Industry overview
What is shaping information technology
IT services and technology companies sell to CIOs, IT heads and business leaders through long, multi-stakeholder buying cycles where trust and proof matter.
- Buying committees are getting larger
- Thought leadership and proof points shorten sales cycles
- Win/loss evidence improves bids
Client background
An IT services company, working in Pune & Hyderabad. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- An IT services company
- Sector
- Information technology
- Team engaged
- Finance & Accounts
- Services
- ERP development, MIS & financial reporting, Accounting & finance consulting
Client challenge
Project profitability was only known at quarter end because timesheets, billing and costs lived in separate systems. Unbilled work and resource utilisation problems were discovered too late to correct. Leadership was preparing for rapid growth and needed reliable numbers before hiring more consultants.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: implementing an ERP for a growing IT services company.
- Design around the real needs of consultants.
- Design around the real needs of active projects.
- Establish accurate, reconciled numbers management can rely on.
- Put a reporting and compliance rhythm in place that runs on time.
Target audience
The work focused on 600 consultants and 120 active projects.
- consultants600
- active projects120
Audiences we typically reach in information technology
CIOs and IT headsBusiness decision-makersProcurement teamsExisting clientsPartners and resellers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Pune & Hyderabad. Market: India.
- India
Research methodology
A structured finance engagement: review the current process, set up controls, run the routine and report.
- 1Brief
- 2Process mapping
- 3Project accounting and timesheet integration
- 4Insight
We mapped delivery and finance processes, implemented an ERP with project accounting, linked timesheets and resource planning, and built dashboards for project margins, utilisation and unbilled revenue. Delivery managers and finance staff helped design the project codes and approval workflows, and key users in each team were trained before go-live.
ERP developmentMIS & financial reportingAccounting & finance consulting
Sampling strategy
- consultants
- 600
- active projects
- 120
- Every ledger, entity and transaction stream in scope was covered, with sample-based checks during review.
Data collection
- Source documents, bank statements and ledgers were collected through a secure shared workspace.
Data quality & validation
- Maker-checker review on all entries
- Bank and ledger reconciliations
- Client approval before every filing or report
- Supporting documents kept for every figure
Data analysis
- Variance analysis against budget and prior periods
- Ratio and trend analysis
- Cash-flow view for management
Key findings
- Delivery managers could see project margins weekly, unbilled work fell and utilisation improved as bench time became visible.
- Leadership also used utilisation data to plan hiring more accurately, reducing the cost of idle consultants between projects.
Linking time, cost and billing turned profitability into a weekly management conversation.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: linking time, cost and billing turned profitability into a weekly management conversation.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: delivery managers could see project margins weekly, unbilled work fell and utilisation improved as bench time became visible.
Business impact
- Month-end closing became faster and more accurate.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Monthly MIS pack and reconciled books
- Compliance calendar and filings
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how is our brand seen against rivals?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.