SSOE Group Moves to a Seamless ERP System with Deltek Vantagepoint

SSOE Group is an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Ohio. With a workforce of approximately 1,600 employees, the firm manages more than 2,000 projects annually, maintaining about 1,700 active projects at any given time.

SSOE went live with its original ERP system, Deltek Vision, in 2007. In 2019, the firm was looking to upgrade its ERP system and selected another vendor. The software was partially implemented in 2022 but fell short of expectations. The solution was not specifically designed for A&E firms, and the firm quickly began to experience issues with the new software, which proved inadequate for the firm’s needs. The system struggled with cost sheet development for billing, failed to support the firm's intercompany billing processes and could not handle SSOE’s multi-company, multi-currency needs. “We're a global company and we needed very robust processes to manage the financials to support our needs, the selected system just could not handle our intercompany processing”, said Pam Marciniak, Senior Application Analyst.

Resource planning was another significant challenge, as the system required additional features to meet needed functionality, leading to frustration, inefficiencies and additional costs.

Deltek Vantagepoint Selected for Enhanced Business Operations

To combat the challenges posed by the current system, the team was reorganized with enhanced roles. Michael Murphy, Executive Vice President and Executive Sponsor for the ERP program, and Greg Rossler, Principal Vice President, decided to re-evaluate their ERP options. With the input of team members, the firm decided to review Deltek Vantagepoint ERP, a solution that had matured over the last few years and was really more of a Vision upgrade than a larger time-consuming lift, that was originally assumed. Soon after participating in a demo, fostered by Deltek Partner Aktion Associates in August 2023, SSOE chose Deltek Vantagepoint as their new ERP system.

Enhancing Project Management and Financial Processes

The firm's new ERP implementation goals included achieving data confidence and having a common data platform to support firm growth and facilitate seamless acquisitions. Reducing the need for custom applications and opening help desk tickets were also additional objectives.

Vantagepoint quickly resolved many of the firm's financial process issues, particularly the complexities of billing contracts with varying billing types such as time and materials, percent complete, cost plus and fixed-fee projects. Vantagepoint’s seamless integration of financial processes eliminated the need for numerous custom applications previously required to handle SSOE’s financials.

Project planning and resource management saw significant improvements as well. Vantagepoint provided better visibility for project managers, with comprehensive dashboards reducing the need for extensive reporting, giving the team more direct visibility into their projects.

The unified system ensured that data was consistent across all records, eliminating synchronization issues and simplifying budget management. “Previously, clients, contacts, and proposals were in one module and projects in another, with Vantagepoint they are together. Now the data is in one system and we have one source of truth,” said Pam.

An additional benefit to Vantagepoint’s system was the mobile app, which became a vital tool for SSOE's 1,600 employees, facilitating quick and efficient timesheet entries and expense report submissions. “Timesheets are one thing all our employees use, including our CEO. By using the app, that process is convenient and saves time”, said Michael Murphy. Greg Rossler added, “I was able to enter my expense report in ten minutes, maybe less.”

Strong Communication and Expert Support is Key to Successful Implementation

According to Pam, one of the benefits of working with Deltek and Deltek partner, Aktion Associates is the excellent communication the teams provide. She added, “Both teams take customer suggestions seriously. I've seen a lot of suggestions made over the years that Deltek has embraced and put into the product, so there's continuous growth that is very positive.”

Greg remarked, “You need a good relationship and support from product experts. We needed that expertise daily when getting started on Vantagepoint and Deltek and Aktion were able to provide that. With other solution providers, there was frustration in getting answers and sometimes we never did get a resolution.”

Aktion Associates was proactive and pivotal in aligning the project with SSOE’s specific needs. The decision to send a contingent to the firm's headquarters for the project kickoff proved to be very beneficial for SSOE. “Aktion Associates played a crucial role in the successful implementation of Vantagepoint. They engaged with SSOE’s stakeholders, aligning everyone with the project goals and providing essential training assistance to ensure a smooth transition,” said Greg.

Looking Toward the Future

SSOE plans to fully implement the resource management module, aiming for 100% compliance. As operations adapt to using Vantagepoint fully, SSOE anticipates continued improvements in efficiency and project management.

SSOE's transition to Deltek Vantagepoint highlights the importance of choosing the right ERP system tailored to a firm’s specific needs and including the right stakeholders in the ERP selection. The comprehensive solution provided by Vantagepoint has streamlined SSOE’s operations, ensuring better data management, financial processes and overall project efficiency.