Quiddity engineers a better system with Dynamics 365

Like other architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms, Quiddity faces the unique challenges and opportunities of its industry. Civil engineers, estimators, and contract managers need reliable project scheduling tools that take complex dependencies and shifting priorities into account. They need to adapt budgets and timelines based on up-to-date human resources and financial data. And they need to make smart decisions about everything from local regulations and building materials to geology and water use solutions. Of course, Quiddity also has the same challenges that every business of any type must overcome. Its finance managers need deep insights into business trends to steer the company to lasting success. Sales teams need to engage with potential customers knowledgeably and proactively at every stage of their journey.

Effective finance and project operations management is essential for future growth. That’s why Quiddity uses innovative technology to modernize its operations and serve its diverse customers through every step of planning, resourcing, designing, and developing projects.

Siloed data and too much customization hinder growth

Quiddity sales teams have been successfully managing leads and opportunities in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales since 2017. The user-friendly solution with the familiar Microsoft interface is immensely valuable alone, but to truly take advantage of its powerful functionality, the company wanted to bring sales, project management, and finance together in one cohesive solution. Separate systems and disparate data sources created inefficiencies and potential misalignments in customer accounts, associated documentation, team communications, and project specifications. Bringing everything together would make employees more efficient and create a more cohesive and collaborative work environment.

One of the legacy systems that leadership had its eye on was the company’s project-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, Deltek Vision. It used to work well for Quiddity, but as the firm grew, leadership realized it couldn’t adapt and scale enough to grow with the company. Too much customization had made the system complicated and difficult to maintain. Quiddity wanted to connect its financial data easily to simplify accounting and coordinate reporting tasks. It needed a transparent view of project progress and interdependencies that showed financial risks and provided reliable costing and forecasting features. Quiddity project leaders lacked credible data and a clear method to assess the risk potential of new projects. Without the ability to define and categorize labor hours, scheduling and budgeting were a challenge.

Deltek Vision simply wasn’t up to the task. Only a truly harmonized system with a consolidated data source would deliver what the company needed. The right solution was a fully connected, intelligent system that brought all the firm’s business processes together and added critical functionality that would take it into the future.

Engineering a solution for success

The right solution for Quiddity was Microsoft Dynamics 365 and aec360, a cloud-based, integrated suite purpose-built for AEC firms.

Now, Dynamics 365 Finance seamlessly connects Quiddity’s financial data, streamlining and automating accounting and reporting systems. With aec360 managing the firm’s standardized, industry-aligned billing, a simplified and automated process makes record generation and government filing easy. Sales teams track each project’s end-to-end lifecycle from early lead assessment and opportunity nurturing to close. Stakeholders have visibility into their project every step of the way—and that transparency builds trust.

Dynamics 365 Project Operations and aec360 enable Quiddity to create project plans that cover all aspects of a project, including design, labor and expense costs, and completion schedules, all in one unified system. “We use Microsoft Dynamics 365 to create solid proposal documents, and the new resource planning tool integrates our pipeline management with our resourcing of new work,” says Zachary Toups, VP Corporate Development, Quiddity. Quiddity project managers can plan with a broader, deeper view of the entire project lifecycle in one system, ensuring that vital information isn’t left out of proposals. And the work effort that’s proposed is reflected in the project schedules, keeping all aspects of the project aligned.

A marked volume increase in Quiddity’s sales pipeline is due in part to the new system’s connectivity, seamlessly joining opportunities with each project—and without redundant data entry tasks. “With Dynamics 365 we gained a firm-wide view of our customer relationships and boosted cross-practice coordination, ultimately winning more business,” says Toups. Sales teams are still using Dynamics 365 to nurture relationships and connect with customers. But now, insight gleaned from rich customer information, project history, and industry data informs logical next steps and prioritization outreach tasks, saving sellers valuable time and effort.

Dynamics 365 and aec360 check all the boxes

With aec360 integrated in Dynamics 365 Finance and Project Operations, Quiddity is saving time and money—and most importantly, is better able to serve its customers even as the firm continues to grow.  Here are a few highlights: 

• One centralized data source enables faster access to more accurate opportunity and project information. 
• A solution built specifically for the AEC industry drives effective project execution with standardized methods, leading to increased efficiency, more accurate progress tracking, and proactive risk assessment. 
• Enhanced pipeline quality and clarity, as Tobin Synatschk, COO, Quiddity puts it “With Dynamics 365, we have seen an increase in visibility and quality of our pipeline because of the continuity created between opportunities and projects.” 
• The connected system enables automation and streamlining of daily tasks, increasing efficiency, and ensuring consistent, aligned customer data, timely billing, collections and accurate financial recording.  
• A complete view of customer and project data offers deeper insights and a highly responsive customer relationship system.  
• Linking estimated pricing to accurate projections of required labor hours and other costs allows for precise resource scheduling, optimizes profitability, and creates trusted customer relationships. 

Building a bridge to the future 

With the success of its Dynamics 365 implementation, Quiddity sees an opportunity for even more functionality around quality management and communications. Leadership looks forward to mining the firm’s rich new store of data to understand and manage project execution quality and customer satisfaction levels. With that deeper understanding, Quiddity is positioned to maintain the firm’s reputation for excellence in quality, customer care, and innovation well into the future.