In the energy and engineering sectors, winning and delivering project work is complex, high-stakes, and often under intense pressure. From securing contracts to managing project delivery, leaders face a constant challenge: how to streamline the entire project lifecycle while improving efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring profitability.
The right project management software for energy and engineering can be a game-changer. A well-integrated solution can help you manage bids, track project progress, allocate resources effectively, and ensure financial control—all while providing real-time visibility into performance. But the wrong choice can lead to costly delays, scope creep, budget overruns, and frustrated teams.
We’ve seen firsthand how companies in the energy and engineering sectors transform their project performance using Proteus. By providing a single platform to manage the full project lifecycle—from bidding to delivery—Proteus helps companies improve margins, reduce inefficiencies, and increase win rates.
Here are five of the most common mistakes senior leaders make when selecting software to manage project work—and how to avoid them.
1. Failing to Define Clear Business Objectives for Project Success
Too often, project management software is selected based on generic requirements or competitor adoption rather than a clear understanding of how it will support the project lifecycle from bid to delivery.
The Problem:
- Energy and engineering companies operate under complex contract structures, tight margins, and strict compliance requirements.
- Without clear goals—such as reducing bid cycle times by 20% or improving project margins by 15%—leaders risk choosing a tool that doesn’t address the specific challenges of managing complex project work.
- Lack of strategic alignment leads to software that improves reporting but fails to drive actual project performance improvements.
How to Avoid It:
- Define key performance indicators (KPIs) tied to both the bid phase (e.g., win rate, time-to-bid) and the delivery phase (e.g., margin improvement, project completion rates).
- Engage stakeholders from business development, project management, and finance to align requirements across the full project lifecycle.
- Select software based on its ability to handle both the front-end (bidding) and back-end (execution) phases of projects.
According to McKinsey, companies that define business outcomes before adopting project management software are 1.5 times more likely to achieve positive ROI.
2. Overlooking User Experience and Adoption Across Teams
Even the most powerful project management software is useless if teams don’t adopt it or can’t use it effectively.
The Problem:
- Winning project work involves different teams (sales, estimating, business development), and delivering work involves another set (engineering, procurement, operations, finance).
- If the software is designed only for finance managers—or only for the bid team—it creates friction and information gaps.
- Poor user experience leads to workarounds, misaligned data, and inconsistent project reporting.
How to Avoid It:
- Include team members from business development, project management, and operation teams in the software selection process.
- Test the software’s interface and workflow from both the bidding and delivery perspectives.
- Choose a solution with an intuitive user interface that is easy to use.
With Proteus, teams across the project lifecycle—from business development to engineering—work from the same intuitive platform. This reduces handover friction and ensures consistent, accurate data flow across teams. Companies using Proteus report a 30% increase in operational efficiency due to improved user adoption and streamlined workflows.
PwC reports that companies with high user adoption of project management software see a 30% improvement in project delivery efficiency.
3. Ignoring Integration with Existing Systems and Data Sources
Project work in the energy and engineering sectors relies on a complex ecosystem of tools—CRM, ERP, financial platforms, and operational systems.
The Problem:
- Many project management tools operate in isolation, creating data silos.
- Lack of integration between sales pipelines, project tracking, and financial reporting makes it difficult to measure profitability and identify project risks in real-time.
- Manual data entry between disconnected systems introduces errors and delays.
How to Avoid It:
- Conduct a full system audit before selecting new software.
- Look for software with open APIs and built-in connectors for platforms like Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics.
- Prioritize real-time data flow across business development, project execution, and financial reporting.
Proteus integrates seamlessly with major CRMs, ERPs, and financial platforms—eliminating data silos and ensuring a single source of truth across the business. Clients have reported a 20% reduction in administrative overhead after switching to Proteus due to improved data flow and automation.
According to a Gartner study, poor software integration increases project costs by up to 30% and extends timelines by 25%.
4. Underestimating the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
The true cost of project management software goes far beyond licensing fees—it includes implementation, training, customisation, and ongoing support.
The Problem:
- Many vendors promote low upfront costs but impose high fees for customisation, training, and system integration.
- Scaling the software to accommodate new projects or business units often triggers hidden costs.
