Microsoft Dynamics

Customer Solution Case Study

Consulting Firm Improves Profitability by

Aligning Project Management and
Accounting

Overview “We can provide information to our executives,

Country or Region: United States
Industry: Professional services marketing group, and project managers that we
were unable to before. … This reporting toolset
Customer Profile
MacKay & Sposito provides a full will help us grow as the economy recovers.”
array of consulting services,
Marcy McCoy, Controller, MacKay & Sposito
including civil engineering,
planning, land and construction
Engineering consulting firm MacKay & Sposito serves
surveying, landscape architecture,
and construction management and public-sector, commercial, industrial, and residential
inspection.
customers in Washington and Oregon. Economic
Business Situation challenges and increasing competition and budget
Because project management and
pressure on private-sector and public-sector projects
accounting practices did not align,
the company lacked the ability to require the ability to track detailed project performance
track and report on performance at
and to measure company performance against specific
a meaningful level.
goals. The company relies on the financial and project
Solution
management capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics SL to
With help from Microsoft Gold
Certified Partner Synergy Business help align its business management, accounting, and
Solutions, MacKay & Sposito
operational functions. As a result, MacKay & Sposito’s
configured its implementation of
Microsoft Dynamics SL to reflect the executives can measure performance in specific
way the company does business.
segments of the business and redirect business
Benefits development efforts to ensure that the company meets
• Streamlined accounting
its goals. Project managers exert precise control over
• Better insight into company
performance time and billing and track resource utilization at a
• Improved cash flow and
detailed level to optimize profitability and cash flow.
profitability
“Microsoft Dynamics Situation information to executives need Aligning the
MacKay & sales and to navigate the Solution with
SL offers Sposito provides marketing troubled Business Goals
civil-engineering activities. In economic To enable the
extraordinary consulting addition, project waters. The analysis and
flexibility. To ensure services to managers at company worked reporting MacKay
public-sector, MacKay & with Microsoft & Sposito
the client received commercial, and Sposito are Gold Certified required,
residential under increased Partner Synergy Synergy first had
maximum value from clients in pressure to Business to align the
the solution, we Washington and control project Solutions to financial-
Oregon. With costs and define a accounting
needed to understand more than 60 maximize configuration structure with
employees, the resource that would the Project
MacKay & Sposito’s 35-year-old firm utilization on a satisfy the Controller. The
project-accounting, specializes in daily basis. The unique two companies
development, company accounting, worked together
GL, AP, AR, and infrastructure requires an executive, to configure the
planning, survey, enterprise operational, and following core
financial-reporting landscape resource project reporting financial modules
needs from a architecture, planning solution needs at MacKay in Microsoft
engineering, and that can be & Sposito. Dynamics SL:
conceptual standpoint construction tailored to its Synergy • General Ledger
management. unique project performed a • Accounts
and a technical management business analysis Payable
standpoint.” To thrive in the model while to better • Accounts
challenging closely aligning understand what Receivable
Jered Cady, Executive Vice economic business information • Payroll
climate, and management, MacKay & • Project
facing intense general Sposito needed Controller
competition for accounting, and and how the Series
new contracts, operational company tracked − Project
the firm needs to functions. and managed Controller
direct its projects. MacKay − Time and
business Solution & Sposito’s Expense
development MacKay & executive and − Project
efforts very Sposito relies on accounting staff Allocator
precisely. This Microsoft worked closely − Flexible
requires a deep Dynamics SL for with Synergy to Billing
understanding of both project tailor Microsoft
the business— accounting and Dynamics SL to “Microsoft
knowing which financial align more Dynamics SL
projects and management, closely with the offers
segments are including custom way MacKay & extraordinary
most profitable— reports that Sposito does flexibility,”
and the ability to provide the business. explains Jered
apply this intelligence that Cady, Executive

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Vice President of manage our
Synergy business and
Business then configured
Solutions. “To Microsoft
ensure the client Dynamics SL to
received fit those exact
maximum value needs.”
from the
solution, we
needed to
understand
MacKay &
Sposito’s project-
accounting, GL,
AP, AR, and
financial-
reporting needs
from a
conceptual
standpoint and a
technical
standpoint. Only
then could we
address the
project
management
challenges.”

“Today, we can
extract the
meaningful
information we
need to make
informed
business
decisions,” adds
Marcy McCoy,
Controller at
MacKay &
Sposito.
“Synergy spent
the time to
understand what
information we
need and how
we use that
information to

