I N D U S T R Y

Design Agency

C O M P A N Y

Maestro

S I Z E

10-50 employees

W H A T M A V E N L I N K R E P L A C E D

Harvest, Smartsheet, Basecamp

B E N E F I T S

• Improved Projects Delivered On

Budget by 100%

• Increased Projects Delivered On

Time by 100%

• Grew Billable Utilization by More

Than 50%

• Substantially Improved Accuracy

of Forecasting

T H E M A E S T R O S U C C E S S S T O R Y

Helping Leading Brands Perform Beautifully

Maestro is a fast-growing and award-winning design agency that

strives to make their partners more productive. Whether they are

engaged to optimize a company-wide learning strategy, develop

innovative marketing solutions or clients want to leverage their

experience and technology, Maestro is a trusted partner in quality

and productivity. The company’s impressive client list includes

market leaders such as Netflix, Facebook, Royal Caribbean, and

Johnson & Johnson.

In the early days, the company prided itself on its scrappy nature,

however as the company celebrated its 10th anniversary, the

leadership team felt it was time to look inward and find ways to

mature the organization to continue to best meet their partners’

needs in the future.

S U C C E S S S T O R Y

Maestro Increases Projects Delivered on Time and on Budget by 100% with Mavenlink

2

F R O M T H E S O U R C E

“The breaking point for us was the

tough realization that when we

looked at our technology stack,

we weren’t performing beautifully

ourselves. In fact, we weren’t

performing optimally.”

— Jacob Bodnar, Director of Project Engagement, Maestro

T H E C H A L L E N G E

Too Many Tools, Not Enough Visibility

Through the years, the team at Maestro had developed a “best in breed”

approach to software. They deployed more than 10 separate tools for

core operational activity. They had tools for time tracking, managing

project financials, collaboration, client communications, project

planning, bug tracking, individual to-do lists, and the list goes on.

While they felt each tool was good at its specific niche, the result was a

messy hairball of technologies.

This disparate technology infrastructure created significant operating

challenges:

1. Lack of visibility and data.

With a number of different tools storing task assignments, project

statuses, and financial information, there wasn’t a holistic view of key

indicators that were driving the business.

2. Poor adoption.

The team was unhappy about the additional work required to update

and track details in many different places, and how hard it was to find

key information. “We knew we had a problem when we surveyed our

team, and 58% rated their satisfaction with the current toolset a two or

three out of 10. This was a dismal result considering we were expected

to use these tools every day to deliver quality work to our clients.”

25%

0%

50%

75%

F A V O R I T E M A V E N L I N K F E AT U R E

Mavenlink Insights

"Mavenlink offers Maestro precise, real-time insight that was previously unimaginable. The data offers both a balcony view of the business, with the ability to drill down in immense detail to uncover and resolve issues. Now we are able to articulate in detail where the business is at, where it is going, and what we can do to improve our results."

— JACOB BODNAR, DIRECTOR OF PROJECT ENGAGEMENT, MAESTRO

Role 1 ADP

DSU

80 H

Role 1

80 H

Role 2

40 H

DE

C

T I M E L O G G E D : M A Y 3 - 2 5

3 10 17 3 10 17

6 Projects

3 Tasks

4 Projects

2 Tasks

124 H R S 115 H R S

3

F R O M T H E S O U R C E

“It was clear from the beginning

that Mavenlink was a cut above

the rest. It was a much needed

upgrade for our organization.”

— Jacob Bodnar, Director of Project Engagement, Maestro

T H E S W I T C H T O M A V E N L I N K

An Exhaustive Search and Evaluation

The team decided it was time to take action and find a solution to help

transform their organization. They evaluated an astounding 65 project

management and collaboration platforms, trialed 42, analyzed 10, piloted

3, and in the end selected Mavenlink.

There were specific requirements they evaluated against:

• An integrated solution. It was clear that the biggest challenge the

team faced was the multitude of tools that captured and held data

in silos across the business. Critically, they knew they needed a

solution that coupled project management with project financials.

• A strategic approach to resource management. The team was

looking for a product that provided out of the box workflows to

better drive repeatable project and resource management processes.

• Great UX. Put simply, they wanted a tool to make people's

jobs easier. Jacob continued, “Our existing toolset was causing

distractions and frustration, so a primary objective of a new solution

was to empower our people. We needed to eliminate any barriers

that were getting in the way of our team performing their best.”

“We are technologists at heart. We test and experiment with leading

technology on a daily basis, so we have a high standard. We went into

the process refusing to sacrifice on our needs. It was clear from the

beginning that Mavenlink was a cut above the rest. It was a much

needed upgrade for our organization.”

Our existing toolset was causing distractions and frustration, so a primary objective of a new solution was to empower our people.— JACOB BODNAR, DIRECTOR OF PROJECT ENGAGEMENT, MAESTRO

“

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www.mavenlink.com • @mavenlink 6501 Irvine Center Dr. Suite 250 • Irvine, CA 92618

©2018 Mavenlink • Rev.4/18

T H E R E S U LT S

A Proactive Approach to Running the Business

Increased Data Quality and Better Decision Making

Mavenlink offers Maestro clear and analytical insight into the business. Project metric

visibility such as Estimate At Completion have revolutionized the way the team tracks

their work. “Before Mavenlink, it took an hour to calculate margins, and even then

it wasn't very accurate. It felt more like an ‘ish’ number. The information just wasn’t

accessible or really all that useful. Now I have visibility into project margins, in seconds.

It’s a game-changer.” They have applied this data to help them make decisions about the

kind of work that is profitable for their business, so they can target the best opportunities.

Improved Forecasting and Utilization Rates

In addition to providing a real-time view of key financials in the business, Mavenlink has

provided previously unimaginable insight into the future. This has allowed the team to

use data—instead of gut feeling—to know when they have capacity to take on projects, or

when they need to hire. This has reduced the costs of over-hiring, and helped to increase

the utilization of employees across the company by more than 50%.

Improved On Time and On Budget Delivery by 100%

Mavenlink offers Maestro an approach to project delivery that promotes sound execution

and a real-time view of at-risk projects that allows the teams to drill down into the issues,

and then course correct. As a result, they have increased the number of projects delivered

on time and on budget by 100%.

A D P 2 3 4 1

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T S C 2 3 5 3

8:35 AM

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Before Mavenlink, it took an hour to calculate margins, and even then it wasn't accurate. It felt more like an ‘ish’ number. The information just wasn’t accessible or really all that useful. Now I have visibility into project margins in seconds. It’s a game-changer.

“

“

— JACOB BODNAR, DIRECTOR OF PROJECT ENGAGEMENT, MAESTRO