Visual Response – Improving Project Management and Financial Accuracy and Efficiency through Project Accounting.
Visual Response Ltd, established in 1991, is a leading UK-based high-end events management company serving events such as Management Events, Exhibitions and Display, Production and Broadcast, and Design and Print, as well as many major events. Events are more than just a sales tool for its clients; they’re opportunities to create lasting impressions, nurture connections, and bring their brand to life. Visual Response specialises in designing, producing, and installing branded display and signage solutions for commercial clients’ events. Its core work typically spans large-format print, retail and corporate branding, exhibition graphics, and environmental signage, helping organisations strengthen their physical brand presence. Its value proposition centres on end-to-end project execution.
Business Challenges.
Visual Response works on a project basis with its client. Hence, project management and commercial clarity, including resource requirements, project revenue, expenses, and profitability, are extremely important. As operations scaled, managing projects manually became extremely challenging, affecting resource allocation and project management and directly impacting operational efficiency and project profitability. Existing processes relied heavily on manual work and reporting that lacked process standardisation, and they did not use modern tools and systems to set up and manage projects in the ERP system for clarity and reporting. Manual processes and outdated systems and software made it difficult to set up and manage projects, maintain data consistency, and ensure accuracy and visibility across projects and financial data.
Key challenges included:
Limited Automation and Standardisation creating more manual work
Manual project management and resource allocations resulting in delayed data processing
Time-Intensive Manual data entry and adjustments
Manual work adding administrative Burden on finance teams, overstretching users to work long hours, leading to human errors and corrections
Delayed project updates and profitability tracking
Lack of Visibility and Traceability
Together, these limitations reduced confidence in financial data and made existing processes increasingly difficult to manage as transaction volumes and operational complexity increased. This model of working was not sustainable for the business’s growth plans and hence required reviewing to modernise the operation to make it more efficient by using modern tools and systems.
ACS-APT Solutions:
ACS-APT studied and understood the client’s issues and expectations. ACS-APT proposed and implemented a modern ERP and integrated Project Management System through the Sage 200 Professional system, deploying it on a cloud-hosted server for 24/7 secure access with over 98% system uptime. Implemented the inbuilt Project Accounting module within the Sage 200 Professional ERP system using its workflow for end-to-end project management. This captured project data such as resource timesheets, expenses, payroll costs, and revenue billing. Centralised, timely data capture and near-real-time project updates were key to providing up-to-date project status and performance. This provided clear project visibility and helped monitor project profitability. The system workflow implementation supported resource timesheets and expense approvals for timely billing and on-time expense payments.
This resulted in on-time financial transactions, timely ledger reconciliations to close ledgers and accounting periods, and project performance reports and financial reports, including profit and loss accounts and balance sheet reports, generated directly from the Sage 200 Professional ERP system.
Key benefits –
A targeted and process-led solution to improve accuracy, consistency, and efficiency in project management and reporting.
Enhanced workflow to capture data at source, thus making timely data Entry
Replacing manual work processes with industry-standard processes
Improved approval workflow, data controls and validations
Each element of the solution was deliberately aligned to address the inefficiencies and risks created by fragmented, manual processes to deliver a more efficient, cost-saving, and future-proof system. This enabled data accuracy and increased business efficiency to support stronger projects and financial management and more informed decision-making processes, further enabling business growth and scalability.
Conclusion.
ACS-APT partnered with Visual Response to simplify and strengthen the management of cost and revenue adjustments through targeted process enhancement and automation. By reducing reliance on manual data entry and introducing greater structure, control, and traceability, the solution improved confidence in financial data while significantly reducing administrative effort and manual working.
The outcome is more robust and efficient project management and financial processes that support clearer oversight and better decision-making as the business continues to scale. With improved workflow and data accuracy, visibility, and consistency embedded into day-to-day operations, Visual Response is now well positioned to manage increasing complexity while enabling finance teams to focus on higher-value activities that support the organisation’s wider objectives, including the future growth plans.