Kamtower gained financial insight into its projects by standardising data
Since implementing TimeLog, Kamtower has gained valuable insight into the profitability of its projects. And the staff have become more involved in the project finances.
“My biggest fear was that we’d lose momentum. That we’d make a start on something only to find that we hadn’t got anywhere and that we’d wasted our money. But it soon became apparent out that there was no need to worry. Everything worked out just the way it should.”
A little over a year ago, Kamtower dropped its existing solution and embraced a full-on implementation of TimeLog in all areas of the company, which has branches all over Denmark.
That has meant that the company can now track its contribution margin on both major, pan-organisational projects and small, individual assignments in the different branches.
“When everything is fixed price and all agreements are based on calculations, we simply have to be able to see whether things are profitable,” says Mads Hald.
4 benefits Kamtower gets from using TimeLog
- A system the employees find easy to use
- Reliable financial insight for all projects
- Uniform data input throughout the organisation for reports and insight
- Greater focus on managing project finances among the employees
Complexity and lack of standardisation prevented insight
Before Kamtower implemented TimeLog, the company used a competing solution that was complex and not overly intuitive.
“The problem with our original system was that it was extremely complicated and not intuitive at all. Over several years, we’d built up a huge volume of cases without any naming standards. Moreover, we had all kinds of projects in the pipeline that we hadn’t yet closed. I guess we had about 5–6,000 open cases at one point,” explains Mads Hald.
One consequence of the lack of standardisation was that it was incredibly difficult to extract data and measure performance on projects and the company itself.
So it was hugely important to get off to a good start with the new system to avoid the same thing happening again.
Would you recommend TimeLog to others?
“Absolutely! The system is designed to promote transparency in a workday where you’re otherwise extremely busy. It’s made a huge difference that we can now maintain a clear overview for everyone involved – quickly and easily. And that’s precisely what the system is built for.”
TimeLog’s templates ensure uniformity and transparent data
Mads Hald and Kamtower used the TimeLog template feature to ensure the uniform registration of all data from the start.
Using templates, the company can ensure that all projects – large and small – are set up and named in the same way, making it quick and straightforward to dive down in the data afterwards and analyse performance.
The project managers tasked with governing the large, pan-organisational projects can “go shopping” among finished project templates for the smaller sub-projects run by the different branches all over the country.
This means that in practice, project managers can use the finished templates for the sub-projects as the project progresses and different departments are brought in. Rather like putting a project together with LEGO Bricks. As a result, the individual departments can start executing right away – and all time is registered correctly from the start.
The templates are set up in advance in the different branches on the basis of their individual experience and expertise. Every template contains a complete project plan, budget, payment plan and staffing plan.
Testing environment enables Kamtower to check all scenarios before new elements are rolled out
A test environment has been set up in TimeLog for Kamtower, where the company can try out new features and set-ups without affecting its mission-critical data.
Mads Hald has tested all scenarios in Kamtower's TimeLog testing environment before rolling them out in practice. He still uses the testing environment to check out new functions to be sure they can be rolled out safely throughout the company.
“I was amazed at what a difference it made when we had all these fixed-price agreements. We really benefit from having all these templates with payment and staffing plans ‘locked and loaded’, as it means that we can quickly see whether the project will be profitable.”
Implementation was a unifying experience for the company
“We needed a new system that could bring us a little closer together as a company. We took the decision to implement a change management project to turn us in the right direction. We’ve worked hard to emphasise the importance of financial management and contracts. And we’ve succeeded in encouraging loads of people to get involved in the way project finances are handled, to form an opinion about the issue and to familiarise themselves with the ins and outs of it,” adds Mads Hald.
The entire implementation process took about six weeks and involved the company’s project managers and specialists from all parts of Denmark. And the entire process was run online.
The implementation process was a positive experience
- A six-week online implementation process for 81 employees
- All data from the previous system – dating back to 2006 – transferred to TimeLog (25,000 projects)
- And the project managers and specialists are unanimously delighted with TimeLog. They now have a system they can work with.
Whereas the previous system resulted in our employees following a fragmented work method, the implementation process has helped boost working relationships throughout the organisation.
“We’ve got off to a flying start with TimeLog. The new system has fired our employees up to get a grip on the issues we were struggling with. Succeeding in generating interest in it has been a huge benefit.”
Easy invoicing through integration with Visma e-conomic
The project managers at Kamtower register their projects in TimeLog, and the finalised invoices are then sent directly to e-conomic.
According to Mads Hald, the integration has made it easy for project managers to keep track of the finances in their projects.
“You just call up your case and check the payment plan – is everything OK? If so, you simply click the book button to send it to e-conomic. You can then see the complete list of everything you’ve concluded. So it’s easy to keep your projects up-to-date without having to spend a load of time and energy doing it.”
About Kamtower
Kamtower provides telecoms consultancy and calculation services. The company’s assignments cover everything from contract negotiations with clients, construction permit applications and foundation design to static calculations of masts, foundations, supporting tubes, and the like.
The company was founded in 2004 and currently employs 81 people worldwide from offices in Denmark, India, and Myanmar.
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