Example Engineering Co. · Project Administration · 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-23
How the work actually flows
Each task below is built from every case the team handled: the steps people actually take, how many follow the main path, where work is redone, and how long cases sit waiting. Enter subconsultant invoices takes the most time (32 of 112 tracked hours a week).
Enter subconsultant invoices
96 cases a week · 7 people · typical case: 16 min of work
Main path · followed by 35% of cases · 13 min
Microsoft Outlook2 min
→Subconsultant Invoice.pdf (Adobe Acrobat)3 min
→Voucher Entry · Accounts Payable (Deltek Vantagepoint)5 min
→Edit Vendor
→Edit Phase
→Edit Approval route
→Microsoft Outlook2 min
→Edit Message body10 s
| Path | Cases | Work | Start to finish |
|---|
| Main path | 35% | 13 min | 14 min |
| Adds “Microsoft Edge” | 19% | 14 min | 14 min |
| Repeats “Edit Message body”; adds “Project Review (Deltek Vantagepoint)” | 12% | 26 min | 27 min |
| Main path | 7% | 10 min | 10 min |
| Other paths (each used by fewer than 5 people, pooled) | 27% | | |
Where time leaks
- 38% of cases add “Microsoft Edge”, adding about 5 min each time.
- 29% of cases add “Project Review (Deltek Vantagepoint)”, adding about 14 min each time.
- 30% of cases edit the same field twice.
- Data is moved by hand from Adobe Acrobat to Deltek Vantagepoint in most cases; 78% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted, and 3% of moved values didn't match the source.
- Data is moved by hand from Deltek Vantagepoint to Microsoft Outlook in most cases; 82% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted.
How choices are made (from recorded dropdowns)
- When Vendor is Northwest Survey Partners, Phase is 02 Survey (89% of 27 cases)
- When Vendor is Cascade Geotechnical, Phase is 01 Design (85% of 27 cases)
- When Vendor is Riverbend Environmental, Phase is 03 Environmental (100% of 20 cases)
- When Vendor is Summit Utility Locating, Phase is 02 Survey (100% of 13 cases)
Training guide for this task →
Prepare monthly client invoices
37 cases a week · 7 people · typical case: 38 min of work
Main path · followed by 38% of cases · 42 min
Microsoft Edge12 min
→Edit Invoice status
→Invoice Backup · October.xlsx (Excel)12 min
→Invoice Package.pdf (Adobe Acrobat)6 min
→Invoice Submission (DOT eCMS)10 min
→Edit Agreement number
→Edit Invoice amount
→Edit Billing period10 s
| Path | Cases | Work | Start to finish |
|---|
| Main path | 38% | 42 min | 42 min |
| Skips “Invoice Package.pdf (Adobe Acrobat)”, “Invoice Submission (DOT eCMS)” | 22% | 24 min | 24 min |
| Other paths (each used by fewer than 5 people, pooled) | 40% | | |
Where time leaks
- 5% of cases do the same steps in a different order: a sign the procedure isn't written down.
- 5% of cases edit the same field twice.
- Data is moved by hand from Deltek Vantagepoint to Microsoft Excel in most cases; 59% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted.
- Data is moved by hand from Microsoft Excel to DOT eCMS in most cases; 85% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted.
Training guide for this task →
Issue drawing transmittals
103 cases a week · 7 people · typical case: 11 min of work
Main path · followed by 84% of cases · 11 min
Submittals (ProjectWise Explorer)3 min
→Drawing Set.pdf (Bluebeam Revu)3 min
→Transmittals (ProjectWise Explorer)3 min
→Edit Transmittal purpose
→Edit Delivery method
→Microsoft Outlook2 min
→Edit Message body10 s
| Path | Cases | Work | Start to finish |
|---|
| Main path | 84% | 11 min | 11 min |
| Skips “Submittals (ProjectWise Explorer)” | 11% | 8 min | 8 min |
| Other paths (each used by fewer than 5 people, pooled) | 6% | | |
Where time leaks
- Data is moved by hand from ProjectWise Explorer to Microsoft Outlook in most cases; 40% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted.
How choices are made (from recorded dropdowns)
- When Transmittal purpose is For review, Delivery method is Client portal (83% of 42 cases)
- When Transmittal purpose is For information, Delivery method is Email (83% of 23 cases)
- When Transmittal purpose is For bid, Delivery method is Client portal (90% of 19 cases)
Training guide for this task →
Answer project manager questions
136 cases a week · 7 people · typical case: 6 min of work
Main path · followed by 71% of cases · 6 min
Microsoft Outlook2 min
→Project Review (Deltek Vantagepoint)3 min
→Microsoft Outlook2 min
→Edit Message body10 s
| Path | Cases | Work | Start to finish |
|---|
| Main path | 71% | 6 min | 6 min |
| Main path | 10% | 4 min | 4 min |
| Adds “Timesheet Review (Deltek Vantagepoint)” | 4% | 7 min | 7 min |
| Other paths (each used by fewer than 5 people, pooled) | 15% | | |
Where time leaks
- Data is moved by hand from Deltek Vantagepoint to Microsoft Outlook in most cases; 82% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted.
- Data is moved by hand from Adobe Acrobat to Deltek Vantagepoint in most cases; 100% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted.
Training guide for this task →
Set up new projects
25 cases a week · 7 people · typical case: 39 min of work
Of all the time cases are open, 90% is someone working and 10% is waiting.
Main path · followed by 76% of cases · 39 min
Microsoft Outlook3 min
→Agreement and Fee Schedule.pdf (Adobe Acrobat)8 min
→New Project · Projects (Deltek Vantagepoint)15 min
→Edit Client type
→Edit Contract type
→Edit Billing terms
→Edit Phase budgets
→Create Project (ProjectWise Explorer)6 min
→Microsoft Edge4 min
Where time leaks
- Data is moved by hand from Adobe Acrobat to Deltek Vantagepoint in most cases; 84% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted, and 4% of moved values didn't match the source.
- Data is moved by hand from Deltek Vantagepoint to Microsoft Outlook in most cases; 100% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted.
How choices are made (from recorded dropdowns)
- When Contract type is Cost plus fixed fee, Billing terms is Cost plus with fee by percent complete (90% of 10 cases)
- When Contract type is Lump sum, Billing terms is Percent complete (100% of 10 cases)
Training guide for this task →
Write monthly progress reports
9 cases a week · 6 people · typical case: 44 min of work
Of all the time cases are open, 69% is someone working and 31% is waiting.
Where time leaks
- 100% of cases add “Monthly Progress Report · October.docx (Word)”, adding about 44 min each time.
- 89% of cases add “Edit Work completed this period”, adding about 13 min each time.
- Data is moved by hand from Deltek Vantagepoint to Microsoft Excel in most cases; 75% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted.
- Data is moved by hand from Microsoft Excel to Microsoft Word in most cases; 100% of the time it's retyped rather than pasted.
How this was built
Steps are linked into cases by record numbers (kept only as one-way codes) and timing. Paths are compared, never people: a path is only shown when at least 5 people followed it. “Waiting” is any pause of 30 minutes or more on an open case; cases handed between colleagues can't be followed yet, so waits between people are not counted.