WizeHive

SUCCESS STORY BACKGROUND

Robert Wells is the Vice President of Operations for Tennessee-based Novitá Technologies, a leader in transportation safety technology. He runs the factory, oversees purchasing and Quality Assurance, and handles all aspects of Project Management. He has multiple projects running simultaneously and until recently, managing projects at Novitá was a centralized process. Looking to streamline the process, Robert began to look for a tool which could be used to collaboratively build the project plans and then distribute the management and updating of tasks to those on the project.

THE WIZEHIVE SOLUTION

Robert looked at a variety of file sharing and project management collaboration software products and chose WizeHive to facilitate his team's communication. In June, he began using WizeHive with six members of his team and saw a substantial improvement in communication right away. By looking at their workspaces for each project, everyone could check the Calendar and Task assignments to see who was engaged in each stage of the cycle. They'd also receive automatic notices of any plan changes as they are made, and post notes for each other's review.

Just four months later, WizeHive has become an important part of Robert's planning process. During his weekly production meetings, he takes advantage of the collaborative nature of WizeHive by projecting the Calendar and Task List on the wall for his whole team to see. Everyone at the meeting is able to review the schedule and provide input before the meeting ends and everyone understands the weekly priorities. As team members discuss the week's goals, tasks may be shifted and due dates are adjusted in real time. At the end of the meeting, each person is able to actively manage their tasks, making notes and checking them off as they are completed. Robert boasts, "WizeHive really works the way my engineers think - it works the way our brains work. Once it's in WizeHive, it's saved and accessible by everyone in the company, and updates are pushed out to all team members. They no longer have to worry about lost slips of paper or missed messages. It's all right there."

THE RESULTS

Using WizeHive helps Novitá better compete in the global marketplace. Customary to the manufacturing industry, a normal automotive original equipment (OE) launch takes a minimum of a year, however WizeHive's implementation helped them accomplish an impressive ten day turnaround cycle. WizeHive's piece allowed them to put together a fully comprehensive plan then execute it without losing a detail, as Robert explains, "One detail can be a show stopper in this business." Robert feels confident that his team is more cohesive than before, and indicated, "Live collaboration has made managing our projects so much easier."