Who hasn\u2019t experienced that moment of loneliness when your manager or the accounting department tells you that the project you\u2019ve been spending your evenings and weekends on\u2014the one that\u2019s been driving you crazy for weeks or months\u2014is incurring massive losses despite all the time and energy you\u2019ve put into it?<\/p>\n
Do you work on a fixed-fee basis? You know the answer yourself. <\/p>\n
But why, even though you’re in the red, isn’t your project profitable?<\/p>\n
First, the salespeople get the blame: they should have just charged more! We\u2019ve already told them: \u201cThey\u2019ll do whatever it takes to win the project, and then we\u2019ll figure it out ourselves\u2026\u201d Another version: \u201cThey underpriced it because they don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing,\u201d etc., etc.<\/p>\n
Salespeople sometimes accuse project management<\/a> of \u201cnot knowing how to count\u201d\u2026 Production blames everyone else. <\/p>\n In short, it’s everyone’s fault\u2014and therefore often no one’s fault. And that’s exactly why this kind of situation keeps happening… all the time. What a scene. <\/p>\n In reality, this is typical of agencies that lack the tools and methods needed to manage fixed-price projects, which <\/a>often reveal the weaknesses of an agency<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Here are a few basic rules that will help you turn things around:<\/p>\n A simple question: Do you know how to track the time each person spends on a project every week? If the answer is \u201cno,\u201d \u201cnot really,\u201d or \u201cmore or less,\u201d it\u2019s time to fix the situation. <\/p>\n Furious makes this task simple\u2014even automatic\u2014in 80% of cases. It\u2019s a true transformation, both in your project management and in your production management<\/a>. <\/p>\n Who at your company monitors project overruns on a weekly basis? Do you have a \u201cshepherd\u201d in charge of keeping schedules<\/a> on track? <\/p>\n Even though in some agencies, overwork is the norm, it\u2019s becoming less and less tolerated\u2014and understandably so. Employees expect their company to be able to assess the workload and take corrective action when it becomes overwhelming. <\/p>\n It\u2019s essential to share information with your valued client at least once a week\u2014including cost-to-sales ratios, the schedule, and invoicing. That way, they won\u2019t be able to feign ignorance, and, more importantly, it will force you to address cost overruns as soon as they arise. <\/p>\n Furious lets you share these KPIs with your client with just one click!<\/p>\n When you win a project, you don’t just throw away the time spent on pre-sales<\/a>. Normally, you’ve already made some progress on the project, so it makes sense to factor that time into the project timeline. <\/p>\n We actually talk about it here. <\/p>\n This isn’t science fiction\u2014with great tools like Furious, you’ll know before it’s too late<\/a> that a project is headed for disaster. These features help you monitor and control projects<\/a> in real time by modeling complex projects and showing the estimated long-term profitability right from the start. A real plus for tactically managing your business! <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n You must have an analysis of: <\/p>\n To refine this analysis, it is crucial to include a return on investment (ROI) calculation<\/a>, an essential method for accurately assessing the effectiveness of your projects. And to take it even further, AI-powered production planning<\/a> automatically cross-references this data with time spent, costs, and projected workload to anticipate bottlenecks and optimize each resource. The distinction between the two will allow you to assess the workload of senior staff or interns, for example\u2026 and that obviously changes everything! <\/p>\n It’s taboo in the agency world, and yet it’s so necessary! <\/p>\n Don’t hesitate to shut down a project if it’s headed for disaster… before it hits rock bottom! <\/p>\n You have more to lose by overloading your teams (the cost of employee turnover is often underestimated in agencies) and keeping them busy on unprofitable projects than you do by losing a client. <\/p>\n To help you, business management tools<\/a> like Furious<\/a> are available to make it easier for you to track these issues in a highly visual way. It\u2019s a valuable ally for optimizing your project management and action plan<\/a>, while providing predictive insights that alert you well in advance, before it\u2019s too late. <\/p>\n Another advantage (and not the least of them): teamwork runs more smoothly because we analyze challenges based on objective data, rather than on misunderstandings or biases between different roles and profiles! <\/p>\nTime Tracking<\/h2>\n
Weekly review of projects and time spent vs. what was sold <\/h2>\n
Weekly sharing of project updates with the client<\/h2>\n
Allocating the time spent on pre-sales activities to the sold project <\/h2>\n
A Driving Force for Innovation<\/h2>\n
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Be able to analyze profitability <\/h2>\n
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The Discontinuation of Unprofitable Projects<\/h2>\n