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Beyond Accounting—Why Your ERP Should Empower Every Department
Your ERP should do more than handle accounting—it should support business development, marketing, project management, and HR. Learn how AEC firms can break free from siloed systems and leverage aec360 for a fully integrated, firm-wide solution.
Your ERP System Should Do More Than Process Transactions
For many AEC firms, ERP systems have become synonymous with accounting and financial reporting—tools that are used primarily by the finance team while project managers, business developers, and HR teams continue to rely on external systems, spreadsheets, or manual processes.
The result? Disjointed operations, lost productivity, and limited visibility across the firm.
A modern ERP system should be more than just an accounting tool—it should be a centralized business platform that connects finance, project management, HR, business development, and marketing in one seamless environment. Here’s why:
- Business Development Needs Seamless CRM Integration
The challenge:
Winning new work requires a strategic, data-driven approach to business development—yet many AEC firms rely on outdated CRM systems disconnected from their ERP. This lack of integration results in:
- Limited visibility into pursuits and client relationships across the firm.
- Scattered data—business developers and seller/doers often manage contacts, leads, and proposals in Excel or standalone CRM systems that don’t sync with the ERP.
- Inefficient handoffs—when an opportunity converts into a project, critical client and pursuit details don’t seamlessly transfer to project managers.
- Missed revenue opportunities due to a lack of real-time insights on pipeline health, key pursuits, and go/no-go decisions.
The solution:
An ERP like aec360 integrates CRM directly into the business platform, ensuring a connected, firm-wide view of opportunities, relationships, and historical project data.
- Full CRM integration within Outlook and Teams allows business developers to track leads and client interactions without switching systems.
- AI-powered insights surface opportunities, identify potential risks, and streamline the go/no-go process.
- Seamless opportunity-to-project handoff ensures that once a pursuit is won, project teams have all the background information they need—no data loss, no extra work.
“With Dynamics 365, we have seen an increase in visibility and quality of our pipeline because of the continuity created between opportunities and projects.”
- Marketing Needs Access to Centralized Project & Firm Data
The challenge:
AEC marketing teams play a critical role in firm growth—but without access to real-time, structured project and firm data, they’re forced to rely on manual processes to pull together proposals, interview decks, project sheets, and other content. Common challenges include:
- Scattered project experience data—marketers must track down PMs or search across multiple databases for relevant project details.
- Proposal inefficiencies—teams waste time recreating resumes, project descriptions, and qualifications for each new proposal.
- Lack of visibility into client relationships and BD efforts, making it harder to tailor campaigns and content to key audiences.
The solution:
AEC marketers need an ERP that serves as a single source of truth—connecting project data, employee experience, and firm insights for streamlined content creation.
- Automated proposal generation—aec360 automatically pulls project sheets, resumes, and firm qualifications into templates, reducing manual work.
- Integrated marketing analytics—teams gain visibility into client engagement, win/loss trends, and campaign effectiveness, helping them refine outreach efforts.
- Easy access to historical project data—no more hunting for information; everything is centralized and searchable.
- Project Managers Need Real-Time Insights, Not Static Reports
The challenge:
Project managers are responsible for keeping projects on time and on budget, yet many ERP systems prioritize financial tracking over project execution. Without real-time access to project data, PMs struggle with:
- Outdated reports—waiting until month-end to get budget updates leads to reactivity rather than proactive management.
- Limited visibility into project risks—making it harder to catch issues before they escalate.
- Siloed communication—PMs lack direct integration with finance, HR, and BD, leading to misalignment between project needs and business priorities.
The solution:
A modern ERP like aec360 delivers live project data, AI-driven risk analysis, and seamless collaboration tools to help PMs stay ahead.
- Live dashboards track budgets, schedules, and resourcing in real time—giving PMs the ability to course-correct before issues arise.
- AI-driven project risk analysis identifies budget overruns, scheduling conflicts, and potential roadblocks—before they impact delivery.
- Microsoft Teams integration ensures that PMs can collaborate with finance, BD, and HR teams without leaving their workflow.
- HR & Resource Management Need More Than Just Payroll Features
The challenge:
AEC firms are only as strong as their workforce—yet many firms still manage HR operations in disconnected systems, making it difficult to:
- Track employee skills and certifications to staff projects effectively.
- Identify hiring needs proactively, leading to last-minute resourcing issues.
- Manage performance and retention, risking talent loss in a competitive job market.
The solution:
An ERP that connects HR, project teams, and finance ensures optimized workforce planning and talent management.
- Centralized employee profiles track skills, certifications, and experience—making it easy to assign the right people to the right projects.
- AI-powered workforce forecasting helps HR and leadership plan for hiring needs based on upcoming projects and capacity trends.
Is it time to rethink your ERP strategy?
Your ERP should be a firm-wide solution, not just an accounting tool. If it only serves finance, it’s time to rethink its role in driving business success.
Built specifically for AEC firms, aec360 connects finance, project management, HR, business development, and marketing into one seamless solution.
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