How Umanova created their own client portal and sped up timesheet processing by 150%

Umanova d.o.o. is a Croatia-based consulting and development company partnered with a Swiss company. They transitioned to Beebole from a temporary Excel solution in a short period to meet client demands for structured timesheets, reduce reporting headaches, and improve project forecasting. But they didn't stop there — using Beebole's open API, they built a custom internal reporting system that delivers real-time project visibility, spots issues early on, and provides clients with clear and reliable data.

#The challenge: Forecasting and project visibility

Umanova supports large international clients (via a Swiss parent company) while running a distributed team across Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia. They deliver consultancy, software development, and support — sometimes contracting developers who work directly with clients while remaining on Umanova's payroll.

As the company grew, communication with clients and project forecasting became big challenges. Before Beebole, the team relied on Excel sheets that couldn't provide real-time visibility or reliable data for predicting workloads and billed hours.

Key challenges before Beebole:

• Forecasting uncertainty: Project managers struggled to accurately estimate the number of hours to be billed per project.

• Limited visibility: Excel sheets made it hard to see where time was really being spent.

• Reporting strain: Producing reports required manual work and often resulted in errors, and there was no simple way to share hours worked with clients.

• Timesheet processing: This used to take five working days each month.

• Operational complexity: Umanova manages separate time tracking structures due to different legal and client-specific requirements, and they sought to consolidate everything into a single reporting layer.

#The solution: Structure, reporting, and forecasting in one place

Umanova built upon its already structured internal processes with Beebole. They used Beebole's features to enhance forecasting, reporting, and client communication. Likar set up the system to mirror their client and project hierarchy, giving both management and project leads a clear view of time allocation. And Umanova managing partner Luka Kurelić used Beebole's open API to create their own internal reporting system and client portal.

Today, project managers record time in both Beebole and Notion, then compare results to forecast project duration more accurately. Reports that once took hours to build in Excel are now created in minutes. The best part? All of that time tracking data is also filtered into their internal program, which is shared with clients.

This internal system relies on the tracked and approved hours as a single source of truth for visibility, evaluation, and decision-making.

The open API marked the difference — Umanova's internal reporting program can process 10,000 records in 30 seconds, and Beebole serves as a reliable source of structured time tracking data within their wider operational systems.

How Beebole addressed the issues:

• Open API: Clear documentation that allowed them to create their own internal program for client relationships and instant analysis.

• Clear data structure: Beebole's customizability made it easy for them to have a clear data structure of client → project → task setup across teams.

• Accurate time capture: Employees and freelancers log hours directly in Beebole, reducing duplication.

• Billable vs. non-billable hours: Easy separation between client work and internal tasks.

• Actionable insights: Reports show where time is spent, helping inform project time allotments and budgets.

• Improved forecasting: Historical data enables better planning and more realistic project estimates.

"Clients demanded timesheets, and Beebole was already known to some of them. It gave us proper structure, which Excel couldn't," explained Sunčica.

#The implementation: Hands-on setup with helpful guidance

Likar, Umanova's director, took on the setup of Beebole herself — entering clients, projects, and tasks to build a structure that matched their workflow. While it required effort initially, Beebole's support team, especially Miguel, guided her through the process.

Now, she independently manages updates, reports, and new project setups without outside help.

What stood out:

• Straightforward onboarding: A few guided sessions made setup manageable.

• Empowered administration: Likar can now customize and update reports independently.

• Responsive support: Quick, practical help when issues arise.

On the other hand, Kurelić took care of setting up Beebole's API, which he said was a straightforward process that didn't require external assistance.

#The results: Faster reporting, confident forecasting, and scalable operations

Umanova's main goal was to gain better control and visibility over its projects. With Beebole, the team now builds accurate reports, identifies trends in billable hours, communicates seamlessly with their clients, and forecasts workloads with far more confidence. Plus, processing monthly timesheets went from taking an entire week to just two days — that's 150% faster.

The integration has transformed how they operate — turning Beebole into the core of their operational intelligence. The API provides them with the flexibility to customize their internal systems, scale without incurring heavy investment, and continuously adapt to new business needs.