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Problem
Manual Workflows Slowed Custom Production
Digital Atelier, a leading creative fabrication studio, encountered growing challenges in managing project timelines, estimates, and cross-team coordination as demand for custom work increased. With complex production cycles involving custom sculptures, installations, and large-scale artistic works, the team struggled with manual tracking of project timelines and fragmented data storage.
Estimates were handled through Airtable and spreadsheets, while Gantt charts were updated manually, leading to inefficiencies and frequent errors. Communication bottlenecks emerged as project estimates were manually inputted, and any changes required individual attention—significantly delaying project turnaround.
Additionally, Digital Atelier's team had limited visibility into project timelines, labor costs, and dependencies. Manually updating tasks, estimates, and progress statuses introduced errors and delayed critical communication with clients. ClickTime was used for time tracking, but it was disconnected from project estimates, causing discrepancies and manual reconciliation during payroll and project costing.
Q1
Solution
Automating Estimation and Project Control
Digital Atelier partnered with SmartSuite to overhaul its project estimation and production management processes. The implementation focused on:
- Gantt Chart Automation: SmartSuite's Gantt chart capabilities were fully integrated to automate project timelines based on dependencies and estimated task durations. This allowed Digital Atelier to seamlessly track project phases, update schedules in real-time, and visualize project milestones without manual entry.
- Centralized Project Management: SmartSuite's solution design replaced Airtable and manual spreadsheets with a single, centralized platform. Project estimates, job numbers, timelines, and dependencies were linked directly within SmartSuite, eliminating redundant data entry and synchronization issues.
- Forms and Document Design: The team utilized SmartSuite’s Forms and Document Designer to streamline fact sheets, project approval documents, and specification sheets. Custom forms were built to automatically populate with project data, reducing administrative overhead and ensuring accuracy in client communications.
- ClickTime Integration: SmartSuite enabled synchronization with ClickTime for real-time labor tracking. Hours logged by staff were automatically reflected in project dashboards, providing instant insights into labor costs and timelines, and reducing the need for manual payroll reconciliation.
- Role-Based Views and Security: Custom views were established for project coordinators, administrators, and fabrication teams to access only the data relevant to their roles. This improved workflow clarity and reduced navigation complexity.
Q2
Result
From Errors to Efficiency at Scale
The transition to SmartSuite revolutionized Digital Atelier’s project and estimation management. Key outcomes included:
- 80% reduction in project estimation errors due to centralized data and automation.
- 3x faster project timeline updates with automated Gantt chart adjustments.
- Real-time synchronization with ClickTime for seamless labor tracking and payroll processing.
- Streamlined document generation for client approvals, project fact sheets, and specification sheets.
- Improved team communication through role-based dashboards and project views, enhancing clarity and reducing miscommunication.
SmartSuite’s solution allowed Digital Atelier to eliminate redundant processes, improve project accuracy, and increase turnaround speed, setting a new standard for efficiency in creative production management.
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