Maestro Technologies - Intelligent management software for the construction industry.

A new generation of management solutions

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Read short version

Domenic Mattina and Henriette van den Wildenberg give us some examples of their experience with maestro*.

How has Mattina Mechanical Limited evolved over the years?

D.M.: Our father founded the company 30 years ago and in 2000, my two brothers and I took over. Though each of us has a distinct role within the company that complements our individual strengths, we are ultimately working towards the same goal. In the last few years, we have experienced rapid growth and have expanded across a large part of Canada. We are about 60 people now including our temporary help. We have employees from around the world including the United Kingdom, Serbia and Ireland. All of them are licensed plumbers in their respective countries. Investing in our people is important to us and we work with our personnel to gain Canadian certifications.

How were you managing prior to maestro*?

D.M.: Before maestro*, we were using an inexpensive software called MYOB for a number of years. It was good enough for the amount of revenue that the company was doing at that time, but when we started growing, our Accountants told us that we needed a better system - and more people. That’s when we turned to maestro*. We came across Maestro through their membership with the Mechanical Contractors Association, and after checking references Maestro was added to our short list of vendors to review. After thorough analysis, Maestro came in first followed by Timberline and Jonas, and we went with the maestro* software. One of the main things that I liked about maestro* was its power; but I found its real superiority was in its flexibility and customization, as we didn’t know what our future requirements would be. We found Timberline to be too rigid.

Were there any other criteria or requirements that you were searching for in your software?

D.M.: Since you are dependent on the technology provider you choose, the size of the company did matter. Maestro has become a sizable company, enough to stay stable for the long term.

What was the process of implementing maestro* into your company?

D.M.: At the time, I hired a certified general accountant to help me with the development. Our main focus for the first year was the accounting process: payroll, accounts receivable and payable. From there we developed all the other aspects that maestro* had to offer. We bought the whole package with the intent to grow into it. Job costing started with the basics, but we now use equal job costing, project management and progress billing. We became functional at a very basic level in a very short period of two months. From there, we focused on where we wanted to go with the system and gradually implemented it. Due to the flexibility of the system, we were able to implement on two levels at the same time; a rapid and basic functional implementation and a more complex, long-term approach, which allowed us to develop the system exactly the way we wanted. And we are still evolving because we constantly need more details and information.

Is there something specific where maestro* helped you solve a problem that you encountered prior to maestro*?

D.M.: With maestro* we can determine at any time where we stand financially on any job. This makes project management much easier. We can work with our project managers and focus on the facts related to where things are going well and where we need improvement on each project. This allows us to learn from our short comings and capitalize on our successes.

Does maestro* help you be more conscious of where and when you make more money and/or where you lose money and help to make the corrections?

D.M.: With maestro*, you can enter all activity into the job costing even before the accounting process. You have a chance to look ahead and see what’s coming. With most of the other systems, all the information is pushed through the accounting program. By the time you get to job cost reporting it is too late to react. You can only find out what happened afterward, so it’s impossible to be proactive.

What impact has the implementation of maestro* had on your team at the human resource level?

D.M.: There are 9 fulltime users and 4 of them with specific privileges. Maestro* allows us to see factual numbers and to be very exact in our meetings with our project managers. We can show them how their project is doing and focus on the positive or negative details. Showing the numbers, as maestro* allows us to do, gives more structure and detail. It permits a more constructive relationship with our team.

Has having the tools to focus on details of projects been an important factor on positive end results for the company?

D.M.: The fact that we can see an individual’s performance in a clear picture over the years gives us the possibility to react and make the necessary corrections when a situation appears to be going awry. It is easier to correct when you can show the facts. It makes the decision less personal or emotional. The system also makes it easier to reward the individuals who are putting in a true effort. People know that when they do something good it will show, because they know that with maestro* we can always figure out who is doing well. This is a very motivating factor, because everybody wants to know how they’ve done at the end of a job. We can get these results quickly with maestro*.

Did Maestro* help you to uncover issues that you were not aware of, including future expansion or to exploit a more profitable area of the business?

D.M.: In reporting, any information that you can extract in detail is very helpful. There are always new and better ways that we can get our information from maestro*, and I think there is still a lot more that we will be able to do. The project reports that I can get with maestro* are limitless and they give me a big picture of what is profitable for the company. It makes a huge difference in decision making when we know what kind of projects are profitable, and it helps in getting to know our customers, too; like at what stage of the project a client is more active or how well they thought the project was going from the beginning.

Did you put a cost frame on your investment with maestro*?

D.M.: Seeing what maestro* has done for us, the investment has largely paid for itself. It’s priceless. Good management is worth it. The software allows you to save money by bringing to light issues so that you may react accordingly, which helps you to be more competitive and keep your costs down. What recommendations would you make to other companies regarding the selection criteria of management software? Take your time, do not rush. Define your needs. Investigate what solutions are available. Ask around, you might be surprised by the first hand comments that your business partner or supplier might tell you. Check references. It’s also very important to plan the implementation. You need to know what you want to feed the system and because maestro* is so flexible, you want to be sure you set it up correctly. Think about what you want to get out of the system and work your way back to the source.

What recommendations would you make to other companies regarding the implementation of maestro*?

D.M.: Hire the right people; give them the time to get things done properly. Make sure that you have your own dedicated resource in-house. It’s your implementation project so you want to make sure that you’re in control of the direction and the resources.