- Insufficient budget planning leads to project delays and underperformance.
How to Avoid It:
- Create a detailed TCO model that includes licensing, implementation, training, maintenance, and support costs.
- Ensure scalability costs are transparent—what happens when you add new users, new project types, or new regions?
- Choose a solution with flexible licensing and predictable cost structures.
Forrester research shows that 53% of software implementation failures are due to underestimated total costs.
5. Choosing Based on Vendor Promises Instead of Proven Performance
It’s easy to be sold on big promises—but without real-world proof, you’re gambling with your project success.
The Problem:
- Vendors often overpromise and underdeliver on integration, scalability, and performance.
- Without evidence of successful deployments in energy and engineering consultancy environments, leaders risk discovering compatibility issues after go-live.
- Over-reliance on demos rather than actual case studies leads to misaligned expectations.
How to Avoid It:
- Ask for case studies and references from companies in the energy and engineering sectors.
- Require a proof of concept or pilot to test the software with real project data.
- Evaluate vendor performance based on measurable outcomes (e.g., improved win rates, reduced project delivery times).
Companies using Proteus have reported:
15% increase in win rates due to improved bid tracking and accuracy.
20% reduction in project delivery times through better resource management.
Greater profitability thanks to real-time financial tracking and margin control.
Deloitte found that companies selecting project management software based on proven performance rather than vendor promises experience 25% higher success rates.
How to Get It Right
Choosing the right project management software for energy and engineering requires more than just a feature comparison—it demands alignment with your project lifecycle, from business development to project execution. The right solution should:
✔️ Improve win rates and reduce time-to-bid.
✔️ Streamline project tracking and financial reporting.
✔️ Integrate with existing CRM, ERP, and financial platforms.
✔️ Offer real-time data visibility across the entire project lifecycle.
✔️ Provide a seamless user experience for both office and field teams.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is the best project management software for energy companies?
A: The best project management software for energy companies should support bid management, resource allocation, and real-time tracking, with strong integration capabilities.
Q: How can project management software improve profitability in engineering projects?
A: By providing real-time visibility into costs, resource allocation, and project progress, project management software helps prevent overruns and improves decision-making, ultimately increasing profitability.
Q: What features should CEOs look for in project management software for energy projects?
A: CEOs should prioritise bid management, real-time reporting, financial integration, scalability, and user-friendly interfaces to maximise ROI.
🚀 The Bottom Line:
In energy and engineering, project management software isn’t just a tool—it’s the backbone of how you win and deliver work. The wrong choice can lead to project overruns, budget blowouts, and lost opportunities. But by defining clear business objectives, focusing on user experience, ensuring seamless integration, planning for full costs, and selecting based on proven performance, you can set your business up for long-term success.
👉 If you’re considering new project management software and want to avoid these common pitfalls, let’s talk. Success starts with the right strategy—let’s build it together.
About Proteus
Proteus developed by a Scottish-based tech company, Xergy Group, is an end-to-end project management solution developed for the energy and engineering consulting industries.
Proteus is industry-proven and enables consultancies to meet project demands across the full lifecycle, from proposal development to project delivery. With robust sales and project delivery modules, Proteus helps its customers win more business, increase efficiencies, manage expenditures, and improve project controls.
Critical workflows, automation, and controls are integrated into Proteus. These include opportunity evaluation, proposal building, resource planning, budget tracking and forecasting, real-time multi-level restricted dashboards, and project performance analytics.
Third-party integrations and customised solutions allow Proteus’ users, which include C-suite, project leads, and engineers, to get the exact software solution needed for their business.
We offer a free onboarding consultation service to ensure your company account is set up to your company’s needs.
How to get Proteus
Proteus operates under a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. We offer Enterprise packages and flexible pricing solutions: contact our team to learn more requests@xergy.com
We designed Proteus to be simple, and that means you can get up and running on Proteus without an IT team or support from a programmer. You will want to spend a bit of time configuring the admin console so that you have everything set up to suit your company structure, but it is intuitive and you don’t need a PhD in IT.
However, we want you to get the best out of what is a brilliantly powerful tool, so don’t hesitate to ask for our support. We have a team of product experts who are ready to help you with the configuration process, so get in touch today by filling out the form below:
