V-viz takes full responsibility for its end-to-end solutions, covering all aspects of process control, software, automation and ongoing support and maintenance. The projects managed by the engineers, therefore, are inherently complex. A single project can involve feasibility studies, design and specification, line trials, integration and commissioning, component sourcing, third-party subcontract and onsite and remote support. The engineers manage the fine detail of multiple projects from receipt of order through to final commissioning, and this can take several months at a time. Along this path, critical milestones must be achieved before the project can progress to the next stage. So, V-viz was an organisation particularly in need of a specialist project management system that could track every step of the way.

The company had been using Microsoft Project for some time, but found that something more robust and all-encompassing was required. Then a third-party developer working with V-viz recommended Asta Teamplan from Asta Development. Mark Worlidge, Managing Director of V-viz, and Claire Whatley, Financial Controller, visited Asta along with two other key representatives from engineering and technical sales; they wanted to be sure that everyone in the organisation would feel comfortable using it. They assessed the software while they were there.

“Just that one day with Asta Development convinced us that Asta Teamplan fitted our business need completely,” said Mark. “Its functionality exceeded that of others we had tried; we liked its flexibility and ease of use and, importantly to us, its training model meant minimum disruption to our business. We discovered that we could integrate the tool over a few days, spread over a period of months as and when we were ready for it. This was hugely beneficial to us, and given the technical support that came with it, we knew that Asta Teamplan was the right fit for our company.”

V-viz has now been using Asta Teamplan for two years. After initial training, Mark and his team were able to learn deeper as a job progressed. They staggered training throughout the year, using Asta Teamplan on live projects from the start. This non-theoretical but practical approach was perfect; it allowed them to build up knowledge of the tool before learning to use more functionality.

Mark explained why Asta Teamplan has worked for them: “As a small company we don’t have a bank of engineers waiting to be assigned projects. We have highly specialist and experienced engineers whose time must be allocated skillfully where and when it is most needed on each project. We needed to have a clear picture of resource allocation, full visibility of where resource and skill are dedicated and where we need to assign it. We need to plan for trends: when we are over- or under-resourced; whether we need to outsource, subcontract or use temporary additional resource. Asta Teamplan allows us to manage people’s time and, most importantly, to fulfill our customers’ needs and never let them down."

V-viz had another extremely good reason for implementing Asta Teamplan. “We were planning to attain ISO9001,” explained Claire. “We knew it was hugely important to formalise our project management procedures and processes. This tool would help us to demonstrate not only to the assessors but ultimately to our customers that we have everything documented, in control, planned and visible. In fact, Asta Teamplan has become the backbone of our quality management system; I would go as far as to say that we have built our quality processes around it,” continued Claire.

In her capacity as Financial Controller, Claire is convinced of the financial benefits that Asta Teamplan will bring to the business in the near term, but the operational benefits she can see right now. “Most rewarding was when Siemens certified us as a specialist Technology Solution Partner for its industry-leading machine vision solutions. We were able to quantify and qualify the technical and commercial requirements Siemens was demanding: in short, we could demonstrate that we are able to achieve the project timings that we had specified.”

“How has using Asta Teamplan changed our business?” mused Mark. “Not only did it give us credibility with our clients and Siemens, it has reflected on how other companies out there view us as a proven specialist in the high-end vision solutions market.”