Engineering company streamlines new project setup with UiPath and Power Automate

Client background

The client is an engineering company that operates nationally.

The business challenge

The engineering company needed to streamline its new project setup process to reduce administrative time for project managers and enhance overall efficiency. The new project setup process involved several critical steps that were traditionally manual, time-consuming and prone to errors. Baker Tilly’s solution focused on automating these steps, leveraging UiPath's Document Understanding (DU) and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) / Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) technology.

The engineering company faced several challenges in its new project setup process:

• Administrative burden: Project managers spent an excessive amount of time on administrative tasks such as creating new projects, capturing contract details and developing project and staff plans.
• Manual data entry: The process involved manual entry of project details into various systems, which was not only time-consuming, but also prone to human errors.
• Coordination and communication: There was a lack of consistent and effective communication and coordination among project managers, affecting the performance and success of projects.
• Data quality issues: The manual process led to inconsistencies in data—impacting the quality of reporting, resource planning, financial forecasting and overall business intelligence.
• Inconsistent planning: Project planning practices varied across different offices, leading to inefficiencies and lack of standardization.

Strategy and solution

To address these challenges, Baker Tilly implemented a tailored automation solution utilizing UiPath's DU and OCR/ICR technology. The solution included:

• Automated data extraction: The bot automatically extracted data from SharePoint headers and attached Excel files, eliminating the need for manual data entry.
• Custom input tool for project managers: A personalized, user-friendly tool was developed to guide project managers through the various stages of project planning, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
• Approval workflow: The tool was integrated with an approval workflow using Microsoft Power Automate, streamlining the approval process and reducing delays.

The implementation of the automated new project setup process delivered significant results for the company:

• Time savings: The automation saved an estimated 20 hours per week per project manager, resulting in annual savings of over $200,000.
• Enhanced project planning: The solution improved project planning accuracy, reduced project losses and ensured better alignment with organizational goals.
• Focus on strategic initiatives: By automating routine tasks, the company enabled its staff to focus on higher-value activities, driving strategic initiatives and overall business growth.

The engineering company successfully leveraged UiPath's advanced automation technologies to revolutionize their new project setup process; delivering substantial time savings, improved data accuracy and enhanced project coordination.