Deltek Vision

Pros: We use Vision for CRM and Proposals-Custom Proposals and Government forms. I love the connectivity between your firms, contacts with your opportunities and jobs. Using Vision enables us to store and retrieve our corporate history and the story of us...our projects, our people and our client relationships. I confess I am a power-user and have done most of the configuration to the system, so therefore understand it more than most others, but I can provide data of any kind from our system. We are integrated with a different accounting platform, so I can also provide up-to-date project reporting. We also use an intranet connector that makes our information easily obtainable/viewable through PC and mobile app (not the Deltek mobile app). I have used the Deltek Vision product since 2005 and had prior Deltek products since the late 1990's. Dewberry is a 2,000 person firm with 50 office locations in 18 states.

Cons: Although I live and breathe Deltek Vision, numerous people at our firm just can't grasp the details and complain that it is not user friendly. The learning curve seems slow for some people to overcome, actually many people, but once it's figured out, there seems to be high value in their usage. I like the custom reporting tool but my users find it so difficult that most refuse to use it. I think the most successful firms will have a Vision expert and a strong IT (SQL, reports) and application team on staff. If not, you probably would need a consultant. My team has been able to keep everything in house to date.

Comments: In 2004, the professional services firm I worked for was managing a $10M/year business using Quickbooks. It was clunky and problematic, with no real analytic capability (i.e., where and how were we making money). I investigated various solutions, and discovered Deltek Vision. We hired an outside consultant to install and configure Vision for us,and life changed. We suddenly had a true business management solution. As the CFO, I finally had a tool that could give me true insight into the underpinning of our business,and where were profitable (and where we were not). Two years later, at a architectural firm, I inherited Axiom Protrax, practically a DOS-based solution. I quickly tired of operating with a 20-year old platform, and advocated for Vision. Having experienced one implementation,I was not enthused with dropping $60K for an outside party to tell me what to do to configure the system. So, over three months,I single-handedly configured and implemented Vision at a 50-person architectural firm. And it has made all the difference. Vision has continued to grow, through internal development and outside acqusition, and through it all they have maintained a consistent look and feel to the product. Adding functionality without detracting from the user experience. And their customer support has remained top-notch. I love the quick chat. If I just have a quick question, I can go quick chat, and quickly resolve my issues. I love this produce, and it meets the needs of my business.

Pros: The user experience. The ability to customize the interface. The ability to quickly drill down into reports.

Cons: It is such a rich,deep product that some of its functionality remains unused.