Projects Extranet

Company Size : 5 employees
Company Age : 4 years
Sector : Marketing & Design

Before

This client works in one of two modes – on a fixed price basis, or on a logged-time basis. With employees contributing to 10 – 12 projects per month, Time was recorded on paper, in diaries or not at all. Monthly timesheets typically consumed much of the first week of each month, interrupting work and delaying invoicing.

In addition to tracking time, documents and drawings associated with projects were often mislaid, with a number of instances where incorrect versions were used, causing delays and rework costs.

Objectives

  1. To reduce the time spent assembling timesheets for monthly invoicing.
  2. To provide an insight into the profitability of fixed-price projects.
  3. To streamline the exchange of documents with clients on projects.

Solution

ADECSYS implemented a solution based on BusinessManager+ to track clients, client contacts, work orders which later converted into projects. Work orders are tracked from early-stage potential through the sales process until Won. At this stage, a project is automatically created from the brief as quoted, an this too is tracked through its lifecycle. Each employee can record their time spent working on the project.

Monthly billing has been reduced to a single report, that lists all projects worked on during the month, the time spent by each employee, including work category, all ready for generating invoices. In addition, the availability of this report during the month allows the Managing Director to review progress during the month and to anticipate the income for the month.

Project efficiency can equally be analysed, where project estimates can be compared with actual values, providing essential feedback for future profitability.

The files exchange was solved through the implementation of an Client Login or Extranet facility on their website. This was linked (securely) to their BusinessManager+ application, and allows very specific (and limited) client access to project files. Each client has a dedicated login, and can only see their projects. From here, they can upload / download files and add comments to the project updates. Updates are notified by email, keeping everyone informed, while still retaining a single point of reference for all project material.

Key Benefits

Employees complete timesheets as they work, and monthly invoicing is completed on the first working day of each month.

A structured project extranet has helped strengthen relations with their clients, presenting a more professional appearance, all while streamlining their internal processes.

Project analysis is now supported directly from the system, helping the business to identify which project types are profitable, and which need more careful attention, helping to secure the future of the business.