-Please tell us about your project management methods prior to the introduction of HUE Project Board.

Mr. Kobayashi:
We were using Excel for WBS to manage task progress, and in addition to Excel, we were also using a cloud-based application for issue management.

While there were no problems in managing projects in that way, we felt that the lack of a unified format and the inconsistency in the location where issues were saved were issues. In particular, the location of the files was sometimes in internal folders, Microsoft Teams In particular, the location of the files was case-by-case: internal folders, Microsoft Teams, or when sharing with customers, Excel files were shared via online storage.

Mr. Sakamoto:
The size of a project often involves about 10 people, including 3-5 from our company and 3-5 from the client side. When multiple people are working on a project, there are times when the latest version of the Excel file is not in the same location, or the file is not saved in the same location. It is also common to lose track of the location where the file is saved. There is also the risk of accidentally deleting a file.

-What was the impetus behind the introduction of the HUE Project Board?

Mr. Sakamoto:
I had a chance to talk with Mr. Hata, the representative of Works Applications (hereinafter referred to as "Works"), about project management methods, and that is when I first heard about the features of the "HUE Project Board. Mr. Hata said, "I keep track of the progress of important projects by checking this every day. I got the impression that it would be very useful, and I was particularly attracted by its intuitive usability, like spreadsheet software, so I decided to try the free trial. In the trial, I tried it out by migrating an existing project that I had been managing with Excel, and everything went really smoothly.

Mr. Kobayashi :
Since the demo, I had the impression that most of the functions that I thought would be useful if it were easier to manage with Excel, such as hierarchizing tasks, switching to the Gantt chart view, exchanging comments on tasks, and checking changes, were included. After actually using the software on a trial basis, I was able to experience its convenience once again. I also liked the fact that it is intuitive, so anyone can start using it right away.

-How was the transition period after you decided to implement HUE Project Board?

Mr. Kobayashi:
Migration of existing projects was completed simply by copying and pasting existing Excel data. It was done so quickly that it probably took almost no man-hours, and we were able to register new projects easily. When inviting people from outside the company as guest users, we consulted with the legal department to prepare a consent form for their use. That is why it took us a little time to start using the system.

-Please tell us about your efforts to promote the use of "HUE Project Board".

Mr. Sakamoto:
We are a company of about 10 people, almost all of whom are involved in the project. We prepared a simple manual and provided an opportunity to explain the system, but we only explained our intention to introduce the system and simple rules, such as the need to include this item when registering a project. We also told them that they would get used to it as they used it, so let's try it out first.

Even for projects with people outside the company, we always show them the assignment sheet on the "HUE Project Board" at our regular meetings before proceeding with the discussion, so I think they are getting used to the system naturally.

Mr. Kobayashi :
A Works representative was also present at the first briefing session to answer questions from the employees. Some employees later contacted Works' customer support, and I heard that they were politely responded to.

-Do you have a favorite feature of "HUE Project Board"?

Mr. Sakamoto:
As I said, the basic project progress management and task management functions are very easy to use. Also, the fact that the history is displayed at the beginning is very helpful, as it allows us to go back to the most recently worked on area.

Mr. Kobayashi :
Employees have told us that they receive e-mail notifications of notes they have added while reviewing tasks with clients, and that the color-coded priority of tasks allows them to grasp them at a glance, preventing them from being overlooked.
In fact, this e-mail notification function is a new feature that was added to the system after we asked Works for feedback from our customers who said they wished the system had such a function. Most recently, when we told Works that we would like to be able to keep track of who downloaded what file and when during file sharing from a security perspective, they added an audit log function.
It is really encouraging that the company is able to respond to such requests from users by immediately starting development and upgrading the version of the software to meet their needs free of charge.

-What are your expectations from the introduction of the HUE Project Board?

Mr. Sakamoto:
The number of employees has been gradually increasing, and we are now able to work with two or three people on projects to solve issues that used to be carried out on an individual basis. With this change, project management had become complicated, and we felt that we had issues with information sharing and visualization of tasks. By introducing the HUE Project Board, we hope to standardize project management and increase the number of people within the company who can manage projects.

Mr. Kobayashi:
As one of the backgrounds of the introduction, we launched six internal projects at once at the beginning of the year, and almost all of our employees are now involved in the projects. That is why we want to use "HUE Project Board" as a tool to facilitate project management. We have multiple projects in progress, and if we can complete project management within a single application, we expect it will lead to greater efficiency.

-Please tell us about your future development and what you expect from Works.

Mr. Kobayashi:
We would be happy if you could provide us with courses and materials that would help us develop personnel capable of project management and provide us with project management know-how. We have already received the template for promoting the use of the HUE Project Board, but it would be helpful if you could continue to teach us how to make good use of the HUE Project Board in the future.

Mr. Sakamoto :
There are various functions that I myself have not yet mastered, so I would like to make better use of them. I would also like to utilize the recently added dashboard function when we add new projects.

I am also considering using it across the group. The Actus Group has about 200 members, mainly tax accountants and labor and social security attorneys, but I don't think we have had much of a project-based culture. We hope to bring synergy to the group as a whole through project management. Some of our social insurance consultants are already participating in project management with clients as members. By gradually increasing the scope of utilization in this way, we hope to expand the possibilities for the group as a whole.

*This article is current as of September 2022.