How McAnarney Construction Ltd swapped manual admin for one system to run the business

McAnarney Construction Ltd is a building and carpentry contractor based in Athboy, Co. Meath. As the business grew, the team recognised that they needed a system to match their ambition.

The challenge

Before Trave, everything relied on manual input. Staff spent their time on repetitive data entry rather than analysing the figures that actually drove decisions, and every manual step carried the risk of human error. The systems that had served the business well needed to be streamlined.

We needed a system that automated our daily tasks, to allow us to concentrate more on analysing figures and data, rather than inputting.

The existing job-costing system had evolved over time. As McAnarney's contracts grew in nature and complexity, the next step was a centralised system: one that would give the team the information and flexibility to meet their customers' needs in a timely, accurate and efficient manner.

The fix - Trave

McAnarney had evaluated the alternatives. Some were too complex, others too rigid, and none fully addressed what the business needed. Through recommendations and LinkedIn research, they found Trave.

From the start, the Trave team worked closely with McAnarney to configure the platform around how they actually operate.

What we loved about Trave is we got to work with them to build a system that suited our business needs.

The rollout was phased: starting with subcontractor and supplier invoices to get cost codes and job-costing breakdowns right first, then widening access as confidence grew. A stage-by-stage approach that kept the experience positive for everyone involved.

For McAnarney, the goal with Trave was never just job-costing software - it is the foundation for running the whole business on one system, from purchasing and invoices to workforce management and project documentation.

Trave's impact on McAnarney

Less time on data entry, more time on decisions

Manual steps have been automated, freeing the team to focus on the analysis that moves the business forward rather than the inputting that fed it.

Our workflows are now much more streamlined. We have better visibility, fewer errors, and our team can focus on higher-value work instead of manual tasks.

Tasks that previously took an hour now take around five minutes. McAnarney now saves at least 8 hours a week previously spent on inputting - time the team now puts into analysing the figures instead.

Cost visibility across every element of a contract

The job-costing detail has changed how McAnarney understands and prices its work.

We now know much more effectively how much it costs to complete the different elements of a contract, whether it's 1st fixing, airtightness or groundworks.

That intelligence feeds directly back into pricing, leading to more accurate and complete quotations first time round, reducing the time it takes to prepare and review quotes for new projects.

A system built around the business, not the other way round

The plan to run the whole business on one system is already underway. Since the initial rollout, McAnarney has extended Trave beyond invoicing: employee timesheets and leave now run on the platform, feeding towards a complete job-costing picture that includes labour costs. Project forms, site diaries and document management are coming onto the platform too, putting the paperwork that runs a site alongside the numbers that run the business. The longer-term goal is every element of the business, from purchase orders through to PAYE labour and HR, running through a single system.

Running your construction business across spreadsheets, manual processes and single-purpose tools that don't talk to each other? Book a free demo and see Trave on one of your live projects.