This month, we’re focused on a simple idea: leverage.
Not as a buzzword, but as a practical way of thinking about how firms get more value from what they already have — and when to bring in the right tools, resources, or expertise to unlock even more.
Across our blogs, social content, and virtual sessions, we’re exploring what it really looks like to turn information into insight — and insight into better decisions.
Let’s take a closer look at how that plays out in today’s blog.
Most firms have more data than ever before — but far fewer answers than they expected.
Between project metrics, financial reports, utilization dashboards, and CRM insights, ERP systems like Deltek Vantagepoint generate an incredible amount of operational data about how a firm runs.
And yet, many leadership teams still find themselves asking the same question:
Why isn’t this data translating into clearer decisions?
The difference between a system that simply stores information and one that drives business decisions often comes down to something far less technical: expertise.
Why Data Alone Doesn’t Drive Better Decisions
In today’s business environment, data is everywhere. Firms track project performance, monitor utilization, analyze revenue forecasts, and review financial metrics across multiple systems.
All of that information is valuable — but raw data alone rarely answers the most important questions.
- Why are certain projects trending off budget?
- Why does utilization fluctuate between teams?
- Why are we so successful in one geographical area versus another?
- Why do reports sometimes tell a different story than what project leaders are experiencing day to day?
Numbers can highlight patterns, but they don’t always explain the context behind them. That context often lives with the people who understand how projects, finances, and operations function inside the firm.
Without that perspective, even the most sophisticated reporting can fall short of driving meaningful action.
ERP Systems Are Powerful — But They Still Need Expertise
Modern ERP platforms are designed to bring together many of the operational components that drive project-based businesses. They connect project data, financial performance, resource planning, and reporting into a single system that helps firms understand how their business is running.
When configured well, systems like Deltek Vantagepoint can provide real-time visibility into budgets, staffing, profitability, and project performance — helping teams make faster and more informed decisions.
But technology alone rarely solves operational challenges.
Even the best systems still depend on people to:
- structure projects correctly
- interpret reporting trends
- configure workflows that reflect real processes
- translate data into insights leadership can act on
Many firms begin exploring ways to optimize how their Deltek Vantagepoint system supports their operations once they realize that the technology itself is only one piece of the equation.
In other words, systems generate data.
People generate understanding.
The Internal Expertise Many Firms Overlook
One of the most valuable resources many firms have is also the easiest to overlook: their internal experts.
These are the people who understand the nuances of how the firm operates.
The project manager who knows how scope shifts impact budgets over time.
The finance professional who understands the complexities of revenue timing and billing.
The marketing leader who sees how pipeline and project delivery intersect.
These individuals carry years of practical knowledge about how the business runs — knowledge that doesn’t always live inside a system.
When their expertise is incorporated into how systems are structured and used, data becomes more meaningful.
Reporting reflects reality more accurately. Processes begin to align more naturally with the way teams work.
But that only happens when those experts are included in system conversations.
Too often, systems are designed around software capabilities instead of the people who rely on them every day.
And that’s where leverage gets lost.
Real Leverage Happens When Systems and Expertise Work Together
At its core, leverage isn’t about adding more tools.
It’s about getting more value from the systems, processes, and knowledge that already exist inside the firm and then filling the holes with the appropriate resource.
When the right people are connected to the right systems, data becomes far more than numbers on a screen. It becomes a foundation for better conversations, clearer reporting, and stronger decisions.
For example, some firms are combining Deltek Vantagepoint data with tools like Power BI to make reporting more accessible across their organization. We’ll be touching briefly on this approach in an upcoming LinkedIn Live conversation with RTM Engineering Consultants, where their team will share how they built dashboards that engineers and leadership teams use.
Stories like this illustrate an important point: technology becomes far more powerful when it is designed around how people work.
How Outside Experts Help Firms Unlock More Value from Their Systems
Internal expertise is essential, but sometimes the fastest way to uncover opportunities inside a system is by bringing in an outside perspective.
External consultants bring something internal teams rarely have access to: pattern recognition across many firms.
They’ve seen how different organizations structure projects, manage billing workflows, design reporting frameworks, and configure systems to support their operations.
Because of that experience, they can often identify opportunities quickly — whether that means adjusting project structures, simplifying reporting, or helping teams take advantage of capabilities already available inside their ERP.
In many cases, the biggest improvements don’t come from implementing new software.
They come from unlocking more value from the technology a firm already owns.
A structured review — such as a Navigational Analysis — can help organizations evaluate how well their system configuration, data structure, and processes are working together.
Unlock More Value from Your System
If your firm has valuable data inside your ERP but struggles to translate it into meaningful insights, it may be time to bring a fresh perspective into the conversation.
Our team works with project-based firms every day to evaluate systems, align processes, and uncover opportunities to get more value from Deltek Vantagepoint.
Start a conversation with one of our consultants to explore where greater leverage might exist inside your system.
