Experience of the introduction of Blue Ant at teamgnesda, Gnesda Real Estate & Consulting GmbH

Optimizing Project Management at teamgnesda with Blue Ant

We spoke to Gabriele Schwarz about her experience of the introduction of Blue Ant and its benefits for teamgnesda.

Ms. Schwarz, what is your job description and area of responsibility within teamgnesda, Gnesda Real Estate & Consulting GmbH?

I am the Managing Director responsible for Business Delivery, HR and IT.

Please briefly describe the services provided by teamgnesda. Could you give us an example of how teamgnesda’sservices are used?

As a consulting company teamgnesda accompanies firms on the journey to their new office. The decision to move brings other complex considerations and important decisions for our customers. For example, very often the company structure and/or the working practices are re-evaluated, refined or redefined in conjunction with a move. teamgnesda advises and accompanies the entire [relocation] project with a holistic approach. We help companies find the right building and define and integrate the right office type into the company structure.

We usually start with the analysis of the existing property (cost, utilization, contracts, etc.) and assess the needs of the customer, such as open office structure, more communication, central areas for ‘special use’ such as ‘retreat niches’, meeting facilities etc. With this information, we can identify target properties and assist the customer in choosing the right building.

On-time relocation is usually the (visible) climax and conclusion of the project. The aim is for all employees to arrive at their new workstations on schedule, suitably prepared so they can be productive again immediately.

How would you describe the project landscape within teamgnesda?

teamgnesda handles approximately 70 consulting projects per year. The project duration is from a few days up to several man-years. On average, three employees work on a project. Up to 15 internal and external employees are currently working on our largest project.

What was the reason for introducing project management software?

teamgnesda has grown rapidly in recent years. Project management and project control were mostly done in Excel and other handmade tools. Blue Ant has managed to unite our lists and reports in a single tool.

What was the decisive factor in your decision to use Blue Ant as multi-project management software?

Blue Ant can be flexibly adapted to our needs. The advice and, above all, the support of proventis and our Austrian partner WSOP are unbeatable, and unique features compared to all the other products we looked at in the evaluation phase.

The reporting in Blue Ant provides comprehensible and reliable results. Post-processing in Excel and PowerPoint is not necessary, thus eliminating the "cleaning up" of results.

How was the Blue Ant installation process? Were there any complications?

No, no complications. To minimize risk, we continued the most important reports, such as outgoing invoices and sales pipeline for some time manually, and compared them again and again, but there were actually no complications.

That’s almost too good to be true!

We had a short proof of concept and began with the application after 6 weeks.

How many employees work with Blue Ant, Ms. Schwarz? And how do they work with the solution?

All 30 teamgnesda employees have to document their weekly working hours in Blue Ant. All projects (including internal projects) must be implemented in Blue Ant - from acquisition to billing. In 2014, we will be integrating our subsidiary companies in Germany, Poland and Turkey.

In addition, we will be building up the skills database and knowledge profiles of our employees during 2014, so that we can implement the exchange and development of our expertise internationally.

How have the employees accepted the software? What did they particularly like?

The employees were cautious at first, because using Blue Ant automatically means more transparency. After some training and regular information, our employees recognized the added value of Blue Ant, and are participating in the further development of our Blue Ant installation with suggestions for improvement.

How has the project work changed since Blue Ant has been in use?

Since the introduction, management has had a better overview of the project landscape. This helps in current evaluations and in planning for the coming weeks, months and quarters.

How does the Blue Ant support teamgnesda with the specific requirements of day to day business?

100% support in terms of project execution - we don’t do anything else. We also use Blue Ant for internal resource planning. Projects are already displayed in the "Acquisition" sales status in Blue Ant, with an anticipated size, a proposed implementation period and a probability of occurrence. So, resource management can gain an overview of upcoming projects and the necessary resources at any time.

How has Blue Ant been integrated into the existing controlling landscape?

For us, controlling means 99% project controlling since we only sell projects. This is done using Blue Ant.
The rest is cost accounting and is done by the accountant.

In your opinion, how could Blue Ant be used profitably in other companies?

Blue Ant supports methodical project planning and provides management with a quick and competent overview of all business units. Human resources and capacity planning are transparent for all employees. Tracking your own utilization (important for the achievement of individual goals) is easy for every employee.

What is your favorite Blue Ant function?

I like to use the project dashboard at every project review with my colleagues, because it gives me all the important information on projects at a glance. In everyday use, I have adapted my start page so that I have all the important information (e.g. list of holidays) at hand.

Is there a particular, perhaps even humorous experience with Blue Ant you especially remember?

I liked the fact that the Ant blinked at me in previous versions. Unfortunately, it has disappeared. The blue bar is definitely no substitute!

How do you see the future cooperation of teamgnesda and proventis?

I look to the future with Blue Ant, proventis and WSOP with hope and joy. As we continue to grow, the demands on Blue Ant will also be greater. We are confident that Blue Ant will still meet our requirements as we expand internationally.

Thank you for talking to us, Ms. Schwarz.

(Client review from 2014)