desenco group

Enterprise-wide project and resource management solution delivers tighter financial control and improved resource visibility for Dutch Design, Build, Fit-out & Facility Management Company.

Netherlands-based property and facilities management consultancy, Desenco Group (www.desencogroup.com) has implemented Asta Development’s comprehensive project and resource management solution, Asta Teamplan, across its five business divisions. This enterprise-wide system provides Desenco with a real-time overview across all projects, visibility of resources in relation to current and future work, as well as accurate cashflow analysis and budgetary control.

The ability to integrate
Asta Teamplan has been integrated with Desenco’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, AllSolutions. This enables projects to be closely monitored in relation to their allocated budgets enabling the company to achieve greater financial control.

Desenco offers customers integrated office solutions ranging from initial consultation, design & build through to facilities management, drawing on different services capabilities across its business units. Desenco decided to implement Asta Teamplan when its resource management requirements became too complex for the existing project management solution to handle. Most project managers and consultants at Desenco work on several projects at any one time. A key challenge was tracking resource utilisation at an individual level across the group. Without this information, it was difficult for management to identify which consultants would be available to work on new projects and, if they were available, whether they had the right skills profile to undertake the project.

The group’s joint venture (on a 50:50 basis) with Chesterton Workplace Management (www.chesterton.co.uk), a UK based facilities management company, highlighted the need to track resources, as additional staff members and new FM contracts came on board.

A major benefit of Asta Teamplan is its ability to interface with Desenco’s ERP system, AllSolutions. Management can access real-time information about all projects in relation to allocated budgets and receive alerts if projects are over budget.

Robert Witvliet, senior project manager at Desenco explained: “Previously, we used Asta’s Teamplan for certain projects and another project management system to track our projects and resources. Our joint venture with Chesterton highlighted the fact that we needed a new system which could provide us with visibility over all our projects, together with up-to-date information of how our staff worked across the group so that we could plan further ahead.”

Multiple project overviews in real-time
“ Asta Teamplan’s instant appeal is its capability to show on a single histogram how our people are working, across multiple projects in real-time. In addition, multiple users can access the same project data at any one time. Individuals can work on one task without locking colleagues out of the rest of the project. Changes to project plans can be updated at any time and these amendments, as well the consequences, can viewed instantly by anyone linked to the enterprise server. At all times, it is possible to access an up-to-date record of all projects, including any changes and the possible knock-on effects,” he said.

A major benefit of Asta Teamplan is its ability to interface with Desenco’s ERP system, AllSolutions. Management can access real-time information about all projects in relation to allocated budgets and receive alerts if projects are over budget. Desenco now accurately analyses its cash flow, administers tighter financial control at all times and plans various outcomes using innovative scenarios, which Desenco markets as one of its competitive advantages.

The power to plan ahead
Robert Witvliet concluded, “The information we collate from Asta Teamplan is so accurate and up-to-date that we use it in our financial system. It has given us tighter management control, financial and resource visibility and the ability to plan much further ahead. Now, we know if we are going over budget on a particular project, if a project will be late and where to allocate more resource and finance ahead of schedule. This is invaluable information, which has transformed our business.”

Asta Teamplan’s instant appeal is its capability to show on a single histogram how our people are working, across multiple projects in real-time.

The Desenco Group specialises in improving the working environment of office-based organisations, both qualitatively and financially. As a management and consultancy organisation, the Desenco group offers integrated solutions in the field of office innovation and facilities management.

The Desenco Group comprises the following business units: Desenco Management consultancy, Desenco Real Estate Management, Desenco Project Management, Desenco Interior Contract Management, Desenco Chesterton Workplace Management.