Hawkins\Brown Creates a Single Source of Truth Across Projects and Teams

Hawkins\Brown uses Milient's Project Flow, previously known as Rapport3.

Hawkins\Brown joined Milient in 2019, introducing Project Flow modules to their award-winning architectural practice. They were looking to refine the way project information was managed and accessed, bringing everything into one central system so teams could quickly view comprehensive project overviews.

As Alastair Roberts, COO, explains, their existing systems were fragmented and no longer fit for purpose: “We had another system in place which wasn’t working for us - it wasn’t fit for purpose. Along with needing to replace this existing system, we also saw the opportunity to get more aspects of project management into one system. Previously, we had fee forecasting in Excel, resourcing in unconnected spreadsheets, and project planning and QA in separate Word documents. What we were looking for was to have the project as the central logic, with all the relevant information available in one place.”

Choosing Milient

Hawkins\Brown approached the selection process with careful due diligence, researching available systems and speaking with other practices already using Project Flow.

Their spokesperson explained that strong recommendations, competitive pricing and developing a “great rapport” with the Milient team were key factors in their decision to move forward.

Benefits of Milient

Hawkins\Brown implemented Project Costing and Contacts (CRM), alongside integrations with Access Dimensions, Newforma and OpenAsset. This combination allowed them to bring multiple disconnected processes into one coherent system.

Given the collaborative nature of their projects — often involving large networks of consultants, authorities, specialists and contractors — having accurate, accessible data was essential. Project Flow’s CRM provided a more comprehensive solution than their previous system, enabling them to manage a growing volume of contacts and relationships more effectively.

The Project Costing module has been central to managing budgets, resources and quality across projects, while the QA functionality supports Hawkins\Brown’s high standards and commitment to quality delivery. Integration with Access Dimensions ensures financial data remains accurate and consistent across systems.

Reflecting on the impact, Alastair said: “We moved a number of processes wholly into the system. Resourcing was a real headache before, but now we run all of our resourcing within Project Flow and use the system to run reports on that. We also moved all of our QA into the system, making our lives much simpler by having everything in one place. The system has also improved our reporting greatly - we have created lots of reports already within the system, and the Power BI integration has been great for running more timely and customised reports.”

Supporting Remote Working

As remote working became more prevalent, Project Flow’s web-based accessibility proved invaluable.

“It’s fantastic because it means it is always available.”

With teams working from different locations, having a reliable single source of truth became increasingly important.

“With working from home, there is pressure to have a single source of truth. Project Flow is great for that, and enables us to keep a close eye on projects, wherever we are. We can access and understand project information much more quickly and easily.”

Integration and Support 

Hawkins\Brown also praised the customer service and support they received throughout implementation and beyond.

They described the customer service as “very good” and the integration process as “very smooth.” The clarity of roles and responsibilities during rollout helped ensure success:

“It was very clear what they had to do; what they needed to provide, and what Milient would be doing. Therefore, we launched on time and very successfully. The whole roll-out process was great.”

Training was another key part of the experience:

“The training was great, and our whole team can now use the software. We enjoy staying in touch with the team and talking about updates, improvements, and how we can use Power BI."