> CRM, projects, people, recruiting, staffing, time, expenses, KPIs and AI in one data model for consulting COOs and managers.

Source: https://hice.ai/en/consulting-operations-software
# The operations platform for running the whole consulting firm

CRM, projects, people, recruiting, staffing, time, expenses, KPIs and AI in one data model for consulting COOs and managers.

## When lead-to-project, recruiting-to-staffing, delivery-to-timesheet and economic control live in separate tools

For digital, IT, HR and professional services consulting firms, the problem is not a lack of software but fragmentation. With CRM, ATS, project management, time and leadership reports that do not share the same record, every handoff creates duplicates, waiting and numbers that disagree. Management sees the delay only after a vacancy, project or month-end close is already at risk.

- The same information is copied across CRM, ATS, project management, time and leadership reports that do not share the same record
- No owner can see the complete flow: lead-to-project, recruiting-to-staffing, delivery-to-timesheet and economic control
- Reminders, client updates and reports depend on individual memory
- Client, candidate and employee databases develop duplicates and conflicting fields
- Leadership receives retrospective reports instead of actionable exceptions
- The objective — govern demand, capacity, delivery and margin as one operating system — cannot be measured reliably

## HICE connects the work before automating it

HICE uses one data model for lead-to-project, recruiting-to-staffing, delivery-to-timesheet and economic control. AI helps teams search, update and prepare work in natural language; workflows, permissions and approvals keep control with accountable people. The result is an operating platform, not a chatbot placed over untidy data.

- “Turn the signed opportunity into a project and propose the available team” → clean handoff
- “Which skills are missing against the next 90 days of pipeline?” → hire, partner or bench decision
- “Show projects at risk on time, margin or approvals” → exception cockpit
- “Prepare the weekly operations report” → consistent KPIs from one data model

Examples you can ask:

Static demo of hice's AI chat.

## What you get

### One source of truth

Clients, people, requests, activity and outcomes across lead-to-project, recruiting-to-staffing, delivery-to-timesheet and economic control remain connected and searchable.

### AI on operational data

Ask for searches, summaries, updates and actions in chat while permissions and audit history stay active.

### Workflow and ownership

Stages, owners, next actions, due dates and approvals make stalled work visible.

### Connected CRM and people data

Companies and contacts are not separated from candidates, consultants, projects and operating history.

### Time, projects and margin

Operations continue after placement through assignments, timesheets, expenses and project economics.

### Exception-based dashboards

Measure what matters to govern demand, capacity, delivery and margin as one operating system without rebuilding an Excel report.

## How to design the end-to-end workflow

Start with decisions, not screens. For digital, IT, HR and professional services consulting firms, the minimum flow should describe lead-to-project, recruiting-to-staffing, delivery-to-timesheet and economic control. Every stage needs entry and exit criteria, an owner, a next action and a date. A stage that changes no decision probably does not belong in the workflow.

Separate the standard path from exceptions. Software should make frequent work immediate and surface incomplete cases. Document the handoffs among sales, recruiting, delivery and finance because that is where context and accountability most often disappear.

- Owner and SLA for each handoff
- Required fields only when needed
- A visible next action
- History of decisions and approvals

## Which data belongs in the same platform

One platform does not mean one giant table. It means consistent identities and explicit relationships: a client has contacts and requests; a person can become a candidate, consultant or employee; a request can create activities, interviews, a project, an assignment and time. That structure removes duplication caused by CRM, ATS, project management, time and leadership reports that do not share the same record.

Choose a system of record and update rule for every field. Skills, availability, rate, consent, stage and owner need shared definitions. Before migration, remove duplicates, ownerless records and obsolete stages; moving dirty data makes disorder faster, not better.

- Clients, contacts and requests
- Candidates, employees and consultants
- Projects, assignments and rates
- Activities, time, expenses and approvals

## What to automate and where humans remain accountable

Automate transfers, reminders, summary preparation, completeness checks and approval routing. These are high-volume activities with a testable rule. Keep a named person accountable for hiring decisions, assessments, commercial terms, rate overrides and financial close.

For every automation, define its trigger, source data, expected output, exceptions and reversal path. AI can extract and organize evidence; it should not invent requirements or make opaque employment decisions. Permissions and audit trails make speed governable.

- Automatic reminders and routing
- Assistive AI, not a hidden decision-maker
- Approval for sensitive actions
- Complete logs and reversible actions

## Implementation and KPIs that prove the result

Pilot a journey that genuinely crosses lead-to-project, recruiting-to-staffing, delivery-to-timesheet and economic control; do not stop at importing contact records. Select a representative team, client or project group, complete one cycle and reconcile outputs with current sources. Expand only after evidence is trusted and parallel trackers can be retired.

The baseline must show whether you are succeeding at govern demand, capacity, delivery and margin as one operating system. Measure cycle time, overdue actions, duplicates, reconciliation hours, adoption and data quality. Add availability, utilization, approved time and margin for staffing or consulting; add time-to-shortlist, stage conversion and vacancy aging for recruitment.

- Baseline before go-live
- End-to-end pilot
- Two reconciled cycles
- KPI review at 30, 60 and 90 days

## Operating example: a consulting group with three business units

Each unit used different definitions for pipeline, availability and margin. The COO received reports after the decision window had closed. HICE connects sales, people, projects and time with BU permissions and a consolidated view. Managers keep operating autonomy while leadership and finance work with comparable, current measures.

## HICE versus a stack of separate tools

| Feature | hice.ai | Fragmented stack |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Data model | Connected clients, people and work | CRM, ATS, project management, time and leadership reports that do not share the same record |
| Handoffs | Owned workflow with history | Email, chat and copy-paste |
| Automation | Across the end-to-end process | Local automations inside each tool |
| AI | Searches and updates every module | Copilot without operating context |
| Reporting | Live and exception-based | Periodic consolidation |
| Adoption | Chat plus full interface | Different forms in every system |

## Frequently asked questions about consulting operations software

### Who is consulting operations software for?

It is for digital, IT, HR and professional services consulting firms that need to run lead-to-project, recruiting-to-staffing, delivery-to-timesheet and economic control without maintaining disconnected databases and trackers.

### Does HICE replace ATS, CRM and timesheets?

It can when the scope needs candidates, clients, staffing, projects and time in one system. It can also be introduced in phases alongside current tools during migration.

### Can we import Excel, CRM or ATS data?

Yes. Migration starts with mapping, deduplication and record checks so useful history remains available without importing the old disorder.

### Does AI decide who gets hired?

No. AI helps extract, search, summarize and organize information. Accountable recruiters and managers make employment decisions.

### How are roles and sensitive data handled?

Role-based permissions, action history and information boundaries limit access to CVs, rates, costs and commercial data.

### Can we begin with one process?

Yes. Start with recruiting, CRM, staffing, projects or timesheets and connect further workflows when the team is ready.

### Which KPIs should we measure?

Measure cycle time, overdue actions, data quality and the specific outcome: govern demand, capacity, delivery and margin as one operating system. Then add conversion, utilization or margin for your business model.

### Is there a free plan?

Yes. HICE is free for companies with up to 10 employees and 2,000 CVs, or freelancers with up to 500 CVs, with no card required.

## Bring lead-to-project, recruiting-to-staffing, delivery-to-timesheet and economic control into one platform

Start free or book a demo built around your real workflow.

## Read more in our in-depth articles

## Related glossary terms

## Explore more solutions