Daniel De Rocco’s career in quantity surveying began in a highly structured Tier 1 construction environment in the UK. After working on education projects early in his career, he progressed to large public-sector infrastructure projects, managing complex trade packages and significant project cash flows within strict governance frameworks.
Seeking a new challenge, Daniel relocated to Melbourne, Australia, where he temporarily stepped away from construction to work as a private chef at a local monastery while settling into a new country. However, once the organisation became aware of his commercial background, leadership recognised the need for stronger financial oversight and engaged him to review their internal processes.
“It was immediately clear that the organisation lacked visibility over expenditure. My priority was to introduce a practical cost management framework that would provide structure, accountability, and transparency.” — Daniel De Rocco
The UK Tier 1 Experience: Multi-Million-Pound ERP Trauma
During his time in the UK Tier 1 sector, Daniel was involved in the company-wide implementation of a large ERP platform during the project inception of a major infrastructure project. While designed to provide strong governance and reporting capabilities, the system proved highly complex for day-to-day operations.
Routine workflows such as purchase order approvals, budget management and CVR’s required significant administrative effort, and teams often still relied on supplementary manual tracking using Excel to maintain operational clarity.
“It was immediately clear that the organisation lacked visibility over expenditure. My priority was to introduce a practical cost management framework that would provide structure, accountability, and transparency.” — Daniel De Rocco
This experience reinforced a key insight: strong financial control depends not only on system capability, but on usability and practical implementation.
UK vs. AUS: Shared Principles, Contrasting Cultures
When Daniel moved to Melbourne, he found that the core principles of quantity surveying mirror each other across the two countries. Because the UK is governed by the RICS and Australia by the AIQS, his foundational skills and formal qualifications transferred effortlessly.
However, the work culture and organisational processes couldn't have been more different. While the UK construction sector operated like a proactive "rat race" where things got done immediately, the Australian market - particularly the local subcontractors he dealt with - was much more laid back. Many subbies were oddly reluctant to even send quotes or invoices for their work.
“Cost management principles are universal. The main differences lie in organisational structure and the level of process discipline.” — Daniel De Rocco
The Australian SME Reality: An Absolute Void of Process
At the monastery, Daniel encountered the opposite extreme of his Tier 1 experience: a complete absence of structured financial controls.
The organisation had zero structural hierarchy, no active contracts, and a complete lack of financial visibility. Rather than navigating complex ERP workflows, he observed subcontractors submitting invoices directly to accounts, where they were processed and paid through Xero without formal approval controls.
There were no purchase orders, no committed cost tracking, no historical budget context, and no structured mechanism to justify expenditure.
He had moved from an environment where systems were overly complex and administratively heavy to one where financial accountability simply did not exist.
“There was no formal framework for tracking committed expenditure. Spending was reactive, undocumented, and not aligned to approved budgets.” — Daniel De Rocco
Recognising the long-term financial risk this created, Daniel focused on introducing governance and visibility without imposing unnecessary complexity.
Choosing Planyard: Simple, Flexible, and SME-Fit
Determined to avoid the challenges associated with large enterprise systems, Daniel sought a solution that would provide Tier 1 cost control discipline while remaining practical for a small organisation.
He initially tried to set up tracking using Xero's built-in project features, but quickly found it unusable and completely lacking in the necessary functionality for construction management.
Turning to ChatGPT, he searched for the "best app add-on in Xero for managing construction maintenance projects" and began evaluating the market.
He chose Planyard over the competition for several critical reasons:
- Professional, Actionable Interface: While evaluating other tools from Ireland and the US, Daniel felt their interfaces were gimmicky, looking too much like a "credit score dashboard" filled with unnecessary meters. Planyard, by contrast, provided clear, logical cost lines.
- Familiar but Functional: Planyard offered the organised budget summary view he appreciated in massive ERPs, but it actually worked. In Oracle, his team could only view 10 lines at a time on budgets that spanned over a thousand lines; Planyard handled the data smoothly.
- No Clutter: Planyard did exactly what it promised, simplifying the purchase order process and linking seamlessly with Xero for financial tracking, without overcomplicating the daily workflow.
“Planyard provided the level of financial control typically associated with large projects, but in a format that is practical and accessible for a lean organisation.” — Daniel De Rocco
Implementation: Done in Days, Not Years
Unlike traditional enterprise system rollouts that often require extended implementation timelines, Planyard was configured independently within days.
Daniel established cost structures, reconciled historical spending, and introduced formal purchasing controls quickly and efficiently.
“The platform enabled rapid implementation. It allowed the cost framework to be structured in a way that reflected how the organisation actually operates.” — Daniel De Rocco
Day-to-day: Bringing UK Rigour to a Lean Team
Today, the organisation operates with significantly improved financial discipline and transparency.
Planyard serves as a central control point, ensuring all works are properly authorised before costs are incurred.
Key operational improvements include:
- The PO Gatekeeper: Subcontractors can no longer sneak unexpected invoices through to the accounts department. Planyard now acts as a strict gatekeeper, establishing a formalised approval workflow before a single dollar leaves the business.
- Clear Remittance and Retention: Planyard cleanly handles tax nuances and retention management, generating remittance notices that the local subcontractors have specifically praised for their clarity and transparency.
- Segmented Budgets: Daniel easily runs two distinct accounts within the platform - one strictly for major Capital Expenditure projects and another for ongoing yearly maintenance - keeping the varying cash flows perfectly segregated.
“The introduction of structured purchase order workflows has significantly strengthened financial accountability across the organisation.” — Daniel De Rocco
The Results: Real Data and Total Financial Clarity
By combining Tier 1 cost management principles with the agility of Planyard, the organisation has transitioned from reactive accounting to proactive financial management.
Leadership now has real-time visibility of expenditure, enabling accurate forecasting, informed decision-making, and improved resource allocation.
“Access to reliable, structured cost data has transformed how financial decisions are made within the organisation.” — Daniel De Rocco
Takeaway for UK and AUS Builders/QSs
Daniel’s experience highlights an important lesson for small- and medium-sized construction organisations: enterprise-level complexity does not automatically deliver stronger financial control.
“Effective financial governance is achieved through clear processes, consistent oversight, and tools that are practical for everyday use — not through unnecessary system complexity from big ERPs.” — Daniel De Rocco