Understanding the challenge
On the surface, Heath Buildings' problems looked familiar. Scattered spreadsheets, manual handovers between teams, hours spent chasing project updates. Site managers were brilliant at building homes but drowning in paperwork. Finance teams were working overtime to reconcile costs across fragmented systems. Suppliers were frustrated by slow approvals and communication delays.
But the deeper issue was more serious. Every new project added exponential complexity to their operations. Without intervention, they faced a stark choice: cap their growth or watch margins erode as they hired more people to manage the chaos. Previous attempts at digital transformation had failed because they focused on isolated problems rather than the interconnected workflows that actually drive property development success.
Our approach
We started with our AI Readiness & Efficiency Audit, but this wasn't your typical consulting assessment. Over two intensive weeks, we embedded with their teams from site to boardroom, mapping not just what they did, but how decisions flowed, where handovers broke down and which delays had the biggest ripple effects. The result was a clear picture of where their £120k annual admin burden was hiding and, crucially, which quick wins could deliver immediate ROI while building toward larger transformation goals.
Our strategy was surgical: identify the highest-impact friction points, design automation that worked with their existing tools and culture, then scale systematically. No rip-and-replace disruption. No months of training. Just smart systems that made their people more effective from day one.
Technical innovation
We built what we call a "digital nervous system" for Heath Buildings. Lightweight automation that connected their existing tools (SharePoint, Xero, Buildertrend) without forcing costly migrations. Think of it as intelligent middleware that learned their processes and eliminated the manual work that was suffocating their growth.
The magic was in the details: procurement workflows that auto-populated from previous projects, financial reporting that updated in real-time across departments and AI-powered suggestions for everything from cost estimates to contractor communications. Each component was designed for immediate adoption. No technical expertise required, just better ways of doing work they already understood.
The Impact
- £86,000 saved in the first quarter through eliminated admin overhead and reduced rework
- 28% reduction in average project cycle time from planning to completion
- Real-time decision making replaced weekly status meetings, accelerating approvals by days
- Stronger supplier relationships through 60% faster onboarding and seamless communication
- Zero training friction — 95% user adoption within the first month
- Scalable foundation ready for their next phase of growth without proportional overhead increases
