An Internal Operating System for a Growing Digital Agency
We built our own agency OS — covering project management, HR, payroll, and client reporting — because nothing off-the-shelf fit how we actually work.
Overview
The challenge.
The solution.
We were managing projects in one tool, HR and contractor records in another, timesheets in a third, and client reporting manually in Google Slides. Every end-of-month was a reconciliation exercise across five systems. New team members had no central place to find contracts, policies, or project assignments. The friction was real and growing.
Agency OS is a custom-built internal platform that unifies project management, team profiles, contractor onboarding, timesheet submission, payroll calculation, and client reporting. Everything connects: time logged against a project flows into payroll; completed milestones update client-facing progress reports automatically; onboarding checklists trigger based on employment type and department.
Our Approach
How we
solved it.
The step-by-step methodology we used to take this project from brief to live.
Internal Audit & Tool Rationalisation
Audited every tool we were paying for and every manual process taking time. Built a dependency map showing how data moved (or didn't) between systems. Identified 11 manual processes to eliminate and 4 tools to decommission.
Core HR & Project Modules
Built the team management module (profiles, roles, contracts, department assignments) and the project module (scopes, milestones, assigned resources, status tracking) as the foundational data layer everything else references.
Timesheet & Payroll Engine
Integrated a timesheet submission system tied to active project assignments. Built a payroll calculation engine that handles hourly rates, salary staff, and contractor billing — generating pay runs automatically at the end of each period.
Client Reporting Automation
Built automated client progress report generation: pulls milestone status, hours logged, and deliverable completion from the project module, generates a branded PDF or web report, and sends it to the client on a configurable schedule — eliminating 3 hours of manual reporting per client per month.
The Results
What it
delivered.
Measurable outcomes achieved for Crux Labs — real numbers from a real engagement.
Building our own OS was the best operational decision we made. We know exactly where every project, person, and dollar is at any moment — and the whole team operates from one place.
Project Details
- Client
- Crux Labs
- Industry
- Agency Operations / HR SaaS
- Year
- 2024
- Duration
- 14 weeks
- Services
- SaaS Development · HR Automation · Internal Tools · Systems Design
Next Steps
Let's build something
worth talking about.
Tell us about your project. We'll come back within 24 hours with a clear scope and a path forward.