A Digital Transformation Journey: Shadforth Saves Over 80% in Processing Time with ShadConnect

This case study explores how MRU Consulting's custom software solution has accelerated Shadforth’s Civil Engineering’s digital transformation journey. It highlights MRU's commitment to tailored solutions, operational efficiency, and an agile approach to personalized support.

Key Outcomes

80% Reduction in Timesheet Processing: Digitization and automation have significantly cut processing time, allowing the finance department to work more efficiently.

Improved Financial Management: Integration with existing systems including Viewpoint, together with new invoice automation & job costing features, have streamlined finances by improving budget control & cost savings.

Embracing Digital Transformation in Civil Construction

Shadforth Civil Engineering Construction, a family-owned civil construction company with almost 1,000 employees based in Queensland, Australia, has been growing steadily under the passionate leadership of their progressive CEO, Ray Shadforth. Central to this growth is an unwavering commitment to their Digital Transformation journey and a focus on ensuring a safe and supportive work environment through their charter ‘The Shadforth Way’. With increasing competitive, workforce, and regulatory challenges facing their employees and contractors, Shadforth are always seeking continuous improvements using innovative, digital solutions and partnerships.

Overcoming Industry-Wide Inefficiencies and Finance Challenges

Managing a diverse and distributed workforce was a complex task for Shadforth,reflecting broader challenges faced by the civil construction industry. PaulLeerentveld, the IT Special Projects and Business Analyst, joined Shadforth in 2014when the company had around 200 employees. High turnover rates among personnelare common industry-wide issues, making it difficult to ensure everyone has thenecessary documentation and training. "In the civil construction sector, managing theconstant turnover of staff and contractors poses significant challenges for safety &compliance," Paul explains.

The existing system was not only time-consuming but also prone to errors, leading topotential project risks. Employees in the field faced significant challenges as they hadto use laptops with VPNs for access. "Our team on-site had to carry around laptops andconnect via VPN, which was cumbersome and often unreliable," Paul notes.

Timesheet processing was another challenge. The manual, paper-based timesheetsystem required a full day of work from their finance team to process. "Timesheetprocessing used to shut down the entire finance department for a full day every month," Paul mentions.

The task of processing up to 10,000 invoices per month manually was labor-intensive, often causing delays and inaccuracies in financial reporting. "We didn’t have a streamlined way to process invoices, and the manual input was time-consuming, taking two minutes per invoice to match a PO," Paul states. This inefficiency impacted the finance team's productivity and supporting project managers with financial insights

Shadforth also faced challenges managing its 1000 pieces of equipment and vehicles, across multiple job sites. Existing telematics equipment systems lacked the necessary features for real-time tracking and effective resource allocation, which directly impacted project timelines. "We tried using the Cat and Komatsu telematics systems, but they weren’t integrated enough, which led costly project delays," Paul explains

Finally, employee performance reviews and the onboarding process was difficult to manage. "HR lacked a streamlined way to track employee progress and ensure everyone was on the same page during reviews and onboarding,"  Paul mentions. This inefficiency in managing employee onboarding and development led to inconsistencies and missed opportunities for timely interventions, affecting employee growth and compliance.

A Tailored, Integrated Approach to Streamline Processes

Recognizing the need for a robust solution, Shadforth engaged MRU Consulting, theirtrusted partner for over a decade, to develop a comprehensive system, now known asShadConnect. Initially aimed at solving the safety & compliance challenge, this systemover time added new capabilities, including job costing, HR performance reviews, andplant management. ShadConnect also ensured seamless integration with other systemslike Viewpoint, Fleet Pursuit, and BFA (Bulk Fuels Australia).

An important technology design decision was to separate employee and contractoraccess. "Unique portals were created for employees and contractors to ensure that eachgroup had access to the tools and information relevant to their roles,"  Paul notes. Thisalso improved security as access to sensitive information is now based on user roles

Additionally, maintaining a consistent employee experience (UI/UX) across differentsystems and devices was crucial to ensure that when changes were made, there was noneed to retrain their workforce.

Optimized Technology Stack and Improved Operational Efficiency

The implementation process began with workshops to understand Shadforth's specific needs. The MRU team, led by Michael Usov, worked closely with Paul and his team to design a system that would streamline their processes and meet their requirements.

• Job Costing and Foreman Log System. The job costing feature allowed foraccurate tracking of project costs, providing detailed insights into budgetallocation and expenditure. The foreman log system was crucial for job costing, asit enabled foremen to enter labor, plant, and subcontractor data. "The foreman logsystem integrates with our ERP system, Viewpoint, and allows us to allocate costs todifferent jobs and phases," Paul explains. And by using ShadConnect as a front endto Viewpoint, they managed Viewpoint licenses, helping to further accelerate ROI.
  
