MBB helps Australia build the big stuff.
MBB is a high-growth independent advisory business, that specialises in bringing innovative solutions to complex infrastructure challenges. With over 170 people, and expertise across the entire project lifecycle, MBB specialists have built a reputation for delivering complex projects and programs in the energy, transport, water, mining, defence, logistics, and social infrastructure sectors.
As MBB’s Regional Director, James Woods oversees some of Australia’s most complex advisory work. James has helped build MBB’s reputation for delivering high-stakes, multi-billion-dollar projects, with integrated project teams that embed themselves - and their deep expertise - right in the heart of a client’s organisation.
When you grow headcount everything else has to grow too - your systems, policies, procedures. "
Outgrowing old systems
As MBB’s reputation for solving some of Australia’s toughest infrastructure challenges grew, so did their team - and the complexity of their business.
For Operations Director Jemima Butt, it was becoming clear the management systems that had served MBB so well when they were 20 people, required upscaling to meet the needs of a team forecast to grow to over 200 people.
As MBB's team had grown, so had the strain on their incumbent management systems. While people were still managing, the business operations team recognised the business required a systems refresh to meet the new business need.
For an advisory firm that had built their reputation on accuracy, trustworthy data and smart systems weren't optional. They were requirements that underpinned MBB’s business success and risk-based decision making.
Systems that scale
As well as accuracy, MBB’s Operations team recognised the potential time-saving capabilities a new platform would provide.
By being able to quickly access accurate data on people's availability, MBB's executive team and project leads would be able to spend less time in resourcing meetings and more time responding to client needs. With more new projects and new hires, being able to streamline resourcing represented significant savings to the business.
Following investor funding, MBB was also looking at the acquisition of complementary consultancies in new markets – the business elected to select a project reporting, forecasting, and resourcing system that could grow with them.
The Challenge
The Operations team identified the four things their new project software had to do:
Utilisation data everyone could trust - Utilisation is the metric at MBB - targets are set weekly and interrogated daily across all projects. Any management software would need to provide live utilisation data which everyone from the CFO to project leads could trust and make decisions with.
The important things, done well - MBB has always kept their tech stack lean, so it was important any new piece of project software did what was required, and did it really, really well – allowing easier, faster management of timesheets, leave management, financial forecasting, and resource forecasting.
Software that scales - With MBB’s projects lasting anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 years, new business supporting team growth, and the potential of new acquisitions supercharging that growth, they needed management software that worked just as well for the small projects and teams, as it did for larger, more complex projects and programs.
Keeps smart people busy - As Jemima puts it; “We have a team of 170 incredibly smart people and in order to retain them, we have to make sure they’re never bored”. MBB needed software that allowed them to track and manage teams of consultants, helped leaders monitor the pipeline of work, and automated as much of the work as possible.
From 4 options, to Projectworks
The MBB team trialled four software options, but Projectworks came out on top for several reasons:
One stop shop. MBB didn't want to replace one fractured system with another, and Projectworks stood out as the only truly integrated system for their timesheets, leave management, financial forecasting and resource forecasting.
Engineer-friendly interface. The team also preferred the way Projectworks looked - it was an upgrade that addressed their core needs, with a clean interface that resonated with their team of no-fuss engineers.
Built for projects of all shapes and sizes. Projectworks was big enough to handle MBB's multi-year projects, and nimble enough to manage the smaller stuff as well.
Partners, not just vendors. What sealed the deal wasn't the functionality - it was finding a partner who took the time to understand the needs of their rapidly scaling firm. As Jemima puts it: “Projectworks really took the time to get to know us. I had multiple conversations with their CRO Madeline, and our CEO chatted with the co-founder Matt. They felt like kindred spirits, who ran their business with a similar kind of mindset to ours".
MBB were only 45 people at the time, so migration was straightforward.
They kicked off the process in May, migrated their data across in June, and had their whole team onboarded by 1 July. By going live on the first day of the Australian new financial year, they could ensure clean data from the start.
From data clean-up, to operational insights
For MBB, the impact of Projectworks was immediate. As Jemima notes:
“We used to spend a week per month pulling project data from different sources, sanitising it, checking it, and reporting it to project leads. With Projectworks our project leads always have live accurate data, right there, anytime they need it.”
Projectworks has given MBB’s operations team back a week a month but, more than that, it’s transformed their role, from a functional data provider, to a much more valuable insight partner.
Projectworks has made them feel way more involved in the business."
The ripple effect of Projectworks
MBB has seen explosive growth since they joined Projectworks in 2021 - they've grown headcount by almost 300%, acquired other firms, and delivered some of Australia's biggest infrastructure projects.
Projectworks has been at the heart of MBB's growth engine, providing clarity for the people who manage the operations of the business. As Jemima puts it: "Projectworks is my bible. I literally spend 90% of my day there looking at resourcing, leave and forecasts, looking for project arcs, gaps, red flags. If something's not right, I spot it in Projectworks."
The ripple effects are real:
- Project leads making clear, timely decisions from live data.
- Operations team reclaiming a week per month.
- Software that's scaled with the firm's 277% headcount growth.
- A team of 170+ experts able to spend more time supporting clients in delivering Australia's most critical infrastructure, rather than distracted by admin.
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