The Challenge
A well-established New Zealand consultancy had been using WorkflowMax for job and project management for many years, but only sporadically and only some of its features…
- Timesheets were not being entered
- Quotes weren’t being recorded in WorkflowMax
- It was tough to see crucial numbers like project budgets, how much work was billable, or whether jobs were making money.
Because of these gaps, people just fell back on their own spreadsheets or makeshift filing systems, which totally defeated the purpose of having a central platform. This made it hard for management to get a clear picture of how projects were tracking beyond individual reports from managers doing their own thing.
Not having set processes for capturing quotes, checking time against jobs, or keeping an eye on project overruns became a real problem—especially when the consultancy hit cash flow trouble in 2025. Without that visibility, it was nearly impossible to figure out or fix tighter margins.
Digging Deeper
It didn’t take long to realise that just upgrading WorkflowMax or cracking the whip on usage wouldn’t magically solve everything. The real issue was about habits and culture—getting everyone, especially the senior team, on board with new ways of working.
We began by identifying the decision makers, those responsible for implementing system changes, and clarifying expected roles. At the same time, it was clear you can’t always change how people work, so the plan shifted to confirming processes that made it easy to know who’s responsible for what, so the important info wouldn’t fall through the cracks—even if some people stuck to their old ways.
Before diving into software tweaks or training, we took a step back to figure out what “success” actually looked like. We got clear on what they wanted to achieve, pinpointed what information was missing and what was causing the frustration. A lot of the gripes were about how tricky WorkflowMax seemed to be to use—especially when it came to seeing Budget vs Actual numbers or tracking Work-in-Progress (WIP), which are pretty important for making smart decisions.
The Solution
It turned out that most headaches—like not being able to compare budgets to actuals or stay on top of WIP—were down to inconsistent or incorrect use, not the software itself. For example, if quotes weren’t entered, you couldn’t track performance properly, and if invoicing didn’t follow best practice, WIP just blew out. WorkflowMax’s WIP manager was actually pretty handy, but only if it was kept up to date.
The focus could then shift to using WorkflowMax efficiently and clarifying who should enter what information.
We also identified the few real gaps between what the business wanted and what the product could do—like it not being designed to combine quoted and charge-up work on a single invoice. Although WorkflowMax lacked this feature, sending two invoices was a simple solution. Around this time, the team began looking at alternatives, especially ProjectWorks, which promised a friendlier interface, integrated resource planning, payroll, and expenses. But with all those extras came a hefty price tag which is then another consideration.
Clarity Outcome
After taking a good honest look at how things were working, it turns out that about 95% of the perceived issues with WorkflowMax came down to how it was being used—not the system itself. Now, the options and the pros and cons of WorkflowMax are clearer.
The options are:
- Improve the current system by streamlining processes and boosting engagement, or
- Switch to ProjectWorks, which may suit future growth but requires more investment in money, training, and staff buy-in.
A decision hasn't been made yet, but it’s now clear what their current tools can and can’t do and what steps are needed—whether that means updating WorkflowMax or switching platforms.