Published on November 14, 2024, in if.team cases
Hanna Pichkur
Copywriter, if.team
Oleh Frolov
CEO, if.team
In a world of rapidly evolving technology, 3D worlds may seem like a thing of the past. However, we continue to be amazed by the work of CG artists, 3D visualisers and designers who are able to create such realistic architectural objects that are not even in the project yet.
But as wondrous as architectural visualisation may be, it is still about the tangible – careful planning, clear organisation and well-coordinated teamwork. A modern ERP solution helps the artists and designers at the GENENSE CGI studio. Before a new 3D world is created, the manager creates a new project in the if.team system. Want to know what’s next? Then read about the digitisation and modern management of a CGI studio in our business case.
Niche: Architectural visualisation and 3D rendering
Company size: 9 people
Time of using if.team: 3 months
GENENSE is a studio that specialises in the 3D visualisation of architectural objects and interior design, or CGI (computer-generated imagery). In reality, however, the ‘computer-generated images’ are created by a talented team of designers, and these processes are managed by the studio’s project managers. It is they who strike the balance between creativity and control over all aspects of the project. Over the 4 years that the studio has been in operation, the number of clients and projects has grown and it has become increasingly difficult to keep track of progress, deadlines and budgets. That’s when the management team expanded their 3D toolset and added an ERP solution for effective project management.
For GENENSE, every project is a work of art that cannot be compromised. And we have to admit that the creative team had a lot of service requirements that are typical for the management of many CGI studios. However, by a happy coincidence, if.team actively works to meet the individual needs of user companies. And while the GENENSE designers embodied their clients’ ideas in three dimensions, the if.team development team successfully implemented 3 important functions.
Behind every project in the GENENSE wow portfolio is a titanic team effort: CG artists, designers, 3D modellers and video editors. And the quality of the final result, which is nothing less than wow, depends on how well the process is organised and how well everyone works together. The team achieves this effect using the shared if.team workspace, where you can assign and complete tasks: set priorities and deadlines, track time, progress and status, both in terms of the project and an individual iteration.
But for the CGI studio, the most important feature of the task management module is the real-time communication in comments: the ability to tag colleagues and reply to messages, share files and receive notifications about them: in a browser, email or messenger. As a result, the team has access to the latest information on the project at all times and from anywhere.
The file sharing function is key for a CGI studio, as it eliminates the need to search for project layouts in different places. 3D graphics files are usually very large, so the if.team has increased the system’s storage space for GENENSE. Designers can now share large files directly in task comments, not only with the team, but also with clients.
The process of creating high quality 3D visualizations involves many iterations, each of which requires client approval. As a result, the GENENSE team lacked a flexible project sharing management system to work efficiently. Thanks to if.team, the CGI studio was able to add clients to the ERP system quickly and easily.
It’s convenient that even with many clients, you only need to create a role once and configure the necessary access rights for them. This significantly saves time and allows you to assign roles with a ready-made set of permissions to access the system in one click, not only for clients but for any other involved parties.
For example, clients and stakeholders of the CGI studio GENENSE can not only track the progress of tasks and iterations, but also actively interact with the team in comments to provide timely feedback and approve 3D renderings at different stages of the project. The unified if.team workspace not only simplifies access to project information, but also facilitates the design approval cycle. Such communication between contractors and clients ensures a well-coordinated, transparent process and, inevitably, high quality results.
A task manager combined with if.team’s flexible access management increases a CGI studio’s competitiveness, team efficiency and customer loyalty. And in order to have more satisfied customers: from the first contact to the successful implementation of the project: it is important to manage leads properly.
GENENSE Studio makes full use of the if.team CRM module to turn leads into real CGI projects. Literally, because each lead card contains a magic button that turns it into a project with just one click.
This and other features of the system for effective lead management appeared thanks to the GENENSE team. Thanks to the studio’s detailed feedback, working with leads has become faster, more convenient and enjoyable. The Leads module helps to build customer loyalty at the stage of selling 3D rendering services, in particular.
The pleasure of working with GENENSE CGI Studio begins almost from the first point of contact between the team and a potential client. The if.team CRM module helps the team with this – an effective tool for working with leads, implemented with a focus on the studio’s needs. Quick creation of a lead card, order processing history in the comments, visualization of the customer journey in Kanban mode – all this optimizes the sales process and increases the loyalty of future customers in the long term.
The undoubted advantage of the if.team project management service is its financial tools, which provide comprehensive real-time cost control. As a CGI studio has a large portfolio of projects, if.team provides all the necessary solutions for tracking and forecasting budget costs at both project and company level.
The financial costs of service companies like GENENSE Studio are mostly related to salary payments to the project team. In if.team, they are calculated automatically based on time tracker data and employee rates, and together with other general expenses, they allow you to assess the project’s profitability and prevent cost overruns in time. The financial status of the project in general and its iterations in particular is clearly illustrated by the budget burn rate graph. Conveniently, as the scope of the current project increases, each new iteration automatically increases the overall budget.
With if.team, all the payments of a CGI studio are concentrated in the module of the same name, with different views hidden behind 4 tabs. This makes it easy for the company owner to analyse the finances on a single screen and easily switch between the most informative dashboards:
For the studio employees, there are 2 tabs of the financial module: ‘Transactions’ and ‘Salary’, where everyone can view personal data on incoming/outgoing payments and accruals/deductions, respectively.
Currently, data migration and adaptation to the new financial management system is ongoing. All this is to ensure that the implementation of the ERP solution goes smoothly for the team and without the slightest disruption to the CGI studio’s work. However, perfection does not tolerate any compromises, and that is why the if.team and GENENSE teams continue to work together to enhance the financial functionality of the system to meet the specific needs of the CGI business.
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