"Retain has completely changed how we plan and manage our resources. We now have visibility into workloads, ensuring our teams aren’t overworked. The time we’ve saved and the improved accuracy in scheduling means we can focus more on delivering value to our clients."
– Senior Manager, De Hooge Waerder
Background: De Hooge Waerder’s Resource Planning Challenges.
De Hooge Waerder, a full-service firm specialising in accounting, audit, tax, and consultancy practical services, was looking for a more efficient way to optimise its resource planning. While Excel had been a reliable tool for many years, the firm's growth brought new complexities that required a more advanced solution. Making small scheduling adjustments took more time than necessary and gaining a clear overview of ongoing projects and time allocation became increasingly challenging and time consuming. To improve visibility and efficiency in audit engagements, the team sought a structured system that could seamlessly track the four key phases of an audit while ensuring smooth project progression. By implementing a more sophisticated planning solution, De Hooge Waerder aimed to streamline workflows, enhance control, and strengthen collaboration within the team.
Why Retain Cloud?
De Hooge Waerder needed a faster, smarter, and more structured approach to resource planning. Retain Cloud delivered exactly that, offering:
Instant scheduling adjustments, reducing scheduling time from 15 minutes to just 20 seconds
Automated conflict detection, preventing double bookings before they happen
Structured audit planning, tracking which phase of an audit a team is in for full project visibility
Seamless reporting and budget tracking, enabling managers to compare planned vs actual hours and avoid budget overruns 50% reduction in scheduling time.
Scalability and ease of use, ensuring even non-technical employees found Retain easy to navigate.
The firm also evaluated others solutions, but they required too much manual work and lacked the specialised resource planning features needed for a firm of this size. Retain Cloud stood out by offering an audit-friendly, flexible, and intuitive solution that drastically reduced admin time.
Implementation: A Smooth Transition to Retain Cloud
The switch to Retain Cloud was well-structured and efficient. The firm worked with Retain’s support team to tailor the system to its audit processes, ensuring each engagement could be tracked through its four distinct phases. The team configured Retain Cloud to match the firm’s specific reporting needs, giving the whole team a clear, structured overview of planned hours, workloads, and project status. The system was easy to pick up, and training was minimal everyone quickly understood how to use it.
Results: A Faster, More Accurate Resource Planning System
Since adopting Retain Cloud, De Hooge Waerder has seen significant improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and overall resource management.
The whole team now have instant access to real-time management information, eliminating the need for manual reporting and spreadsheet updates.
Audit engagements, which typically lasted 6 to 10 weeks, at times, resulted in planned vs delivered hour discrepancies, leading to budget overruns.
Better visibility into team availability has allowed managers to spot potential bottlenecks before they escalate.
Workloads are now distributed more evenly, preventing staff from being overloaded while optimising resource utilisation.
50% less time is spent on scheduling, freeing managers to focus on higher-value tasks.
A More Proactive Approach to Audit Planning.
With Retain Cloud, De Hooge Waerder now has a clearer picture of every audit engagement before it even begins.
Final Thoughts
Retain Cloud has taken De Hooge Waerder from manual, time-consuming processes to a structured, modern resource planning system. With automated scheduling, real-time reporting, and data-driven insights, the firm now has full control over resource allocation, improving both efficiency and employee wellbeing. The result is a smarter, more proactive approach to audit planning, where managers can make better-informed decisions that benefit both employees and clients.