Case Study - TRM Fencing

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The Background

TRM Fencing is a Central Queensland-based contractor that provides professional fencing and infrastructure solutions across the commercial, industrial, rural, and environmental sectors. With decades of experience, TRM has built a strong reputation for delivering complex, large-scale projects in regional and remote locations, including the Eva Copper Mine and Bundaberg Solar Farm.
Over the years, TRM Fencing has grown from a small, hands-on team into a company managing high-value projects with tight timelines and strict regulatory requirements. This growth introduced a new set of operational challenges that could no longer be managed through spreadsheets and disconnected systems.

Making the change

As TRM took on larger projects and more clients, it became increasingly difficult to maintain visibility over job budgets, project costs, plant usage, and payroll information. Their existing systems lacked the sophistication to accurately track direct costs, forecast profitability, or automate critical workflows. Managing project variations, reconciling financials at month-end, and ensuring compliance with industry standards had become time-consuming and prone to errors. Additionally, the company had limited capability for field-based data capture and reporting, reducing operational efficiency on the ground.

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The Turning Point

TRM was using a combination of Excel spreadsheets, email approvals, and manual entry to manage job costing and finances. These tools were limiting the business's ability to scale and operate efficiently. The decision to implement Workbench came from a clear need to centralize operations, automate processes, and align field and office workflows in real time, coupled with a desire to view financial information on a ‘whole-of-business’ level.

What attracted TRM to Workbench was its practical focus on civil construction businesses, its Xero integration, and the ability to implement the software in manageable stages. The phased implementation approach—Stage 1 for financial project management and Stage 2 for field mobility—aligned perfectly with TRM’s vision for digital transformation. TRM saw Workbench as the single source of truth for their daily operations.

The Solutions: Workbench + Upvise

Stage 1: Financial Project Manager

The first stage focused on:

  • Accurate job budgeting for costs and revenue
  • Tracking materials, labour, subcontractors, and equipment
  • Forecasting project completion costs and WIP reporting
  • Handling project variations
  • Automating purchase orders and invoice approvals
  • Progress claims and AR invoice generation
  • EBA interpretation and payroll export to Xero
  • End-of-month financial process alignment

Stage 2: Field Mobility with Upvise

Kicking off in early 2024, the second stage included:

  • Daily diaries and delivery docket recording from site
  • Pre-starts and equipment maintenance
  • Notifications for equipment servicing and compliance
  • Capturing quality, safety, and incident reports
  • Managing equipment record due dates for insurance and registrations

Key Results and Benefits

Since implementing Workbench, TRM has seen a significant uplift in process efficiency, cost control, and financial accuracy:

  • Visibility & Accuracy: A centralised job costing platform provides real-time visibility into project health and profitability.
  • Automation: Invoice approvals and purchase order workflows are now streamlined, reducing errors, saving time and embedding good practice processes.
  • Field-to-Office Sync: Field mobility tools enable site teams to contribute accurate data that feeds directly into financial systems.
  • Plant Insight: TRM can now monitor plant utilization, report on cost recovery, and adjust charge-out rates to maintain profitability.
  • Revenue Recognition: Implementing WIP accrual practices helps align revenue with project progress, enhancing the accuracy of P&L reporting and financial forecasting.
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Reflections and Looking Ahead

TRM’s team values the ability to manage budgets, variations, and claims within a single source of truth. Their favourite Workbench features include forecasting the cost-to-complete, plant utilisation reporting, Xero integration, and the flexibility to adapt forms and processes to their unique needs. With a strong digital foundation in place, TRM sees its future in scaling operations with confidence, responding to new opportunities, and continuously improving operational performance. Workbench has become a critical part of that roadmap.

After months of research, looking for a Project Management system we found Workbench. We knew we wanted a system capable of more than just tracking costs.  From consultation, through implementation and support, our experience has been professional and seamless.  We now have a one source of truth system which captures our job costing (and more) and translates it into real and meaningful data.  Our consultant worked with us to provide solutions and configure the system to meet the needs of the business.  The proactive follow-up post implementation, as system enhancements have rolled out has meant we are across new functionality for value adding to our daily operations.  We know as we continue to grow, Workbench will grow with us. 

Kayla Steen TRM Fencing

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