One Source of Truth: How ENSOL 360 Runs 25 Projects in Parallel Without Losing Financial or Operational Control

With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, Project Operations, and CRM implemented by BE-terna, the company now has a single source of truth for every project in execution.

The Challenge: Managing Complex Projects Across Fragmented Tools

Before the implementation, project managers at ENSOL 360 relied on a combination of Excel, PowerPoint, and Word to track project finances, communicate progress, and manage timelines. Each tool served a different purpose Excel for financial calculations, PowerPoint for client presentations, individual spreadsheets for project balances — but nothing was connected. Any team member could open a shared Excel file and change figures, with no audit trail and no guarantee of accuracy.

For Andrej Glavina, Head of Project Operations at ENSOL 360, the core challenge was clear: the company needed a single, reliable view of every project's financial status, timeline, and execution progress — all in one place, with controlled access.

"If you had a project balance in Excel, anyone could log in and change the numbers. In this system, that's simply not possible."

Andrej Glavina, Head of Project Operations, ENSOL 360 d.o.o.

The Solution: A Connected Microsoft Ecosystem

ENSOL 360 implemented three Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions with the support of BE-terna, creating an end-to-end platform that covers the full project lifecycle:

• Dynamics 365 CRM — captures leads and manages the sales pipeline. When a deal is won, key project data transfers automatically into Project Operations and Finance & Operations, eliminating manual re-entry.
• Dynamics 365 Project Operations — the central hub for project execution, where project managers track timelines, manage phase transitions, and coordinate across design, engineering, procurement, shipping, and installation teams.
• Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations — provides real-time financial oversight for every project: planned vs. actual costs, invoicing schedules, incoming payments, and material cost forecasts.
• Power BI — Dynamics 365 data feeds directly into ENSOL 360's Power BI, enabling a cross-project dashboard that gives leadership a weekly consolidated view of all active projects. 

How It Works: From Handover to Close

Once a deal is marked as won in CRM, a formal handover takes place: the sales team briefs the project manager and the design department on all project details timeline, financials, contract terms, and client requirements. From this point, the project enters execution mode within Project Operations.

The project moves through defined phases from design and engineering, through procurement and manufacturing, to international shipping (typically via container and sea freight), on-site installation, and final close. At each phase transition, the system reflects the updated status, and the project manager maintains weekly communication with the client directly from within the platform.

Throughout execution, Finance & Operations tracks a real-time cost forecast against the original project budget. If the actual material cost rises above what was sold, the project manager is alerted immediately — allowing the team to either renegotiate with the client or address the discrepancy before it becomes a problem. The close phase (Klaus) is only completed once all inbound and outbound invoices are settled and all payments received.

Every Thursday morning, the full project operations team meets to review all active projects. Previously, this required significant preparation time. Today, the data feeds directly from Dynamics 365 into ENSOL 360's Power BI, and the review runs from a live dashboard.

Key Benefits

Real-time financial control: Project managers can instantly compare planned vs. actual costs for every project. If costs exceed what was quoted, the system surfaces the gap immediately enabling faster decision-making and protecting margins.

Controlled data integrity: Unlike Excel, where anyone can edit a shared file without trace, Dynamics 365 enforces role-based access. Project data is protected, consistent, and auditable.

Seamless CRM-to-execution handover: Key client and contract data flows automatically from CRM into Project Operations and Finance & Operations when a project is won — reducing manual input and ensuring the execution team starts with complete, accurate information.

25 projects under one roof
The project operations team manages up to 25 active projects simultaneously, each in a different phase. The system gives every project manager a clear, structured view of their portfolio — and leadership a consolidated view across all of them.

Faster weekly project reviews: The weekly Thursday project review covering all active projects across all phases now runs from a live Power BI dashboard fed directly by Dynamics 365 data, significantly reducing the preparation time previously spent gathering and compiling information.

Custom material procurement support: Since most of ENSOL 360's materials are custom-made per project, the system supports direct ordering to suppliers, tracks planned delivery dates, and maintains minimal stock levels — ensuring the right materials arrive at the right time.

Looking Ahead

ENSOL 360 is continuing to deepen their use of the platform. Meeting notes and project logs currently still captured in Excel will soon move fully into the system, making project documentation complete and searchable in one place. The team is also working towards a client-facing project card within Project Operations: a dedicated view showing only the information relevant to the client, with no confidential internal data so clients can check project status independently, without needing to contact the project manager.

"A successful ERP implementation requires a true partnership — the integrator needs to understand your processes, your people, and your strategy. And just as importantly, they need to be able to tell you what you need, even before you know it yourself."

Andrej Glavina, Head of Project Operations, ENSOL 360 d.o.o.