How S-Engineering Improved Its Approach to Project Management

Based in Odesa, Ukraine, S-Engineering, also known globally as SE Group International, is a scientific technologies company that develops and implements electronic drive controls, industrial safety, and telecommunication systems. S-Engineering employs 180+ people and has implemented 600+ complex projects in different industries within Ukraine and other markets. Some of S-Engineering’s clients include Cargill, Bunge, Cofco International, Posco, Dragon Oil, Mondelez International, Danon, and Ukrtransgaz.

The company’s mission is to support the growth of its clients by developing modern engineering solutions that contribute to the economic growth and welfare of the countries and people they partner with.

The Challenge

All of S-Engineering’s projects are intricate and often include multiple production processes and multi-level tasks. Because their projects are so complicated, it’s impossible to plan every detail, so managers are continually making additional changes as the work is being performed. To complete projects successfully and on time, teams must continue to improve the management system and introduce new or evolving methods and approaches. They also needed powerful, long-term working solutions to replace the multi-tool chaos, reduce the number of meetings, and improve project transparency

“Just like the rest of the world, we had to quickly figure out how to effectively run our business during the COVID-19 lockdown,” said Ivan Kiryazov, CEO, S-Engineering. “Our previous way of holding frequent meetings and briefings was no longer practical. During these challenging times and our transition to a remote work environment, we had continue to run our business effectively.”

The Solution

Before choosing Wrike as their project management platform, S-Engineering teams relied on multiple tools, such as Microsoft Project, email, Google Drive, and Excel spreadsheets. To keep track of a project’s status and progress, frequent meetings were held across departments and divisions. The number of meetings was increasing, making the optimization of administrative resources one of management’s strategic priorities.

S-Engineering decided to go with Wrike after a free trial that allowed them to assess all of its features. They were impressed with the platform’s configurability and versatility and the attentiveness of the Wrike technical support team.

Resource Management

Wrike helps project managers organize team workloads, optimize planning and resource allocation, and assign tasks to the right assignees. The Gantt chart, calendar, workload chart, and dashboards were especially helpful in keeping productivity high.

Reporting

Reports automatically updated when opened so no time was lost gathering and compiling data from different projects.

Request Forms

Wrike request forms allowed S-Engineering to save important information and create tasks, projects, or Wrike template-based projects according to the work algorithms of each department. Using customized request form templates, managers were able to create a new project structure and assign basic tasks in 10 minutes.

Additionally, S-Engineering put Wrike to work in Logistics and Finance, whose functions are performed in an ERP system. Using an interface API, the team integrated Wrike with the ERP to transfer data on the actual hours spent performing a task and to calculate the project cost. The ERP then transferred information about the project equipment delivery dates to Wrike to create a production plan. The company is now integrating its business intelligence system to aid in strategic planning. The team is also planning to integrate Wrike with messengers to improve corporate communications.

Wrike helped S-Engineering maintain productivity, eliminate bottlenecks, and streamline workflows for complex global projects. The increased visibility has reduced the number of meetings, so now they hold offline briefings only when required.

Conclusion

Wrike’s automated dashboards and custom workflows allow project managers to organize workloads to optimize planning and resource allocation and to assign tasks to the right individuals. Reports are automatically updated, saving the time previously wasted gathering and compiling data. Wrike request forms capture important information and create tasks, projects, or Wrike template-based projects according to the work needs of each department.

“With Wrike, our approval process inside projects has definitely become faster, as has the transfer from one work stage to another,” said Kiryazov. “We have completely streamlined tasks and their performance control and improved our electronic document flow.”

Today, all departments at S-Engineering work with Wrike to achieve team goals and manage corporate business processes both in office and remotely.