Silcock Dawson & Partners Improves Confidence, Clarity and Efficiency Through Smarter Project Management

Silcock Dawson & Partners uses Milient's Project Flow, previously known as Rapport3.

Established in 1984, Silcock Dawson & Partners is a leading firm of building services consulting engineers operating across the UK and Europe. As the business grew, their existing practice management system became increasingly complex and difficult to use, which limited confidence in the data and made it harder to understand how projects were performing.

As John Silcock, Managing Director, explains: “Prior to the implementation of Project Flow, our practice management system was much too complex and far from being an easy-to-use, everyday tool. Consequently, it was having a negative impact on our confidence in it.”

Any new system needed to be intuitive, capable of delivering up-to-date business and project information on demand, and able to reduce administrative effort—particularly around invoicing—while supporting better oversight of cost and programme.

Choosing Milient

Following detailed discussions around Silcock Dawson & Partners’ requirements, the team adopted Project Flow, supported by a combination of ‘ready-made’ and bespoke reports tailored to their specific needs.

“The creation of the ‘ready made’ and ‘bespoke’ reports was ideal as they could be developed over time as we learnt more about the system capabilities,” says John.

A key priority during rollout was ensuring minimal disruption to staff. Initially, the wider team experienced Project Flow primarily through electronic timesheets, while Directors undertook more in-depth training to understand the system’s broader capabilities. Lead Engineers were then positioned to become involved in project costing and analysis as adoption progressed.

Implementing Project Flow

The implementation process itself exceeded expectations, ensuring a smooth adoption across the business.

“Our experience of the implementation of Project Flow was better than anticipated,” John says. “Milient were very ‘hands on’ and proactive – a complete change to our previous provider. Milient is a very interactive company, and they respond quickly to queries, something that is crucial when introducing a new system.”

John also notes how quickly the team adapted to the system despite limited prior exposure:

“Probably the biggest issue with any new software is the terminology. More time should have been given to training, but despite that, it was amazing how quickly we adapted – a testament to the relative simplicity of the system”.

Integration and Ongoing Support

Continued support and product development have been central to Silcock Dawson & Partners’ positive experience. Regular user group meetings provide opportunities to share feedback, explore future requirements and engage directly with the development team.

“The user groups are particularly useful,” enthuses John. “The Milient team really do listen to our feedback and requirements and often introduces possible new features during the sessions, which is a far cry from the previous provider we tried.”

Reflecting on the overall experience, John adds:
“I would most definitely recommend Milient to other businesses. Their product ‘Project Flow’ and professionalism during our implementation were excellent.”