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Focusing Their throughout the resources or resources have
Efforts year. When decide that the charged time to
With several project managers segment just a project, check
consulting- set up a new isn’t as feasible actuals against
practice areas project in the as we thought budgets, or
and a business solution, they when we created review accounts
that spans add market the business receivable for a
public-sector, sector codes to plan. Microsoft project or client.
commercial, track billing, Dynamics SL
industrial, and revenue, and helps us direct Managers also
residential even collections our marketing use these
clients, the by market efforts to ensure reporting
company’s sector. we get the functions to track
business plans results we need.” resource
project revenue Reports utilization. They
and growth enumerate work Managing can track each
independently performed, Projects and employee’s
for each of many signed contracts, Resources actual billing
sectors. MacKay and backlog for MacKay & based on time-
& Sposito each sector. Sposito also uses card data and
focuses its Executives use Microsoft view weekly
business this information Dynamics SL to utilization reports
development to measure provide more to identify
efforts on the performance detailed variances by
most profitable against the information to comparing actual
market segments established goals project billing against
by taking for each segment managers. the billing goals
advantage of the and to determine Reports created that have been
reporting and where to direct through entered in
analysis business Microsoft SQL Microsoft
capabilities of development Server Reporting Dynamics SL for
Microsoft efforts to best Services make each employee.
Dynamics SL. achieve their real-time project- The
goals. accounting data management
Custom fields in “Executives use available online group views
Microsoft these reports to through a weekly reports,
Dynamics SL identify the areas Microsoft which show
classify projects that need SharePoint utilization for the
by market attention so that Server–based prior week, and
sector, enabling we can hit our web portal. can quickly level
MacKay & forecasting,” Project managers resources or
Sposito to track says McCoy. “If a can view all jobs adjust workloads
performance at segment is in their portfolio to ensure
the sector level falling short, we or drill down to optimal
and make can evaluate view detail for a utilization. In
adjustments whether to spend specific job to addition,
where necessary more marketing see which employees

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 always know how as month-end thanks to the processing now
they are closing and streamlined core requires only two
performing biweekly payroll financial hours twice a
relative to their since the processes of month,” she
goals for billable redeployment, Microsoft notes.
time, and the enabling the Dynamics SL.
management company to “Having access Better Insight
team is better absorb to detailed into Company
positioned to reductions in information that Performance
help staff meet headcount aligns with our By aligning the
those goals. necessitated by business model project
the economy. helps me help management
Streamlining our principals and accounting
Financial Benefits manage functions within
Processes By configuring effectively,” says Microsoft
For detailed Microsoft McCoy. “I can Dynamics SL,
“Over time, given our analysis, such as Dynamics SL to respond quickly MacKay &
tight management calculating closely reflect to even their Sposito
adjustments for the unique most challenging executives have
controls, we expect to standard labor relationships financial a timely,
cost variances, between questions; when accurate picture
see improved cash McCoy exports financial and they request of performance
flow and profitability data from project data, I can easily at the company
Microsoft management, pull that level, the project
on a job-by-job Dynamics SL to MacKay & information from level, and even
Microsoft Excel Sposito enjoys Microsoft the resource
basis.” and uses pivot efficient routine Dynamics SL.” level. “We know
Marcy McCoy, Controller, tables to break accounting and how our projects
MacKay & Sposito down the data. In reporting With routine are set up and
the future, functions, deep accounting how our projects
MacKay & insight into functions are tracking
Sposito plans to project and facilitated by costs,” says
deploy executive company Microsoft McCoy. “We can
dashboards, performance, Dynamics SL, provide
which will let and tight control McCoy can information to
executives view over project complete month- our executives,
key performance management end closing and marketing group,
indicators at a and resource process biweekly and project
glance and utilization. payroll in less managers that
reduce manual time—even with we were unable
reporting. Streamlined reduced staff. to before. The
Accounting “We’ve reduced combination of
MacKay & The day-to-day the time required Microsoft
Sposito has also operation of the for month-end Dynamics SL,
streamlined controller’s office closing from five SQL Server
routine financial flows very days to two days, Reporting
functions, such efficiently, and payroll Services, and

57
For More Information SharePoint controls, we • Microsoft from Microsoft, it
For more information about Server has been expect to see Dynamics easily works with
Microsoft products and services, call a good thing for improved cash Microsoft the systems that
the Microsoft Sales Information us; it enables us flow and Dynamics is a your company
Center at (800) 426-9400. In to be proactive. profitability on a line of already has
Canada, call the Microsoft Canada This reporting job-by-job basis.” integrated, implemented. By
Information Centre at (877) 568- toolset will help adaptable automating and
2495. Customers in the United us grow as the business streamlining
States and Canada who are deaf or economy management financial,
hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft recovers.” solutions that customer
text telephone (TTY/TDD) services enables you and relationship, and
at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 Improved Cash your people to supply chain
United States and Canada, please Flow and make business processes,
contact your local Microsoft Profitability decisions with Microsoft
subsidiary. To access information McCoy asserts greater Dynamics brings
using the World Wide Web, go to: that effective confidence. together people,
www.microsoft.com resource Microsoft processes, and
utilization is the Dynamics works technologies,
For more information about MacKay key to increasing like familiar increasing the
& Sposito products and services, profits. “Our Microsoft productivity and
call (360) 695-3411 or visit the product is time,” software such as effectiveness of
website at: explains McCoy. Microsoft Office, your business,
www.mackaysposito.com “Properly which means and helping you
managing the less of a learning drive business
For more information about Synergy number of curve for your success.
Business Solutions products and minutes charged people, so they
services, call 1 (800) 481-8590 or to a project can get up and For more
visit the website at: impacts our running quickly information
www.synergybusiness.com profitability. Over and focus on about Microsoft
time, given our what’s most Dynamics, go to:
tight important. And www.microsoft.c
management because it is om/dynamics

Software and Services Partners

• Microsoft Dynamics • Synergy Business Solutions
− Microsoft Dynamics SL
• Microsoft Office
− Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
− Microsoft SharePoint Server
• Technologies
− Microsoft SQL Server Reporting
Services

This case study is for informational purposes

only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published August 2010

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