About the company
- DGA Group
- Industry: Global advisory firm
- Employees: 380
- Location: Washington DC, with 12 offices globally
Before and After Scoro
Before Scoro, DGA was using a range of systems to run its daily operations:
- Deltek Maconomy for project management, time tracking, and accounting (within EU)
- Spreadsheets for expenses and reporting
- Quickbooks for accounting (within US)
This meant that project management, reporting, and billing were done in different systems, which led to scattered data and inefficient processes.
In 2023, DGA decided to transition to Scoro to optimize their processes. In a nutshell, this is what they were able to achieve:
| Before | After | |
| Time tracking | Time tracking was inconsistent and clunky, with some teams not tracking time at all. Outdated systems were frustrating to use, and required manual reconciliation for reporting. | Scoro’s user-friendly interface makes time tracking easy and accessible on any device. Teams now track time consistently, improving utilization insights and resource management. |
| Invoicing | Invoicing relied on manual processes, including downloading reports, calculating billing amounts in Excel, and inputting data into separate systems. This was slow and error-prone. | Scoro automates invoicing which can be generated in a few clicks, based on time entries and pre-saved billing rates. Invoicing now takes two days instead of over a week for the entire organization. |
| Reporting | Reporting was manual, spreadsheet-based, and slow. By the time reports were finalized, they were often outdated, making it hard to get an accurate view of performance. | Data within Scoro feeds into real-time dashboards, allowing fast and accurate reports. Monthly reporting for the group is 4 weeks faster, allowing better insights and improved decision making. |
Tech Stack & Processes
Before: Disconnected tools led to siloed data & inefficiencies across the group
Each of DGA’s business units operated on separate systems, including QuickBooks in the U.S. and Deltek Maconomy in Europe. Spreadsheets were used to manage expenses, reporting, and time tracking. The tool stack was outdated, disconnected, and cumbersome to use, leading to bottlenecks. Employees often relied on others to access information, causing frustration and delays.
It was difficult to pull together data for group-level reporting. Systems weren’t integrated, staff were unhappy, and processes felt clunky and inefficient.
After: A single source of truth thanks to native integrations with Scoro
DGA implemented a unified tech stack consisting of Scoro for practice management, Expensify for expense management, Sage Intacct for accounting, and Power BI for advanced reporting. Scoro became the central hub, integrating seamlessly with other systems to create a single source of truth. This eliminated manual data transfers, and allowed global access to data on any device.
With Scoro, DGA can now manage the entire end-to-end project lifecycle within a single platform. From capturing a lead, turning it into an opportunity or quote, and converting this to a project. Teams can keep track of project progress, send invoices straight from Scoro, and ensure payment. Once all invoicing is complete and project work is done, projects can be closed efficiently within the system. This ensures nothing is missed and every stage of the lifecycle is accounted for.
Scoro integrates natively with our other tools, bringing all of our data into one flow. It’s now consistent, accessible globally, and provides a single source of truth.
Time Tracking
Before: An inconsistent and frustrating process
Time tracking was a challenge across the board. Different teams were using different systems—some weren’t tracking time at all—while others struggled with outdated, cumbersome tools. Generating reports required help from the finance team, leading to delays and frustration.
Nobody was keen on logging time because the tools were so clunky and manual. Some business units didn’t even track time at all.
After: Simplified time-tracking and better resource management
Scoro has streamlined time tracking with its intuitive, user-friendly interface. Employees can now log time effortlessly on any device, whether it’s their phone during a commute or their laptop at work. Time tracking data feeds directly into live project and utilization reports, offering real-time insights and improving resource management.
For DGA, Scoro has made tracking staff utilization more effective. When teams request additional hires, management can now review utilization rates to determine if existing resources can be optimized or if expanding the team is necessary.
With Scoro, there’s no excuse not to log time. It’s easy, accessible on any device, and allows us to track staff utilization and project progress in real-time.
Invoicing
Before: A slow, manual and error-prone process
Invoicing was a manual and time-intensive process. Finance had to download time reports from one system, take billing rates from elsewhere, and complete manual calculations in excel. Invoices would finally be created in QuickBooks or Maconomy before sending to the client. This process was error-prone and took over a week each month to complete.
