Hello and welcome back to Elevated. I'm Brandy Lawson, and today we're moving from theory to practice as we see our software selection framework in action. We're talking project management solutions. You know that critical system that can either prop, propel your business forward or leave you buried under a mountain of details. For the past several weeks, we've been building this comprehensive framework for evaluating software. Today I'm walking you through how One Kitchen and Bath firm used this process to transform their project management approach and grew from handling 16 concurrent projects to managing over 60 without a nervous breakdown. Now this isn't some fairytale success story with unrealistic outcomes. This firm faced the same challenges you do designers resistant to new systems. Client with ever changing demands and markets that don't care about your internal growing pains. What made the difference wasn't finding some magical unicorn software. It was applying a structured evaluation process that matched their specific needs with the right solution. So let's pull back the curtain on how they did that and the results that followed. This transformation started where all good software decisions should. With painfully honest assessment of the problem, the firm had hit a growth ceiling at 16 concurrent projects. Their existing system was a giant three ring binder stuffed with paper checklist, printed designs, and handwritten notes. Information lived in physical folders that could only be at one place at one time, which meant constant hunting for documents and no way to get a quick overview of a project status. The symptoms were classic designers spending hours searching for the right binder or waiting for someone else to finish with it. Project stumbles due to misplaced paperwork and costly ordering mistakes that evaporated. Profits sound familiar. The problems impact was tangible enough that we didn't need to spend a lot of time quantifying it in dollars. The ordering errors alone were in the tens of thousands. Before looking at software, we did need to map the workflow on how information needed to move through their business. They identified five critical requirements. First, a single source of truth for project information. Second, clear visibility into project status and work to be done. Third, automated handoffs between design specification and installation. Phase fourth, ease of tracking communication. And fifth potential integration with our accounting system for seamless invoicing. With these requirements defined, they evaluated three potential solutions using our solution fit criteria from episode eight. Here's where it gets interesting. They didn't just score features on a spreadsheet. They tried out each option. The winning solution wasn't the most feature rich or the most expensive. It was the one that best matched their specific workflow while providing room to grow. In fact, it lacked some of the fancy visualization features of competitors, but excelled at the core information management they desperately needed, and the feel of the software was right for the team. Let's look at two specific changes this firm made that delivered massive results. First, they digitized their paper checklist into structured phases in their binder system. The projects moved haphazardly between design, development and installation based on who physically held the folder using their new software. They created tangible phases. With specific tasks that had to be completed before a project could advance this simple change eliminated their biggest problem. They dreaded, oh, I thought you were handling that syndrome that was causing delays and errors. Second, they moved all project communication inside the project management software. That means no internal emails about projects. Everything lives in the system and all client communications are captured there. This is not, this not only created a single source of truth, but freed the team up to be on vacation or out of the office as there was no need to try to hand off information that was buried in email chain. 12 months after implementation, they had grown from 16 to 37 concurrent projects. 18 months out, they crossed the 60 project threshold and only hired an additional drafter. The success wasn't just about quantity. Quality improved too. Order errors are all but eliminated, and anyone who answers the phone can give a client or trade partner information on a project, and perhaps most importantly. The team's confidence in their ability to deliver and delight improved, and so did sales This week, you can apply this framework to your own project management challenges. Head to fiery effects.com/choose and download the complete evaluation workbook that we've been working through this season. Start with an honest assessment of where your current approach falls short. How much designer time is consumed by administrative tasks? Where do handoffs break down between team members? What information gets lost or has to be repeatedly requested? How much visibility do you have into project bottlenecks? Then use our solution Fit template to evaluate potential alternatives, whether that's optimizing your current system or exploring new options. Remember what made this case study successful, wasn't finding perfect software. It was the methodical evaluation process that matched the business needs to the appropriate solution next week. We'll continue our real world application with another case study, focusing on customer relationship management, how one firm transformed their lead, nurturing and client experience using our evaluation framework. If this episode inspired you to rethink your project management approach, share it with another designer who might be hitting their growth ceiling.