Tate + Co

Summary

How Tate + Co gained efficiency by consolidating its data and information while reducing manual processes

Situation

Based in East London, Tate + Co is a small group of architects who enjoy unearthing the true potential of their projects. Though its clientele is diverse, the firm engages in projects with common threads, including significant historical contexts, natural settings, and positive environmental impacts.

Despite Tate + Co’s ambitions, manual processes slowed the organization’s momentum. Everyone used spreadsheets and Microsoft Word documents to store data and information. Likewise, the architects were responsible for updating their own information. 

“The main problem was consistency,” said business director Caroline Dunham. “We meet weekly to review our information, and previously, if something changed during the week, everyone had to manually update everything. Not only was the process laborious, but it also invited human error to creep in.”

Caroline simply wanted to consolidate all the organization’s data and information in one location. At one point, the firm used a timesheet management platform, but it was treated just like its other resources: Architects entered timesheets into yet another siloed system where the information would have to be downloaded and entered into another spreadsheet before it could be properly manipulated

Caroline wanted to consolidate all the firm’s information into one easily manageable location where it could be comfortably managed and updated in real time. To achieve her goal, she listened to the recommendations of an architectural consultancy firm. It was clear to the consultant that not only was there limited centralization of information, a lot of duplication of effort could also be streamlined.  

“We spoke to a few other firms that were using CMap, and they all spoke very highly of it,” said Caroline. “That’s when we started conversations with the CMap team to see if the platform would suit our needs.”

Solution

CMap is a business management software platform that helps architectural firms win more work and deliver it more profitably. The software eliminates the need to rely on spreadsheets and multiple systems that don’t work well together. By using CMap, firms have all the data and functionality they need in an accessible, unified system.

“Things are so much better with CMap in place,” said Caroline. “The resourcing component of CMap has been great for us. Being able to allocate people to projects and track activity automatically is fantastic. For instance, it stops us from having to manually update spreadsheets and email them to everyone. Now, CMap can be updated with new information, and everyone has immediate access to it.”

Being able to see the health of a project in real time is critical for Tate + Co. Now, the architects can click on a project and see details about the amount of time spent on the project and fees to date. At that point, the project can be updated and profitability can be quickly determined.

“Being able to instantly quantify the amount of time spent on each stage of a project is extremely helpful for us when forecasting the profitability of that project,” said Caroline. “CMap has been great for that purpose.”

Results

Efficient Meetings: “While we still meet weekly to discuss the status of our projects, those meetings flow much quicker,” said Caroline. “Rather than having each individual spend an hour or so pulling together information and updating spreadsheets, any necessary changes can be made directly in CMap for everyone to see.”

Easy Cashflow Forecasting: “When we’re looking at cashflow to ensure we are a solvent operation, we can easily increase or decrease the probabilities of us winning a particular piece of work and see what the resulting cashflow looks like,” said Caroline.

‍Realistic Project Pricing: “With CMap in place, pricing projects has become more realistic,” said Caroline. “In the past, we would try and estimate how many hours were spent on a project, and we were never one hundred percent correct in our memory. Now, we are clear on our costs and profits.”

“CMap has been an excellent tool for consolidating the various types of information we rely on to make critical business decisions.”

- Caroline Dunham, Business Director