Van Meter Williams Pollack Moves From QuickBooks to Ajera and Transforms Operations

For architecture and engineering (A&E) firms juggling multiple systems for financial and project management, the struggle is real. Siloed data, manual processes, and the constant need to chase down information can drain valuable time and resources, hindering growth and impacting profitability.

Van Meter Williams Pollack is a 46-person, award-winning architecture and urban design firm with offices in San Francisco, Denver and Minneapolis. The firm experienced this challenge firsthand before strategically embracing a unified solution: Deltek Ajera.

In a recent interview, Matthew Kaea, the Business Manager at Van Meter Williams Pollack, shared their journey of transitioning to Ajera and its significant positive impact on their firm. The firm's story offers valuable insights for other firms contemplating a similar switch, highlighting the reasons behind their choice, the tangible benefits they've experienced and crucial advice for a smooth implementation.

Disconnected Systems Sparked the Search for a Smarter Solution

“Before Ajera, we relied on QuickBooks, Harvest and Excel to manage billing and financial data. While these tools served their purpose individually, the lack of integration created significant inefficiencies, causing an administrative burden,” Matthew explained.

The firm recognized the need for change and began exploring other solutions. Van Meter Williams Pollack sought a system specifically designed for architecture and engineering firms' unique needs, offering financial and project management capabilities in a single software and ultimately chose Deltek Ajera.

Ajera Implementation Delivers Time Savings and Transparency

The firm went live on Ajera, with help from Deltek Partner Stambaugh Ness, in 2023. The solution has yielded significant improvements for the firm across various operations.

Consolidating data into a single system has dramatically reduced the administrative burden. This newfound efficiency has allowed the firm to reclaim valuable time and focus on more strategic initiatives.

In addition, Ajera has empowered stakeholders across the firm with real-time access to crucial information. "With Ajera, it opened up communication internally. Teams can now access the data without having to ask me," Matthew stated. Project managers and owners can now independently monitor job progress, billing status and key financial metrics through dashboards and reports, eliminating the bottleneck of relying solely on the accounting department for data. The accounting team now benefits from a centralized, real-time view of essential financial data.

Ajera has streamlined project management workflows, moving away from reliance on spreadsheets. "Before, we used Excel for project scheduling. Now, we have a live system where everyone's schedule is visible, and time entries appear instantly. It's made managing our work much easier. I no longer need to run reports; they can access everything themselves," said Matthew. This real-time visibility into resource allocation and project status has empowered project managers and firm leaders to make faster, more informed decisions.

Enhanced Communication and Performance Tracking

Ajera's features have also improved the billing process and communication between accounting and project management. The firm utilizes a workflow within Ajera that facilitates seamless communication regarding client invoice reviews and approvals. Matthew explained, "Once an invoice is drafted, it's automatically sent to the project manager for review and they receive an alert right within Ajera. After they approve it, billing gets an alert that it's ready to move forward.” This streamlined communication eliminates the need for back-and-forth emails, as it all happens within the system. Invoices are reviewed and processed within minutes, which keeps the momentum going.

Although still in the early stages of leveraging Ajera for in-depth performance analysis, Matthew confirmed their plans to utilize the system for tracking key performance indicators (KPIs). "We have a training coming up, and one of the key topics is learning how to read reports in Ajera—especially how to track key performance indicators as we continue to catch up with the system and our workload," remarked Matthew. The upcoming training and the anticipated release of KPI dashboards within Ajera will further empower Van Meter Williams Pollack to monitor their performance and make data-driven decisions.

Advice for Firms Considering the Switch to Ajera

Matthew offered valuable advice for other firms contemplating a transition to Ajera. He recommends having a team committed to the change, as a firm-wide commitment to learning and embracing the new system is essential.

The journey of Van Meter Williams Pollack highlights the transformative potential of a purpose-built system like Deltek Ajera to manage projects and financials in one place. By moving away from a fragmented approach, they have achieved significant time savings, enhanced visibility and improved collaboration.