Freddie Rowland, Senior Project Manager
at Regency Grove Consultants
Dan: Can you introduce yourself and your job title?
Freddie: I’m Freddie Rowland, a project manager at Regency Grove.
Dan: Perfect. You’ve been using the software for a while now. From your perspective, what’s been the biggest benefit?
Freddie: Streamlining all my outputs and tasks. Definitely. The most useful tool I’ve been using is the instructions feature and building the change control log. Before, we used to manually create instructions and then update the change control log. ESTA now provides that as one service. It also records all the data you input. Once it learns the project directory, doing meeting minutes and everything else becomes much easier. It’s all about streamlining.
Dan: When you first tested the software, what was the business case? What were you looking to solve?
Freddie: The main driver was reporting. We used to spend a lot of time collating all the information that a project manager or QS had received or issued, whether it was for a monthly or weekly report. ESTA has made that process much faster.
That was the initial reason we considered it, and everything else it offers has been a bonus.
Dan: What’s been the most surprising thing about incorporating ESTA?
Freddie: The number of functions. Initially, we were just looking for reporting capabilities, but we discovered features like the Vault and the share portal, which we’ve started using on one of my projects. I didn’t expect those features, but they’ve been really useful.
Dan: How has it been received by clients?
Freddie: The risk register is very clear, and the dashboard is concise. Some clients don’t want detailed narratives about project updates—they just want a quick snapshot showing the program and budget. Those are the two key things they focus on, and ESTA makes it easy to present that information.
Dan: One last question—would you recommend ESTA, and why?
Freddie: Definitely. After using it daily for several months, I can say it makes a project manager's job much easier. Initially, it might seem like another piece of admin work, but once you fully integrate it, it speeds up everything—issuing instructions, managing minutes, tracking actions, and risk reporting. Plus, it’s a one-stop shop for all project information, so it’s simple to find what you need. I’d definitely recommend it.