The need for effective project management software is not a mystery, regardless of sector. The challenge for businesses comes in identifying the right tools for the job, and then implementing them effectively. 

With 77% of high performing projects using digital tools to enhance the business activity completion and 37% of project portfolio managers reporting that digital transformation is the biggest priority for their business in 2024, the incentive to implementing software, like Proteus, is clear. However, there is still a long way to go before technologies that can better enhance project performance are fully embraced.

With this in mind, Andrew Conway, chief technology officer at Xergy sat down to discuss how project management software is essential to safeguard ongoing levels of efficiencies and ensuring projects are secured, developed and executed successfully. Reflecting on his own experiences and his journey so far with the company, Andrew shares his understanding of the digital space and his enthusiasm for helping clients to help themselves.

Q: What led you to joining the team at Xergy?

When I was working in an advisory capacity prior to joining Xergy, I was lucky enough to develop cross-industry experience. In these roles I worked alongside multiple different companies and many different sectors, particularly the offshore and energy industries, supporting business to take projects to market and drive from a pilot programme to launch and subsequent delivery.

When Xergy first began developing its own project management software, Proteus, I was there from the very start, initially as a consultant but it was clear it had so much potential as a product that I joined the business in a leadership role to drive its development and direction.

Q: What excites you about the digital project management sector?

It can mean many things to different people. For example, one company might prioritise tendering for new activities if they have a high project turnover, others might be focused on ensuring they have the right people for the team, and some may need a different system for keeping track of their finances. 

No matter what element needs to be streamlined, Proteus can work alongside other systems, providing a flexible solution that is based on the client’s specific need. The software is data driven, utilising the information inputted into the platform to make decisions and track activities and resources, ensuring that projects are being delivered productively, saving time and money and improving a company’s overall bottom line.

In a recent project, with a client which delivers consultancy services for offshore renewables projects in the North Sea, Proteus delivered a 30% reduction in non-operational time.  Clearly, this time saving has a direct impact on project cost, delivering tangible results to activities that traditionally have smaller profit margins than traditional oil and gas activities. In this way, we are proud to support the next step in the energy industry and helping to support a sustainable and greener future. 

Q: What is the role of people within this digital space?

People are at the heart of digital innovations. It’s been a passion of mine, in previous roles and during my time at Xergy, to work closely with my team as well as external clients to provide a supportive and uplifting environment to improve workplace practices. From an internal standpoint, management of people has been an integral part of my career, working alongside many different individuals to achieve the best results for our customers.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with many people I have known from previous roles and, seeing them grow from graduates into their current positions within the team at Xergy. We’ve also been lucky to have benefitted from Scottish Enterprise funding which has allowed us to start developing the next generation of talent, allowing us to take on interns and build our in-house development team in Scotland. 

When it comes to project management software itself, identifying and improving pain points to help improve efficiencies for the business is one thing, but it’s also about improving the experience of a company’s people and making their lives easier. This can come in many forms, from ensuring a project is worthwhile bidding for, to choosing the right people to fulfil a task, to tracking time spent on activities. This allows teams to collaborate more efficiently across multiple areas of the business, which is shown to be the most significant challenge to successful project management.

Q: What’s on the horizon for the team at Xergy?

This has already been an exciting year for Xergy. We’ve recently opened new offices in Broughty Ferry, Scotland and Perth, Australia, to support clients in both countries but also our Dubai-based clients. We’ve nearly doubled our team to 34. In addition to supporting energy clients, we’re now operating in other industries such as engineering and mining. 

Another huge boost was our most recent finance raise, which has led to an additional £3.1 million of additional investment which will support our growth plans. 

On the technology front, like everyone else, we are hugely excited by the opportunities presented by AI. There’s no question it will significantly change the way companies will do business. The challenge is to remember that it’s a powerful tool, but it needs to be used in specific, practical ways that tap into its true value. 

AI is going to play an integral role in Proteus in a meaningful way. Like any feature in Proteus, if there isn’t a clear value or the end user we’re not going to take it to market. We’re working on areas surrounding the automatic generation of work breakdown structures, based on past projects and the subsequent planning and forecasting tasks. Further AI innovations are currently in development, speeding up some of the more repetitive, administrative activities such as proposal writing.”

Around half of project professionals already report that AI is having a positive impact on efficiency and project success. We are keen to develop further as our company continues to grow. By incorporating the latest technology developments into Proteus software, we ensure our customers have access to the best project management solutions for their needs and keep our fingers on the pulse for the next step in improving business performance.

About Proteus

Proteus 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. 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.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’s very 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: