A sped up forecasting process has meant greater efficiency, stronger collaboration, and improved accuracy for Miller Brothers Construction. As the result of a partnership with Onware and Computer Guidance Corporation, the contractor replaced its outdated forecasting tool with a modern integrated solution built on the eCMS Cloud Construction ERP platform.
Thanks to two technology partners working together, Miller Brothers now happily uses a solution that delivered results right away. The company has reduced forecasting time by 90%, going from 40 hours to just 4 hours in some cases.
A Company Built on Big Projects
Miller Brothers Construction has been in business since 1945, when brothers Dale and Floyd Miller started the company in Archbold, Ohio. Today, the company takes on mass excavation, site development, public infrastructure, and environmental and industrial projects across 12 states. Miller Brothers specializes in projects that require precise financial planning and airtight reporting.
To stay on top of costs and forecasts at that scale, Miller Brothers needed tools that could keep up. For a long time, an internally built desktop application handled job cost and revenue forecasting. But the tool could not keep pace with the company’s growing needs.
The Problem: A Tool That Had Run Its Course
Over time, Miller Brothers’ legacy forecasting system started to show its age. It lacked real-time data integration, made collaboration difficult, and gave users very little flexibility. Project managers couldn’t filter data the way they needed to, couldn’t update cost codes directly in the tool, and had no way to add notes during a forecasting cycle.
Not surprisingly forecasting was slow, frustrating, and prone to gaps. Using a system that didn’t consistently deliver the most up to date and actionable data made forecasting difficult and inefficient. And with projects spanning multiple states and disciplines, the margin for error had become too high.
It was time for a change.
The Solution: A Smarter Way to Forecast
Miller Brothers brought in Onware and Computer Guidance Corporation to build something better. The team started by gathering feedback from project managers, accountants, and finance staff to understand exactly what wasn’t working and what they needed instead. They identified 17 key improvements and got to work.
The result was a modern, browser-based forecasting application built by Onware and integrated directly with Computer Guidance’s eCMS Cloud Construction ERP using real-time APIs and custom data solutions. Here are some of the key features of the new system:
• Granular Data Capture: Detailed data is written back to eCMS, which enables precise financial analysis and better trend tracking.
• Dynamic Filtering: Users can drill into job-specific details that matter most, without wading through irrelevant data.
• Direct Cost Code Updates: No more jumping between systems. Changes happen right inside the application.
• Role-Based Views: Each team member sees what’s relevant to their role.
• Integrated Notes: Teams can add context during every forecasting cycle, building a useful audit trail over time.
• Pending Invoice Visibility: Even invoices waiting for approval are visible, so teams always see the full financial picture.
One of the most important decisions in this project was where to deploy. Miller Brothers needed their sensitive project data to stay under their control, so the solution was implemented in an on-premises environment. eCMS’s ability to run on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid setup was a critical factor and it’s a real differentiator in an industry where many ERP platforms are cloud-only.
The Results: Faster, Smarter, Better
The impact was immediate. Miller Brothers cut their forecasting time by 90%. A process that used to take a full week now wraps up in half a day.
Project managers now spend less time wrestling with spreadsheets and more time focused on their actual projects. Leadership has real-time access to current, accurate data. And because the tool was built with input from across the company, everyone from the field to the finance team actually uses it.
The team has continued to add features since launch, including estimated percent-complete tracking by year, anticipated completion dates, detailed change order tracking, and the ability to export polished Excel reports complete with company logos. The solution keeps growing alongside the business.
Why the Onware + eCMS Partnership Works
This project is a great example of what happens when two technology partners bring their strengths together. Onware’s expertise in building intuitive, user-driven business intelligence and forecasting applications paired seamlessly with the power and flexibility of Computer Guidance’s eCMS ERP platform.
eCMS provides the robust, real-time financial data that forecasting tools need to be accurate. Onware turns that data into something people actually want to use. Together, they create solutions that are technically impressive and genuinely valuable to the teams who rely on them every day.
The Miller Brothers project also highlights an important premise: good technology should fit the way a company works, not force a company to change how it works to fit the technology. Deployment flexibility, user-driven feature development, and real-time integration are all part of that philosophy, and they’re at the core of what Onware and Computer Guidance deliver together.
Ready to See What’s Possible?
If your team is spending too much time on forecasting, working with data you can’t quite trust, or piecing together information from too many disconnected systems, there’s a better way. Onware’s business intelligence and forecasting tools, integrated with eCMS, can help you get there.
Steven Gross leads initiatives focused on maximizing the effectiveness and value of Computer Guidance software for customers. As Vice President of Client Solutions, he helps construction companies improve ROI from the eCMS ERP platform through system reviews, gap analysis, and best practices consulting.
With more than 30 years of experience, Steven has worked with construction firms implementing accounting and project management systems. He also helped build and lead Computer Guidance’s Professional Services organization and has held several management and sales roles throughout his career. Steven holds a BS in Business Information Systems from Illinois State University.
Read more about Steve on Computer Guidance’s leadership page and learn about the eCMS Cloud Construction ERP.