{"id":8898,"date":"2024-02-07T16:40:54","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T14:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/?p=8898"},"modified":"2025-08-21T17:08:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T14:08:30","slug":"case-blago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/case-blago\/","title":{"rendered":"About the implementation of Microsoft Project and Power BI for Urban tech company blago"},"content":{"rendered":"

About the effective use of Microsoft Project and Power BI implemented by LEO Consulting for blago<\/a>. The cooperation period lasted from July 2021 to February 2022. The project team that implemented Microsoft’s IT solutions included Yuriy Stepanov (MS Project and Power BI Developer), Serhii Chekhla (Microsoft 365 Developer), and Oleksiy Prosnytsky (Project Manager). Yuriy Tkachuk was responsible for the successful implementation on behalf of the client company.<\/h4>\n

\"\"Yuriy Tkachuk is the head of the PMO (Project Management Office) at blago, a real estate technology company.In 2021, he graduated with a diploma from the Construction Project Manager (CPM8) program at PRO PM school<\/a>.In an interview, Yuriy shared with us the story of blago’s changes over the past 5 years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

A story from life<\/h4>\n

On February 24, 2022, we were unexpectedly shocked by the war, causing a deep shock. On February 26, we gathered the company’s top management to review our strategies in the context of the new circumstances. Despite the unforeseen challenges, our plans remained unchanged and two weeks later we resumed construction work at all our facilities.
\nThe first question the company’s co-owners had was: “What time and financial resources do we need to complete the construction of our current projects?” With Power BI reports active at the time, it took only 20 minutes to prepare the necessary data.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

About the costumer<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Blago, an urban tech company, was founded in 2002 and has since become a leader in the real estate market in Ivano-Frankivsk. Our vision is not just to build residential complexes, but to create entire cities, turning living spaces into complexes of services and infrastructure. Since March 2022, we have successfully commissioned 33 sections in 8 residential complexes and are currently implementing 19 projects.<\/p>\n

Our projects have a direct positive impact on Ivano-Frankivsk. The areas where our new buildings appear are becoming more popular with both local residents and other businesses. Undoubtedly, the high pace of our construction puts us in a leading position in this area.<\/p>\n

blago creates an environment for a comprehensively high-quality life in the city. For more than 20 years of activity, we have transformed from a developer to an urban tech company. We work with all areas of the urban environment and use technology to make cities modern, comfortable and livable (Fig. 1. Construction progress of the Manhattan residential complex).<\/p>\n

Blago’s mission is to change cities. We strive to help you feel like a new generation of people living in a modern city where everything is at your fingertips and instantly available. We exist to develop technologies that will improve the future of urban life.<\/p>\n

Each blago project has its own philosophy, which is expressed in unique architecture, new services, and atypical design solutions. They reflect our vision of modern housing – comfortable and technological. We always have a lot of real estate offers and help thousands of families find their perfect apartment.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Fig. 1. Construction progress of the Manhattan residential complex<\/p><\/div>\n

About the upcoming changes in the company<\/h4>\n

Until 2019, we used separate Microsoft Excel files for each project, each of which could contain up to 46,000 lines of information. However, in 2019, our company decided to focus on the idea of implementing a PMO (Project Management Office) to create a systematic approach to project management. At the end of the same year, we analyzed and updated our organizational structure.<\/p>\n

2020 was a period of active implementation and change, where all processes in the company were perceived by the team as important and necessary. The integration of the project office and related processes occurred naturally and organically. We focused on training our team, trying to achieve a common language and understanding of the importance of using new IT tools.<\/p>\n

Of course, in the process of implementing the changes, some colleagues showed resistance, arguing that we had been successfully running our business for more than 20 years without such innovations. However, today, after almost three years of effective use of Microsoft Project Online, we can celebrate the successful outcome of our efforts. The positive results we have obtained have significantly increased the competitiveness and attractiveness of our company in the market (fig.2. Photo by the blago team).<\/p>\n

