Engineering business improves cost management with latest software

Case Study12th Jan 2022

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Our Client

An engineering project management business looking for an improved cost management system to find solutions to the poor visibility on performance by job, staff performance and utilisation.   

Improvements were sought in the preparation of timesheets that were prepared on excel with recurring errors relating to time allocated to incorrect clients. Job related costs were often not recharged in error so a solution to this is was desperately needed. 

Our Approach

  • Workshop with management and finance team to understand current processes and objectives 
  • Software driven approach to collate staff, client and job data to improve job management utilising cloud-based job management software 
  • Set up dedicated e-mail address for suppliers to send electronic purchase invoices – linked to cloud based bookkeeping software 

The Outcome

  • The client was able to produce accurate job performance data enabling them to maximise staff utilisation and maximise profit on specific jobs  
  • Reduced the amount of staff time being spent on manual timesheet entry and month-end work in progress calculations 
  • Introduced online cloud based job management software which:  
    • Captures potential leads, converts leads into quotes for client acceptance and converts accepted quotes into jobs 
    • Allows employees to input timesheets online and allocate their time to specific jobs 
    • Allocates purchase orders raised and purchase invoices received to specific jobs 
    • Allows invoices to be raised to clients automatically from job data 
    • Integrates with cloud based bookkeeping software avoiding duplication of effort 
    • Enables outstanding invoices to be monitored in real time 
    • Enables purchase orders for general overhead expenditure to be raised and sent online 
    • Makes it easy to calculate the value of work-in-progress
    • Provided an outsourced payroll service including online payslips 
    • Provided a collaborative outsourced accounting service using cloud-based software providing real time online access to financial data, including monthly management reports, for management team and directors

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