After: An efficient and reliable process completed in just a few days
With Scoro, invoicing has become streamlined and accurate. Invoices can be generated in a few clicks, based on time entries and pre-saved billing rates. The engagement letter and contract details are stored in Scoro, making it easy to check terms and verify compliance. Now, invoicing can be completed within days, even for DGA’s 150–200 engagements worldwide.
Invoicing became a two-day process. Time entries flow directly into invoices, and billing rates are saved within Scoro, making the process faster and more accurate.
Reporting
Before: Outdated and inaccurate reporting
Reporting was a slow and manual process, heavily dependent on Excel. Each entity submitted its own spreadsheets, which had to be consolidated at the group level. By the time reports were finished, the data was often outdated, making it hard to get an accurate view of performance.
After: Reporting cut by 4 weeks, and live dashboards for instant insight
Live data feeds into dashboards, giving leadership real-time insights into project performance, utilization, and profitability. Partners and senior consultants can easily see how their business is operating on a day-to-day basis. The finance team’s group-level reporting now takes just two weeks instead of six, giving them more time to focus on strategic, high-impact work.
The board has commented that reporting is a thousand times better now. We can deliver accurate, timely reports and focus on driving business growth.
Project Profitability
Before: Over-servicing was common and difficult to manage
Tracking project profitability was infrequent and mostly done manually. Teams had to reconcile timesheets with budgets using Excel, which was both time-consuming and prone to errors. Over-servicing clients happened often but was hard to address because the data wasn’t readily available.
After: Better control over projects and profit margins
Scoro enables real-time project profitability tracking. Teams can monitor progress daily, compare actuals to budgets, and adjust as needed. These insights have improved client communication, pricing accuracy, and overall project management.
Now, we can have meaningful conversations with clients about scope changes and adjust pricing based on accurate data.
User Interface
Before: Clunky and outdated tools
DGA’s previous tools, like Deltek Maconomy, had an outdated, clunky interface that was frustrating to use. Employees often struggled to complete basic tasks, which made the tools feel like more of a burden. Accessing data or navigating the system was time-consuming and discouraged people from fully adopting the platform.
After: Scoro’s user-friendly interface makes adoption simple
Scoro’s modern, easy-to-use interface has been a game-changer for DGA. The platform is clean, intuitive, and makes tasks like logging time or accessing reports quick and straightforward.
Scoro’s interface is intuitive and logical. It looks modern, and people are happy to spend time in the system.
Implementation and Training
Approach:
DGA engaged external system experts to guide the selection, implementation, and training process. They conducted pre-launch and post-launch training, and created handbooks for new starters. DGA also hired a finance systems manager for the day-to-day maintenance of their systems as well as ongoing system improvements.
Training and communication were essential. Before going live, we focused on ensuring everyone understood the system. Afterward, we kept up with regular training and updates to maintain and refresh knowledge.
Timeline:
- March 2023: Engaged consultants
- June 2023: Selected platforms
- August 2023: Implementation with Scoro began
This took just 4 months to onboard 6 entities across Europe - November 2023: Launched Scoro in Europe
The rollout to North America followed in December, using feedback from the European launch to streamline the process. It took just 4 months to onboard the European team and by late 2023 all entities and 380 employees were operating in Scoro.
We needed something that was ready to go out of the box, just plug and play. Since we didn’t need to build customizations in Scoro, that helped get it done in seven months, end to end.
Ongoing Support
DGA has been really impressed with Scoro’s ongoing support. Luis shared how responsive the support team is, quickly addressing any questions or issues to keep things running smoothly. Their attentiveness has been key to helping DGA get the most out of the platform.
Scoro’s support team is amazing. They respond to emails and queries in no time and are always keen to make sure we’re comfortable using the system.
In addition, DGA benefits from a dedicated account manager who checks in regularly to gather feedback and offer suggestions for improvement. Acting as a direct link to Scoro’s product team, the account manager ensures that DGA’s input is heard and considered in future updates.
We have a dedicated account manager who meets with us every month. They listen to our feedback and make sure it gets passed on to the product team, which is fantastic.
This combination of fast support and personalized guidance helps DGA adapt and grow.