\"\"

fig.2. Photo by the blago team<\/p><\/div>\n

Cooperation with Leo Consulting<\/h4>\n

The partnership between LEO Consulting and Blago was launched in 2021, after the successful completion of the PRO PM school training course. In the same year, we effectively integrated such powerful tools as Project Online and Power BI into the Blago structure. With the beginning of 2022, amid military events, our attention was shifted to other critical issues. Nevertheless, 2023 was marked by active use and work with Project Online and Power BI, demonstrating the effectiveness of the previously selected tools.<\/p>\n

About team building<\/h4>\n

Team training was a key aspect of the initial integration process. However, given the significant changes that have taken place in the company and the global context over the past three years, our team composition has undergone some adjustments. As a result, we have faced – and continue to face – a knowledge deficit that we have to address by actively utilizing our own resources. We have come to the conclusion that we are ready to invest in the training of promising young professionals who may not have relevant experience but have a basic construction education.<\/p>\n

Project administrators provide training on software products, while experienced project managers take on the role of mentors in the essence of project execution. So far, this approach has been highly effective: more than 70% of employees continue to work in the positions to which they were originally appointed. However, it should be emphasized that this method does not allow us to accurately predict the timeframe for employee adaptation, as for some this process may take two months, for others – four or even seven.<\/p>\n

IT tools for work<\/h4>\n

Blago’s Project Management Office (PMO) actively uses a wide range of tools, including BAS ERP, Project Online, Power BI, Outlook, Telegram, as well as a basic set of Microsoft programs. Currently, we have 28 Microsoft licenses at our disposal, which are used by project managers, administrators, site superintendents, and construction quality control engineers.<\/p>\n

Our team is located in one city, in one office, so a significant part of our communication and business processes takes place offline. However, we are already planning to review and optimize the use of Microsoft Office 365 products and features in the future as our operations expand.<\/p>\n

About the usability of Project Online<\/a> and Power BI<\/a><\/h4>\n

At the beginning of each year, we enter into large contracts for the supply of key construction materials such as concrete, rebar, glass, etc. For this purpose, it is important for us to clearly define the planned volume of deliveries by the end of the year. Thanks to our IT tools, it now takes only 15 minutes to generate this volume. Without consolidated data, it would have been difficult to ensure such precision in planning (fig. 3. Visualization of the project in MS Project).<\/p>\n

\"\"

fig. 3. Visualization of the project in MS Project<\/p><\/div>\n

What is especially valuable is that Project Online and Power BI store the history that is saved “in volume”. In Power BI reports, it is easy to trace this history – there is data on how we planned, what the actual volumes were, what succeeded and failed as a result. This helps us to continuously improve our planning and management.<\/p>\n

Modern IT tools provide a number of significant benefits, including:<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Immediate access to up-to-date information when needed, as well as the ability to collaborate on documents in real time.
\n– Convenience in planning and tracking the execution of work. This allows you to clearly see the progress of the project and understand its current status.
\n– Remote access to documents and their centralized storage in a cloud environment, which provides access for all stakeholders.
\nSuch capabilities significantly increase work efficiency and help optimize business processes in the company.<\/p>\n

On the agenda today<\/h4>\n

Our company is looking for opportunities to integrate an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with Project Online to create a convenient and holistic management system. Currently, we take the management part from Project Online and the financial part from ERP.<\/p>\n

The main challenge in the integration process is development and programming. This stage should be started only when there is a clear understanding of the processes and a guarantee of their stability over the years. The company has started the integration process and is successfully testing it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About the effective use of Microsoft Project and Power BI implemented by LEO Consulting for blago. The cooperation period lasted from July 2021 to February 2022. The project team that implemented Microsoft’s IT solutions included Yuriy Stepanov (MS Project and Power BI Developer), Serhii Chekhla (Microsoft 365 Developer), and Oleksiy Prosnytsky (Project Manager). Yuriy Tkachuk […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_glsr_average":0,"_glsr_ranking":0,"_glsr_reviews":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[306],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-and-cases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoconsulting.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}