Overview
Explore how Synexc designed and implemented a real-time project margin and risk intelligence system for a Europe-based environmental and geological consulting firm.
Why It Matters for Other Businesses
In most project-based teams, costs, effort, and revenue sit in different places, so true margins aren’t clear while work is ongoing. A unified system helps teams spot issues early and stay in control as projects progress.
How Synexc Helped
Synexc built a unified project intelligence system by restructuring CRM architecture, embedding financial logic into project execution, and implementing a real-time analytics layer across the Zoho ecosystem.
Key Improvements
- 38% improvement in project-level financial visibility
- 100% automated margin and cost tracking across active projects
- 45% faster identification of at-risk projects through real-time indicators
About The Client
Our client is a Europe-based environmental and geological consulting firm operating across two primary departments of Geology and Environmental.
With a team of 50–80 employees, the organization manages over 70 active projects simultaneously, delivering specialized consulting services.
Challenges Faced
Challenge 1: Lack of Real-Time Financial Visibility
Project revenue was tracked in Zoho CRM, while execution data existed in Zoho Projects, with no unified view of profitability.
Challenge 2: One Deal to Multiple Project Mismatch
A single deal often translated into multiple deliverables, but the system supported only one project per deal, leading to inaccurate tracking and duplication risks.
Challenge 3: Manual Cost and Margin Tracking
Project costs, margins, and payment status were tracked manually, increasing dependency on spreadsheets and delaying financial insights.
Challenge 4: No Early Risk Detection Mechanism
There was no system to identify projects that were exceeding budget or falling behind schedule in real time.
Challenge 5: Inconsistent Data Formats
Time entries, cost values, and currency formats were not standardized, making accurate financial calculations difficult.
Solutions Offered
- Restructuring Deal-to-Project Architecture
We introduced a custom Work Package layer within Zoho CRM to bridge the gap between deals and execution. This enabled
- a single deal to generate multiple projects in Zoho Projects, each aligned to specific deliverables and templates,
- ensuring accurate financial mapping and eliminating duplication.
- Building a Financial Data Layer Inside Projects
We embedded financial fields directly within Zoho Projects, including revenue, commissions, bonuses, and external costs.
- Time tracking was leveraged as a cost driver, converting logged hours into actual project cost, enabling continuous cost accumulation during execution.
- Centralized Data Modeling in Analytics
We implemented a relational data model inside Zoho Analytics using SQL query tables.
Projects, tasks, and users were joined to create a unified dataset capable of calculating total cost, margin, and execution performance in real time.
- Real-Time Margin & Risk Intelligence Logic
We developed dynamic calculations to continuously evaluate project margins and execution deviations.
- Projects were categorized into financial and execution health states using threshold-based logic, enabling immediate identification of at-risk projects.
- A manual override option was included for managerial control.
- Executive Dashboard & Portfolio Control
We designed a centralized dashboard providing visibility into total projects, revenue, margins, and risk indicators.
- Filtering by department, project owner, and status enabled leadership to monitor performance across the entire portfolio and drill down into individual projects when required.
Tools Used
- Zoho CRM
- Zoho Projects
- Zoho Analytics
- Zoho Flow
- Deluge
- SQL Query Tables
Results
- Real-time visibility into financial and execution health
- Automated identification of at-risk projects using financial and execution indicators
- Elimination of manual tracking for cost, margin, and payment status
- Improved decision-making through a unified portfolio dashboard
- Scalable system supporting multiple projects per deal without duplication
Client Testimonial
“We can now spot when a project is going off track much earlier than before.
That alone has helped us avoid bigger issues later.”
Mario, Environmental Consulting Firm
About Synexc
Synexc is a new-age IT consulting company specializing in CRM implementation, custom development, system integration, and AI-powered solutions. With clients across the US, Europe, and APAC, we are fast emerging as a global hub for delivering scalable, secure, and business-aligned custom solutions tailored to industry-specific needs.