  
  

Job costing highlighting detailed budget allocation and expenditure tracking

• HR Performance Reviews. ShadConnect includes a comprehensive HR module for managing employee performance reviews. With quick access to onboarding training and documentation from day one, they are able to ensure compliance, peer reviews, action items, and follow-ups from reviews. This has positively impacted career development and retention. Rebecca C., Human Resource Manager, adds “ShadConnect has made career development and retention much easier to manage, as we can now track and support our employees' growth”
  
  
  
  
• Plant Management. Tracking plant usage, fuel, maintenance, and availability ensures resources are optimized and helps to reduce downtime. Paul states, "Knowing exactly where plants are, their performance, and when they need maintenance, helps us avoid costly breakdowns and keeps projects on track.” Seamless integration with Fleet Pursuit and BFA provides centralized, real-time insights for project managers who rely on accurate data to keep projects on track.
  
  
  
  
• Invoice Automation. The implementation of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and invoice automation within ShadConnect has transformed the invoice process workflow. Emmaline A., the Accounts Payable Manager, notes, “The system can scan then match 25 invoices within a few of seconds, instead of taking two minutes per invoice manually. This has led to a 1000% speed improvement, giving back time to our accounts team for other important tasks.”
  
  
  
  
• Mobile Access. ShadConnect's mobile-friendly interface allows employees to access the system via smartphones and tablets. "Our team on-site can now use their mobile devices instead of lugging around laptops,"  Paul explains. This accessibility has significantly improved productivity by simplifying retrieving data in real-time.

Realizing Operational Gains by Automating and Digitizing Processes

Since implementing ShadConnect, Shadforth has seen significant improvements in several key areas:

• Enhanced Financial Management. The job costing and invoice automation features, along with the optimized allocation of plant equipment, have significantly improved financial management. Shadforth now has a clear view of where their money is going and can adjust spending in real-time, resulting in better budget control and cost savings. Emmaline A. states, "ShadConnect has greatly improved our productivity. It’s freed up the accounts team to better support those onsite with accounts-related tasks.”
• Improved Workflow Efficiency. The digitization of manual processes, including plant management and enabling workforce mobility, has resulted in substantial time savings and operational efficiencies. "We've been able to improve our workflows, resulting in our operations being much smoother,"  Paul notes. Shadforth has cut down the time it takes to process paperwork and approvals by 80%, allowing the team to focus more on construction work. These improvements have made employees' jobs easier and more efficient
• Greater Data-Driven Insights. ShadConnect's comprehensive reporting and analytics tools have enabled Shadforth to gain even deeper insights into their operations. Paul explains, "We can now generate detailed reports that help us identify trends and make data-driven decisions that were not possible before.”  These insights have been instrumental in optimizing resource allocation and efficiency.
• Better Decision-Making and Data Integration. The integration with systems like Viewpoint, Fleet Pursuit, BFA, and the use of Power BI for reporting have provided comprehensive data visibility and enhanced decision-making. Daily job cost reports and invoice approval portals have helped with cost forecasting and control. "ShadConnect gives us visibility into the data that is crucial for our project managers to make informed decisions and keep projects on track,"  Paul adds.

A Long-Term Partnership

Shadforth's partnership with MRU extends beyond the initial implementation. With a commitment to continuous development and support, MRU ensures ShadConnect evolves with their needs, as well as builds on the core values of ‘The Shadforth Way’ that empowers people to ensure client success. Paul comments, "MRUs commitment to innovation and digital transformation, along with their focus on our employees' needs, ensures ShadConnect is a valuable asset to our operations and supports ‘The Shadforth Way’.

ShadConnect's design ensures that it can scale with Shadforth's growth. The system's architecture supports increased data loads and additional features without compromising performance. "As we expand, ShadConnect scales with us, providing consistent performance and reliability," Paul says.

Leveraging Data for Future Continuous Improvement

Shadforth's partnership with MRU has transformed their operations. ShadConnect has not only addressed their initial safety and compliance challenges, but with the new capabilities, has dramatically improved overall operational efficiency. The custom software solution, ongoing support, and scalable performance offered by MRU have been instrumental in driving Shadforth's success. And as Shadforth continues to win new business, ShadConnect will play a crucial role in supporting that growth, ensuring they remain a leader in the civil construction industry

Looking ahead, Shadforth plans to leverage the vast amounts of new data collected to gain future insights. "We are excited about the potential of using new data collected through ShadConnect to predict trends and make proactive decisions," Paul explains. Additionally, because Shadconnect’s architecture is flexible, they can easily replace backend systems while maintaining a consistent user experience – allowing them to seamlessly transition without needing to retrain nearly 1,000 users. This commitment to innovation and efficiency is a testament to Shadforth's dedication to their employees.

ShadConnect welcome screen

The Value of an Innovative, Digital Partner Like MRU

For other businesses considering their own Digital Transformation, Shadforth's experience demonstrates the value of partnering with a dedicated and innovative digital solution provider like MRU. "I would tell anyone considering embarking on their own Digital Transformation journey, that MRU’s flexibility, responsiveness, and ability to meet your unique needs, have been critical to our success,"  Paul notes. Their ability to deliver customized, scalable, and robust solutions that require minimal support, while significantly improving operational efficiency, makes them an excellent choice to streamline processes and create a safe and supportive work environment.