Kaskas is a communications agency that specialises in research, inclusion and sustainability. In 2017, Kaskas Media was looking for a suitable tool for time tracking and decided to go with Silverbucket.
Gradually, however, the use of the tool expanded to cover resource management so that fragmented project work could be better planned from a human resources load perspective.
“The main reasons for introducing the resource management capabilities were the company’s growth, the desire to develop our practices and to make routines run more smoothly,” says Laura Tahkokallio, Chief Operating Officer of Kaskas Media, who continues: “Investments in staff well-being, work engagement and profitability are some of the aspects that Silverbucket is perfect for.”
At Kaskas Media, resource management is a jigsaw puzzle in which everyone is given the right kind of job and a suitable workload. Laura Tahkokallio is responsible for the overall resource management, or “bucketing”, as they call it at Kaskas Media. Resource management is made easier with the colour coding system, which immediately shows if there is too much or too little work. Red requires a response, and light green indicates that the person in question has capacity to take on a new project. A performance report by Silverbucket is discussed with each employee every two weeks; the report shows their current job situation and what the month ahead looks like.
Laura Tahkokallio says that Silverbucket plays an important role in bringing together time resources and competencies at Kaskas Media.
The most important projects in the sales phase are also entered into Silverbucket as tentative reservations. This ensures that Kaskas Media is up to date with the workload at any given moment and when it has the capacity to accept new projects. This makes it easier to plan and direct sales efforts. The staff’s in-house work is also entered into the system so that they are not overloaded with working with customers full time. The billing rate is also monitored through Silverbucket, and project managers can ensure that their projects stay within the task budget.
Laura Tahkokallio also points out that well-being at work is a major motivation for using Silverbucket at all levels.
The system immediately shows if a person has too much work on, while it can also prompt a discussion if someone is too busy even if their workload seems to be at an appropriate level. Problems can be tackled and some duties can be transferred to colleagues, for example. As a result, Kaskas Media can use Silverbucket to promote well-being at work while building a profitable business.
