THE CHALLENGE
PlainJoe’s continued growth led to teams taking on many different project management solutions from Google Sheets to Intervals. These manual processes resulted in unclear profitability, limited forecasting, and misunderstood project needs.
THE SOLUTION
Data Consolidation
The PlainJoe team’s goal in the project management solution search was to consolidate the functions being fulfilled by many different legacy solutions. Combining scheduling, budgeting, tasking, and time entry all in one system was an especially high priority.
Business Intelligence Support for Resources
As PlainJoe took on contract workers to fulfill increasing demands, the organization began to analyze profitability in detail, but they couldn’t quantify their data for hiring needs. Mavenlink’s Business Intelligence became a critical aid in effectively expanding their team.
Improving Resource Profitability
Mavenlink’s Gantt charts and the ability to tie in accounting data with resources helped PlainJoe Studios better understand its team’s demands through stronger reporting.
THE RESULTS
Supporting the Shift to Remote Work
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, few employees at PlainJoe Studios worked remotely, although the company allowed some flexibility. However, the need for social distancing has led to 95% of team members working from home, but Mavenlink’s resource management has fully supported the change.
Effective Project Budgeting
PlainJoe’s adoption of Mavenlink has led to a major increase in data quality. Since adopting Mavenlink, PlainJoe Studios has seen a 50% increase in projects closing within budget.
Business Intelligence for Staffing Needs
The use of Mavenlink Business Intelligence (BI) in the area of profitability and resource staffing has helped PlainJoe grow from a small organization to a large one. The company was able to bring critical members onboard while preventing layoffs. Specifically, Mavenlink Master Planning has helped the business collaborate and plan more effectively by seeing what tasks are slated and meeting their needs.
Increased Client Satisfaction
Mavenlink BI helped resource managers understand the growth of team member skills and support their ongoing needs. In addition, PlainJoe was able to increase billing rates by 15% to match project margins with the quality of work they provide.
PlainJoe Studios uses a team of artists, architects, strategists and problem solvers to drive connection, create value and captivate audiences. PlainJoe’s strategic storytelling is focused on defining everything from brand identity to corporate culture.
REPLACED Smartsheet, Google Sheets, Interval
INCREASE IN PROJECTS,
CLOSING WITHIN BUDGET
INCREASE IN BILLING RATES
BENEFITS
- Improved data insights for project success
- Enablement of fast shift to remote work
- 50% increase in projects closing within budget
- 15% increase in billing rates
“Mavenlink is a lot more intuitive than other project management solutions. As a leader of project managers, it’s proven to be a really great system.”