Company Profile
Rosetta Contracting Limited, based in Old Knebworth, UK, is a bespoke residential building contractor specializing in both contracting and self-development. Led by director Sam Jarman and his business partner, the company undertakes projects ranging from £1 million one-off builds to £20 million large-scale developments. Their growing team additionally includes two surveying and contract management staff.
As Sam Jarman, a Director at Rosetta, explained:
"We learned very early on how critical it was to track our job costs. Without that, we’d never have built a business that could grow sustainably."
Committed to delivering high-quality projects, Rosetta Contracting places a strong emphasis on keeping costs under control. From the outset, Sam Jarman and his team recognized the critical importance of accurately tracking job costs to ensure profitability and build a sustainable business.
Without accurate cost tracking and analysis, it’s easy to mistake being busy for being successful, potentially leading to financial strain. Sam explains how Planyard helps businesses avoid this trap by providing clear insights into which projects are profitable and which are not, ensuring that growth is driven by strategy rather than activity.
“Let’s say you have half a dozen projects each year - 1 residential and 5 commercial projects. The residential project might be hyper-profitable and you've lost money on all the others. You might then go out and get 10 more commercial projects and think “Oh this is great if we are really busy.””
Challenges Before Planyard
As Rosetta Contracting scaled its operations, the limitations of its existing cost management tools became apparent. The team initially used Xero for job cost tracking, which worked adequately for a handful of projects and a small team. However, this approach wouldn’t be ideal once the team grows further.
Key challenges included:
- Non-automated handling of subcontractor orders and purchase orders
- A lack of real-time visibility into project costs and commitments
- Reliance on spreadsheets, which likely introduce errors and inefficiencies
"Xero has a PO system, but it wasn’t geared towards a construction business with the way we operate. Managing subcontractor orders, in particular, was a real pain point."
They thought they should prepare for growth before it happened. The issues would become more pronounced as the team grows and takes on more projects. That would prompt them to look for a solution tailored to the needs of construction businesses soon anyway.
Decision-Making Process
Recognizing the need for a better solution, Rosetta Contracting began exploring alternatives and add-ons to Xero. The decision-making process included comparing options like Sage and Procore, but these systems were too expensive up-front or too complex for their needs as a small business.
"I started looking at add-ons for Xero, searching for something that could handle purchase orders more effectively. That’s how I stumbled upon Planyard. It wasn’t just casual software—it was built for construction and did everything we needed without being overly complex."
What ultimately tipped the scales in Planyard’s favor were:
- A subscription-based pricing model that minimized upfront costs, making it accessible for small businesses
- A cloud-based solution that doesn’t have a lengthy implementation
- An intuitive user experience that required no extensive training
"It wasn’t just affordable—it was something we could try without risking significant licence fees and time. That flexibility was crucial for us," said Sam.
Implementation and Onboarding
Implementing Planyard was a straightforward process for Rosetta Contracting. With comprehensive onboarding resources, including help guides, FAQs, and YouTube tutorials, the team quickly got up to speed. Sam and his team set up most of the things themselves and only needed a single set-up call to go over some minor details.
"We onboarded very easily. The process was intuitive, and the help materials were invaluable. If we had questions, the chat support was always there for us," Sam shared.
Key highlights of the onboarding process included:
- Adopting pre-built workflows in Planyard, which worked well for a young and flexible company
- Seamlessly integrating the software into their existing operations within a few weeks
- Unlocking new functionality in Planyard as time goes on
- Fast and simple integration with Xero which they use for accounting
"It’s nice to have software that’s responsive to its users. The FAQs are regularly updated based on feedback, which shows the platform is actively engaged with its customers," Sam added.
What is Planyard in Your Words?
For Sam, Planyard is the backbone of how Rosetta Contracting manages its costs and projects efficiently. It’s a purpose-built system that addresses the unique challenges of running a construction business—while providing clarity at every step.
"Planyard is built specifically for the way construction businesses operate, which means it handles things like subcontractor orders, purchase orders, and cost tracking seamlessly—without the extra complexity of generic business software."
To Sam, Planyard represents simplicity and reliability. It eliminates the frustrations of manual data entry and ensures everything flows smoothly from one system to another, particularly with its seamless integration with Xero. It’s not just a tool for tracking costs but a platform that enables proactive decision-making by offering real-time insights into project performance and budgets.
"Ultimately, Planyard is about clarity and control. It’s the kind of system that lets you focus on delivering great projects, knowing your costs are fully under control."
Impact and Benefits
Planyard has eliminated much of the potential double-entry errors that were previously hiding behind every corner:
- Purchase orders and subcontract orders are now issued directly in Planyard, tailored with company branding when sent to suppliers
- Being overbilled for a subcontract order or purchase order is now virtually impossible
- Invoices are uploaded via the Outlook add-in and automatically linked to respective jobs by the Planyard OCR
- The integration with Xero ensures that costs flow seamlessly, are pre-approved, and with relevant context
"I like the way it flows. You input data once, and it’s mirrored across systems. It’s eliminated so many potential errors and places that previously needed manual checks," Sam remarked.
Enhanced Visibility and Accountability
Real-time tracking of costs and commitments has given the team better control over project budgets. With Planyard, Rosetta Contracting can monitor expenditures as they occur, rather than relying on delayed or incomplete data. This proactive approach helps the team quickly identify potential overruns and address them before they escalate into significant issues.
"What gets measured gets managed. Planyard bakes accountability into the system and helps us identify issues as they occur, not at the end of the job," said Sam.
Sustainable Growth
As Rosetta plans to grow its team and project portfolio in a sustainable way, Planyard has proven to be a system that can scale alongside them. While they are a team of 4 at the moment, they plan to grow to 10 in the near future.
Another factor is hiring. With the limited number of skilled quantity surveyors in the UK market, the number of projects they take on would also directly be limited. Planyard is a powerful tool that enhances team efficiency, enabling businesses not only to gain deeper insights into profitability but also to take on more projects with the same amount of personnel.
"It’s a system that grows with us. Whether we’re managing a £1 million project or a £20 million development, Planyard has the capacity to handle it all," Sam emphasized.
What’s in the Future?
While Rosetta Contracting has not yet utilized all of Planyard’s features, they see potential for future growth.
"The subcontractor management tools and analytics are fantastic, and we plan to explore more of them as we expand. It’s great to know the functionality is there when we need it," Sam noted.
Additionally, with the online nature of Planyard, they can share the live view with the customers so that they can log onto the system themselves and see where the project is at. With Planyard handling the reporting, they’re not limited by their headcount and can do more with the same resources.
"For external clients, we can provide access to the Planyard portal, giving them real-time insights into their project costs. It’s a game-changer compared to relying on error-prone and delayed Excel spreadsheets," Sam explained.
Conclusion
Rosetta Contracting’s journey with Planyard highlights the transformative power of using software tailored to the unique challenges of the construction industry. By standardizing workflows, improving cost visibility, and providing an extendable platform, Planyard has become an integral part of their operations.
"Planyard works really well for us as a small construction business. It does a lot without being overly complex or costly. It’s helped us manage costs effectively and grow sustainably," Sam concluded.
As Rosetta continues to expand, they are confident that Planyard will remain a critical tool for managing their success.