Project Management Revolution: How the Right Software Scaled This Design Firm from 16 to 60 Projects

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Hello and welcome back to Elevated! I'm Brandy Lawson, and today we're moving from theory to practice as we see our software selection framework in action. 

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Episode Transcript

(00:05):
Hello and welcome back toElevated.
I'm Brandy Lawson, and todaywe're moving from theory to
practice as we see our softwareselection framework in action.
We're talking project managementsolutions.
You know that critical systemthat can either prop, propel
your business forward or leaveyou buried under a mountain of
details.
For the past several weeks,we've been building this
comprehensive framework forevaluating software.

(00:27):
Today I'm walking you throughhow One Kitchen and Bath firm
used this process to transformtheir project management
approach and grew from handling16 concurrent projects to
managing over 60 without anervous breakdown.
Now this isn't some fairytalesuccess story with unrealistic
outcomes.
This firm faced the samechallenges you do designers
resistant to new systems.

(00:47):
Client with ever changingdemands and markets that don't
care about your internal growingpains.
What made the difference wasn'tfinding some magical unicorn
software.
It was applying a structuredevaluation process that matched
their specific needs with theright solution.
So let's pull back the curtainon how they did that and the
results that followed.
This transformation startedwhere all good software

(01:10):
decisions should.
With painfully honest assessmentof the problem, the firm had hit
a growth ceiling at 16concurrent projects.
Their existing system was agiant three ring binder stuffed
with paper checklist, printeddesigns, and handwritten notes.
Information lived in physicalfolders that could only be at
one place at one time, whichmeant constant hunting for

(01:30):
documents and no way to get aquick overview of a project
status.
The symptoms were classicdesigners spending hours
searching for the right binderor waiting for someone else to
finish with it.
Project stumbles due tomisplaced paperwork and costly
ordering mistakes thatevaporated.
Profits sound familiar.
The problems impact was tangibleenough that we didn't need to

(01:52):
spend a lot of time quantifyingit in dollars.
The ordering errors alone werein the tens of thousands.
Before looking at software, wedid need to map the workflow on
how information needed to movethrough their business.
They identified five criticalrequirements.
First, a single source of truthfor project information.
Second, clear visibility intoproject status and work to be

(02:14):
done.
Third, automated handoffsbetween design specification and
installation.
Phase fourth, ease of trackingcommunication.
And fifth potential integrationwith our accounting system for
seamless invoicing.
With these requirements defined,they evaluated three potential
solutions using our solution fitcriteria from episode eight.

(02:35):
Here's where it getsinteresting.
They didn't just score featureson a spreadsheet.
They tried out each option.
The winning solution wasn't themost feature rich or the most
expensive.
It was the one that best matchedtheir specific workflow while
providing room to grow.
In fact, it lacked some of thefancy visualization features of
competitors, but excelled at thecore information management they

(02:58):
desperately needed, and the feelof the software was right for
the team.
Let's look at two specificchanges this firm made that
delivered massive results.
First, they digitized theirpaper checklist into structured
phases in their binder system.
The projects moved haphazardlybetween design, development and
installation based on whophysically held the folder using

(03:19):
their new software.
They created tangible phases.
With specific tasks that had tobe completed before a project
could advance this simple changeeliminated their biggest
problem.
They dreaded, oh, I thought youwere handling that syndrome that
was causing delays and errors.
Second, they moved all projectcommunication inside the project
management software.

(03:40):
That means no internal emailsabout projects.
Everything lives in the systemand all client communications
are captured there.
This is not, this not onlycreated a single source of
truth, but freed the team up tobe on vacation or out of the
office as there was no need totry to hand off information that
was buried in email chain.
12 months after implementation,they had grown from 16 to 37

(04:04):
concurrent projects.
18 months out, they crossed the60 project threshold and only
hired an additional drafter.
The success wasn't just aboutquantity.
Quality improved too.
Order errors are all buteliminated, and anyone who
answers the phone can give aclient or trade partner
information on a project, andperhaps most importantly.

(04:25):
The team's confidence in theirability to deliver and delight
improved, and so did sales Thisweek, you can apply this
framework to your own projectmanagement challenges.
Head to fiery effects.com/chooseand download the complete
evaluation workbook that we'vebeen working through this
season.
Start with an honest assessmentof where your current approach
falls short.

(04:46):
How much designer time isconsumed by administrative
tasks?
Where do handoffs break downbetween team members?
What information gets lost orhas to be repeatedly requested?
How much visibility do you haveinto project bottlenecks?
Then use our solution Fittemplate to evaluate potential
alternatives, whether that'soptimizing your current system

(05:06):
or exploring new options.
Remember what made this casestudy successful, wasn't finding
perfect software.
It was the methodical evaluationprocess that matched the
business needs to theappropriate solution next week.
We'll continue our real worldapplication with another case
study, focusing on customerrelationship management, how one
firm transformed their lead,nurturing and client experience

(05:28):
using our evaluation framework.
If this episode inspired you torethink your project management
approach, share it with anotherdesigner who might be hitting
their growth ceiling.