SUCCESS STORY
Detecon International GmbH
Global Resource Management with decídalo
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7+ Years
Partnership |
Worldwide
Global Deployment |
Significant
Utilization Increase |
How an international technology consultancy revolutionized its resource management with decídalo – and achieved significant increases in consultant utilization.
Company Profile
About Detecon International |
Detecon International GmbH is an internationally operating technology consulting firm and part of the Deutsche Telekom Group. With consultants in Germany, China, Thailand, the Middle East, and other regions, Detecon advises companies worldwide on technology strategy, system architectures, technology implementations, and change management.
Projects range from short strategy engagements to multi-year large-scale projects with extensive teams – from building complete telecommunications companies to regulatory consulting for national markets. In Germany, Detecon primarily works on a time-and-material basis, while internationally, fixed-price contracts predominate. Deutsche Telekom is the company’s largest individual client.
“Skills, CVs, and resource management are the production control of consulting – without it, nothing works. Every idle day of a consultant carries enormous opportunity costs. That’s pure EBIT you’re leaving on the table.”
— Susanne Sonntag, former Head of Competence & Resource Management
Starting Point
The Challenge |
Before implementing decídalo, Detecon faced several challenges in resource management:
Lack of TransparencyIt was unclear which consultants were available when. For short-notice requests, there was no overview of available capacities and matching skills. |
Forward PlanningProject managers often reported releases only on the final day. Proactive staffing planning was barely possible. |
Fragmented SystemsExcel spreadsheets, local files, and various tools – without a central system, consistent resource management was impossible. |
“The staffing process was like quicksand: you never knew exactly where you stood. Today we have solid ground beneath our feet.”
— Susanne Sonntag
Evaluation
The Decision for decídalo |
After a comprehensive market evaluation, the choice fell on decídalo – for two decisive reasons:
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01
Perfect Fitdecídalo understands the specific requirements of a consultancy: skill profiles, availabilities, project histories – everything in one system built for consultants. |
02
Partnership at Eye LevelNot a rigid product, but a partner who listens. decídalo developed features precisely tailored to Detecon’s processes. |
“With large vendors, you’re one of many. With decídalo, we felt: they really care about our problems.”
— Susanne Sonntag
Rollout
The Implementation |
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Implementing decídalo was a change management process. Consultants who had worked with their own Excel spreadsheets for years had to be convinced to enter their data into a central system. The key to success: visible value from day one. As soon as the first teams noticed that decídalo concretely helped them with project acquisition and staffing, acceptance grew quickly. Senior leaders recognized the strategic value of transparency – and consultants appreciated that their skills and experience were finally systematically visible. Particularly important was the close collaboration with the decídalo team: adaptations to Detecon’s specific processes – such as mapping time-and-material and fixed-price contracts, international locations, and the complex skill taxonomy – were developed together. |
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“Acceptance comes through benefit. Once a consultant sees that they’re being proposed for an exciting project through decídalo, they willingly maintain their profile.”
— Susanne Sonntag
Impact
The Results |
The implementation of decídalo has brought measurable improvements in several areas at Detecon:
Higher UtilizationSignificant increase in consultant utilization through improved matching processes and early availability signals. |
Faster StaffingOpen positions are filled more quickly because matching consultants can be identified with just a few clicks. |
Skill TransparencyFor the first time, a complete picture of all competencies in the organization – as a foundation for strategic workforce planning. |
Better ForecastsForward-looking planning becomes possible: Who will be available when? Where are bottlenecks forming? Data instead of gut feeling. |
The COVID-19 TestThe COVID-19 pandemic became an involuntary stress test – and decídalo passed. When projects were suddenly paused or restructured, Detecon was able to quickly redeploy consultants. Real-time transparency over availabilities and skills made it possible to manage capacities flexibly – a decisive advantage in the crisis. |
“The COVID period showed: those who know their resources can react faster. decídalo was worth its weight in gold during this phase.”
— Susanne Sonntag
Cultural Change
Transparency as the Foundation of Trust |
A central effect of decídalo that goes beyond pure metrics: transparency creates trust. When consultants see that their competencies are fairly and completely represented, their willingness to actively use the system increases.
For management, transparency means the ability to make data-driven decisions – both in project staffing and in strategic competency development. Instead of relying on personal networks and the experiential knowledge of individual managers, an objective data foundation is available.
Outlook
AI-Powered Innovation |
With the latest version of decídalo (V3), artificial intelligence enters the picture. The platform uses AI to generate matching suggestions, identify skill gaps, and create utilization forecasts.
For Detecon, this means: the next step from data-driven to AI-powered resource management. The years of data accumulated in decídalo provide the ideal foundation for this – yet another advantage of early adoption.
“We’ve been building up data for years. Now that AI is coming into play, this investment is paying off twice over.”
— Susanne Sonntag
CONCLUSION
“Functionality is one thing, collaboration is another – both work, are enjoyable, and generate value. Those are the two reasons why we recommend decídalo.”
— Susanne Sonntag, Detecon International GmbH
What Susanne Sonntag recommends to other companies:
“Rely on proven SaaS solutions instead of custom developments. You get standards, best practices, and easy customization options – with a partner who works together with you to find solutions.”