When your business builds things, installs things and juggles multiple moving parts across teams, clients, suppliers and sites, a good project management system is your operational backbone. Yet, for many engineering and manufacturing firms to manage that complexity means patching together a mix of task boards, spreadsheets, timesheets and accounting tools. It works. Until it doesn’t.
You might be using Trello to track tasks. Maybe MS Project for the bigger picture. Your field teams might send updates via WhatsApp, while costing happens in Excel and billing in Sage. But if you’re honest, none of these tools are really talking to each other. There’s duplication, missed details, poor visibility and a massive overhead just to keep it all updated. If a project runs over budget or off-schedule, it often takes days to figure out why.
Good news. It doesn’t need to be this way.
When standalone tools cause project delays, or worse, failure
If you’re using separate tools for project planning, task allocation, time tracking, stock control and invoicing, you are likely facing the same frustrations many of QuickEasy's clients once did.
- Redundant data entry: Manual and redundant data capture takes time. And time is money. Not only is it extra work to capture information multiple times across systems, it exposes your team and your project to risk from human error.
- Gaps in visibility: You can’t see, in real-time, how project progress is affected by – and affects – people resources, stock levels, costing or timelines. If you can’t see it, you can’t manage it.
- Delayed decision-making: Waiting on reports from various departments often means you react to issues too late.
- No single source of truth: When systems don’t speak to each other, no one’s looking at the same data, or the same version of that data.
- Overspending and under delivering: When there are so many moving parts, and so little clarity, it follows that budgets are blown and deadlines are theoretical.
Tools like Trello are great for task management, but they’re not designed for production management. MS Project is powerful, but it doesn’t link to your inventory or accounting. These systems were built for narrow functions, not to manage complex engineering projects end to end.
The case for an integrated system
Your projects are complex. You need a tool that handles complexity without adding it. That’s why QuickEasy built QuickEasy BOS (Business Operating System) for manufacturing and engineering firms.
QuickEasy is one system that brings everything together. No more disparate systems. No duplicate or outdated data. No missed updates. Just a single, powerful platform that manages your entire operation from quote to final invoicing.
White paper: A Guide to Mastering Manufacturing ERP – A South African Perspective
The one system that does it all
Engineering companies need a single system that brings all operational data together into one streamlined approach. Here is how QuickEasy BOS does this effortlessly, so you can get on with the work that matters.
Managing multiple complex projects? QuickEasy simplifies the chaos. QuickEasy’s project management features allows you to schedule project phases, assign resources, link tasks to budgets, use checklists and approvals and monitor progress in real-time.
Link Gantt charts and timelines to visualise dependencies, spot bottlenecks and keep projects on track. And because it’s fully integrated with costing, inventory and production, you’re never blindsided by a materials shortfall or overspend.
Get granular with your task tracking. Assign tasks to individuals or teams, link them to specific work orders and define priorities and due dates.
Unlike standalone tools like Trello, QuickEasy links tasks directly to your production jobs, inventory and service tickets. That means less admin, fewer silos and better execution.
Time tracking for remote and on-site teams
Your technicians, production staff and project managers can track time per task, per project or per work order, whether they’re in the office, on the shop floor or on-site.
Touch screen and bar code scanning make timekeeping easy. Time entries automatically feed into job costing, ensuring team costs are always accounted for and no time goes missing. You can even log operator efficiency and view performance analytics across teams.
Engineering companies that manufacture or assemble benefit hugely from QuickEasy's fully integrated production module. You can create detailed routing sheets, manage production runs, schedule jobs using Kanban or Gantt views, and allocate machines and operators.
Real-time tracking means you always know the status of a job, where it’s stuck and what it’s costing. Built-in non-conformance reporting such as ISO compliance, NCR and root cause analysis helps you maintain quality without the extra paperwork.
Your stock system shouldn’t lag behind your operations. QuickEasy’s built-in inventory features gives you live insight into stock levels, bin locations, batch numbers and serialised items across all warehouses and sites.
Reorder points trigger procurement actions automatically. When field teams consume stock during an installation or repair, they log it directly in the system; no spreadsheets, no stock-outs, no manual capture.
Costing and estimating
Accurate estimates are crucial for margins. With QuickEasy, you can build itemised, professional quotes that include material costs, labour, overheads and markups. You can also copy and tweak past estimates to speed up quoting.
As the job progresses, actuals feed in from production, stock usage and time tracking, so you can track profitability in real-time and make adjustments before it’s too late. QuickEasy’s fully stacked Costing Module allows you to see estimated versus actual costings, multilevel analysis, costing feedback loops, batch and job cost tracking, detailed historical records and more.
Field service for installations and repairs
The Service Manager Module lets you assign technicians, schedule callouts and maintain a full service history for every client or job. You can track travel time against a job assigned to an operator, get digital signatures and automatically update back to the system.
Additionally, you can make notes on a job and take pictures that will attach to your original Service Manager ticket. Plus, while on site, you can see stock levels and scan items to do a stocktake using your phone. And, because everything is connected, service data updates inventory, billing and costing automatically, which cuts admin time and reduces mistakes.
Automated reporting and data insights
Forget manually compiling reports. QuickEasy gives you real-time dashboards across production, projects, costs and performance. You can automate daily, weekly or monthly reports for key decision-makers, and drill down into detail with a click.
Want to know which jobs are behind schedule, which items are over budget or how efficient your operators are? It’s all at your fingertips.
Built-in full-stack financials
You shouldn’t need to jump between ERP and accounting software. QuickEasy includes full financial functionality: raise POs, manage suppliers, track payments, invoice partially or in full and handle project-based billing, and so much more.
Financials are tied directly to project and job data, so you always have a clear, auditable trail, from quote to invoice to payment.
The clear advantage of one system
When everything is in one place, you get full control.
No message or task gets lost, no more jumping between apps. Your data is accurate, up to date and consistent. Your managers can spot issues early. Your clients get better service. And your business becomes more efficient, more profitable and easier to run.
You don’t need to add more tools to your stack. You need one system that replaces the stack.
Business software built for engineering, built for South Africa
QuickEasy isn’t a generic ERP built overseas for someone else’s business model. The company has developed its system locally with South African manufacturers, fabricators and service companies in mind.
QuickEasy understands your costing pressures, your client expectations, your compliance requirements and your deadlines. If your business is building, installing or maintaining anything complex, QuickEasy BOS is the only system you’ll ever need.
If you're ready to stop managing your business with disconnected tools and start driving growth with one smart, fully integrated system, QuickEasy is ready to help. Chat to the company today about how QuickEasy can simplify your operations and take your projects from chaos to control.
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