How IT consulting makes project management fun again: Opheo Solutions shows how it's done

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About Opheo Solutions: A Hamburg Original with a Mission

Opheo Solutions pursues a crystal-clear goal with its eponymous software: to digitize transport management in road freight transportation. A five-digit number of trucks are moved on the road every day with the assistance of Opheo Solutions. This redefines the role of the dispatcher as their software largely automates dispatching. Because where goods are moved daily, one thing is essential: efficiency.

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Once upon a time... The legacy system that put the brakes on

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While Opheo Solutions enables efficiency for its clients, there were internal obstacles in the past. Or more precisely, one specific obstacle: the outdated project management software.

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There came a point where the old solution was slowing down Opheo Solutions. It couldn't keep up with a fast-paced and modern team anymore. A true scalability killer, in fact. And this led to three major challenges in project management:

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1. No Fun, No Documentation

The old software wasn't just a killer for scalability, but also for motivation to work with it at all. Team buy-in was absent due to the solution being unintuitive and outdated. Additionally, project management using the software was labor-intensive. Not least because the software lacked any interoperability with other tools.

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All these factors led to infrequent and incomplete project documentation.

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2. Time Tracking That Devours Time

Not only was documentation cumbersome in the old system, but so was time tracking. As a team primarily engaged in client projects, time tracking was an integral part of their routine. However, due to the cumbersome process in the old software, it became a part of their routine to block calendar time solely for time tracking. Another motivation killer.

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3. Transparency Lost in an Excel Fog

In projects involving their clients, it was difficult to collectively track the current status. Since the old software was solely for internal use, Opheo Solutions' team had to create a laborious workaround. Enter: Excel spreadsheets. Maintaining these local files manually and sending them via email repeatedly wasn't exactly a recipe for real-time transparency.

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A New Era Begins: Project Management That Finally "Fits Us Very Well"

For Opheo Solutions, it was clear: it was time to retire the old software solution. A new tool was needed to rekindle motivation within the team. Of course, this tool had to meet several high demands. Key points of importance were:

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• Easy time tracking directly within the tool.
• Ability to actively involve clients in projects.
• Simple and modern user interface.
• GDPR compliant, ideally a solution from Germany.
• Accessible contact person and responsive service.

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After quickly excluding several tools that were too complex for their needs, Opheo Solutions welcomed the "fresh approach" of awork right from the first contact. And since the entire team was involved in the selection process, they were able to immediately enthuse everyone about the new tool.

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[.b-testimonial] Now it's time to get started, now everything will get better! [.b-testimonial]

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More Efficient Work with More Fun!

Opheo Solutions maps all internal and client projects in awork. The team is once again enjoying maintaining their projects, as it requires minimal effort. Instead of starting each project from scratch, Opheo Solutions now uses templates in awork for their standard projects. As a result, the team can save 50% of their time in creating new projects compared to before – and invest that time where it's much more valuable.

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Time tracking made beautiful

With time being effortlessly and almost automatically recorded in awork, the team stays up-to-date with budgets as well. They can accurately compare how much time is planned for a task versus the actual workload. Opheo Solutions can then easily bill the recorded times directly from awork.

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Overall, this has also motivated the team to better manage projects and individual tasks. Ulrike Grunwald is certain:

[.b-testimonial] Without awork, time tracking wouldn't be possible in the way it is now. [.b-testimonial]

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Project Status: Up-to-date

Gone are the days when documentation caused headaches just by thinking about it. Today, the team simply uses the commenting feature in awork to ensure everyone stays on the same page at all times. This way, no important details are lost.

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Opheo Solutions is now able to integrate existing tools into their project management as well, for instance through the Zapier integration and the API in awork. Communication between their project team and support is now easier than ever as they have integrated their support desk into awork via Zapier.

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Full transparency replaces the fog

To make collaborative project work as transparent as possible, Opheo Solutions' clients receive guest access to awork. This allows all parties involved to have a clear view of project and task statuses at any given time. During project status meetings, everyone looks at the overview in awork together and can quickly react to any changes. This enables Opheo Solutions to present an even more professional image to their clients.

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Especially for new client projects, the shared overview is incredibly practical. The team can show their clients exactly where they are in the implementation of Opheo Software and what is still pending.

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Team Onboarding 2.0

And it's not just new projects that are a breeze now: Opheo Solutions also uses awork for onboarding new team members. They've received excellent feedback for this approach:

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[.b-testimonial] Employees can start working on their first small awork project right from their first day, and they find that really cool! [.b-testimonial]

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The intuitive user interface of awork makes the onboarding process smooth, as most newcomers don't require extensive training on the tool. And the best part is that they're hitting two birds with one stone: new employees receive a clear, structured onboarding experience and simultaneously get acquainted with the project management tool.

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Two Hamburg originals = 💜

[.b-testimonial] It feels like the tool has a personality – which fits us very well. [.b-testimonial]

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With awork, the Opheo Solutions team can now approach all their projects with more motivation and efficiency. They can now pass on this efficiency to their clients, further advancing their mission: to automate dispatching as much as possible and thus redefine the role of the dispatcher.

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