Navigating Growth: How Candyspace Achieved Operational Excellence With Forecast

The Forecast team sat down with Nic Mendoza, Finance Director at Candyspace, to discuss the transformative impact of Forecast on Candyspace’s operations, highlighting the importance of choosing a solution that not only meets current needs but also supports future growth.

"Forecast has exceeded our expectations. The responsiveness of the Forecast team and their commitment to continuous improvement have been outstanding. We look forward to leveraging new features and capabilities as we continue to grow."

Who is Candyspace?

Candyspace is a business that designs, builds and optimizes digital products on behalf of a wide range of clients. With a team of 70-80 people, including the recent acquisition of Profound, an e-commerce specialist agency, Candyspace provides a range of services, including website and mobile app design and build, and conversion rate optimization. The agency's clients include major players in various industries, with a particular focus on companies where digital products are central to the business model.

Inefficiencies & Delays 

As Candyspace grew, it faced significant operational challenges that impeded its ability to deliver on its ambitious goals. The agency struggled with inefficient project management tools, which was cumbersome and lacked real-time reporting capabilities. This inefficiency manifested in several critical areas:

1. Reporting Delays: The finance team found it difficult to generate timely, accurate reports, often relying on manual processes like exporting CSVs and pivoting data. This slowed decision-making, which was particularly detrimental in a fast-paced digital environment.
2. Tool Engagement: The existing system was seen as an administrative burden by the team, leading to poor engagement. Employees were frustrated by the slow user experience, frequent technical issues (like the “spinning wheel of doom”), and the complexity of the tool, which made even simple tasks like scheduling or timesheeting a challenge.
3. Lack of Integration: The previous tool was not user-friendly, making it difficult for project managers to track project burn rates, leading to confusion and inefficiencies. The inability to integrate well with other systems also meant that critical data was often siloed, preventing a holistic view of project performance.

These challenges had far-reaching consequences, from delayed project delivery to reduced client satisfaction and, ultimately, a negative impact on the agency's profitability. Recognizing the need for a more robust, user-friendly, and integrated solution, Candyspace began the search for a new tool that could address these pain points and support its growth ambitions.

Why Forecast?

Candyspace identified Forecast as the ideal solution to its operational challenges after an extensive evaluation of several project management tools. The decision to choose Forecast was driven by three primary factors:

1. User Experience and Visual Appeal: Candyspace needed a tool that would be easy for all employees to use, from timesheeting to project management. Forecast's intuitive interface and seamless user experience were crucial in ensuring higher engagement and adoption across the organization.
2. Real-Time Reporting and Comprehensive Analytics: Forecast's ability to provide real-time data and robust analytics was a game-changer for Candyspace. This feature allowed the finance team to access up-to-date financial information, facilitating quicker and more informed decision-making. The tool’s capability to lock revenue and integrate with platforms like Sisense further enhanced its appeal, ensuring that financial data was both accurate and actionable.
3. Scheduling Functionality: The scheduling features within Forecast were particularly attractive to Candyspace. The tool’s ability to easily create and manage project schedules, with functionalities like drag-and-drop scheduling and real-time updates, was a significant improvement over their previous system. This allowed project managers to plan more effectively and allocate resources efficiently, reducing project delays and improving overall delivery.

Customization & Configuration

The implementation of Forecast at Candyspace was a well-structured and strategic process led by Nic. Given the scope and impact of the transition from the previous system to Forecast, it was crucial to ensure a smooth and seamless migration to avoid disrupting ongoing projects.

Forecast’s flexibility allowed Candyspace to tailor the system to their operational requirements. This customization process was critical for ensuring that the tool not only met the immediate needs of the agency but also supported future growth and complexity as the business expanded.

Key areas of customization included:

• Financial Reporting: Candyspace configured Forecast to support their specific financial reporting needs, including real-time revenue recognition, budget tracking, and margin analysis. The integration with Sisense was particularly valuable, providing enhanced analytical capabilities that were previously lacking.
• Project Management: The team set up Forecast’s project management functions to align with Candyspace’s workflow, focusing on improving scheduling efficiency and resource allocation. This included configuring the task-based project setup, which allowed project managers to enter tasks, assign resources, and monitor progress in real-time.
• User Interface: To drive engagement and adoption, the user interface was customized to simplify common tasks like timesheeting and scheduling. This included streamlining the timesheet entry process, reducing the number of clicks required to complete tasks, and ensuring that the interface was visually appealing and intuitive for all users.

Delivering Results for Clients

Since adopting Forecast, Candyspace has experienced significant improvements across multiple areas of its business. Some of the key results include:

1. Improved Financial Reporting: The finance team now has access to real-time data, enabling quicker and more accurate reporting. This has improved decision-making processes, allowing the company to respond more swiftly to financial and operational challenges.
2. Enhanced Project Management: Project managers now have a clearer understanding of project burn rates and resource allocation, thanks to Forecast’s comprehensive analytics and scheduling features. This has led to better project outcomes and increased client satisfaction.
3. Higher Employee Engagement: The user-friendly interface and reduced administrative burden have led to higher engagement with the tool. Employees no longer view project management as a chore, but rather as an integrated part of their workflow that helps them achieve better results.
4. Scalability: As Candyspace continues to grow, including through acquisitions, Forecast has proven to be a scalable solution. The tool’s ability to handle complex project structures and integrate multiple business units under one platform has been critical in supporting the company’s expansion.

"With Forecast, we’ve been able to transform how we manage our projects and financial reporting. The real-time data and user-friendly interface have made a significant difference in our day-to-day operations, allowing us to deliver better results for our clients."

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, Candyspace is poised for continued growth, with plans to acquire more businesses and expand its service offerings. Forecast will play a crucial role in this journey, providing the tools and insights needed to manage increasingly complex projects and business units.

Nic reflects on the future: "As we continue to grow and acquire new companies, Forecast will be instrumental in helping us integrate and manage these new entities. The tool’s scalability and flexibility give us confidence that we can handle the challenges that come with expansion."

The successful partnership between Forecast and Candyspace is a testament to the power of selecting the right tools to drive business success. With Forecast, Candyspace is well-equipped to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape, ensuring that they continue to build digital products loved by everyone.

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