro apps let non-developers replace manual processes with concise, maintainable tools. In 2026 the smartest businesses are those that do small, frequent automations — not massive rewrites. Use Google Sheets, pivot tables, and short Apps Script snippets to get things working quickly. The projects above are proven starters: build one this week, and you’ll have a repeatable pattern you can reuse across operations.

Ready to ship your first micro app? Download the free starter pack (forms, scripts, and pivot dashboards) or upgrade to the premium micro‑app kit with Slack and Zapier integrations. Need help customizing? Book a 30‑minute setup call and we’ll tailor a micro app to your workflow.

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