Murphy Electric + Rhumbix: Replacing Homegrown Systems

Consolidating Timekeeping, T&M, and Daily Reporting for Union Electrical Contractors

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Murphy Electric & Industrial Control, LLC is an established electrical contractor based in the Boston/Pembroke, Massachusetts market, operating as a union shop with approximately 60 field users across multiple divisions. Led by Outside Supervisor Bob Sullivan, CFO Mark Pitts, and Systems Design & Support Lead Connor Graham, Murphy Electric manages diverse commercial and industrial electrical projects requiring sophisticated field operations management.

Operating across gas, commercial, and industrial divisions, Murphy Electric handles both contracted project work and time-and-materials service work, creating unique operational challenges around workflow differentiation, timekeeping accuracy, and T&M ticket compliance.

THE CHALLENGE

Murphy Electric faced a fragmented technology landscape that was becoming increasingly untenable as the company scaled.

Homegrown System Limitations

Murphy Electric had built an in-house timekeeping and T&M tracking system (hosted through Zoho) that was “tailored pretty well” to their operations but lacked scalability, mobile-first design, and robust analytics. While functional, the system required ongoing IT maintenance and couldn’t keep pace with field teams’ expectations for modern mobile experiences.

“We have a like kind of a home built, time tracking and time and materials tracking. It tailored pretty well to us. We like it, but I think we need to try to find something more robust.”

— Bob Sullivan, Outside Supervisor

Disconnected Daily Reporting (Raken)

Murphy Electric used Raken exclusively for daily construction reports, creating a fragmented workflow where foremen had to jump between multiple systems to complete their daily responsibilities. While Raken excelled at daily reports, it struggled with T&M ticketing and lacked the integrated timekeeping Murphy needed.

T&M vs. Contract Work Differentiation

Murphy Electric’s unique challenge was distinguishing T&M service jobs from contracted project work. In their homegrown system, T&M jobs were labeled “inactive” in Foundation, and foremen could only see those jobs in the service order module—not in timesheets. This forced workflow meant foremen couldn’t accidentally enter time without creating a T&M ticket.

“When did we find out like, hey, you missed 10 T&M tickets on this? Right now, those jobs won’t even present themselves in timesheets because our workflow is backwards… They’ll say like, hey, I can’t find this job in the timesheet part. And it’s like, yeah, you should go to the service orders.”

— Bob Sullivan, Outside Supervisor

Complex Foundation Integration Requirements

Using Foundation (cloud-hosted version) as their ERP with ODBC database connections, Murphy Electric needed seamless bidirectional integration that respected Foundation as their source of truth while enabling real-time field data capture without duplicate data entry.

Union-Specific Complexities

As a union contractor, Murphy Electric needed to track:

• Shift differentials (second shift and third shift multipliers)
• Trade classification changes
• Multiple pay rates per project
• Reimbursements, per diem, and mileage
• Vacation and holiday time (not universal across all employees)

Lack of Production Visibility

Murphy Electric wasn’t tracking production metrics or labor productivity, limiting their ability to understand profitability at the cost code level, identify underperforming crews, or improve estimating accuracy based on actual field data.

THE SOLUTION

After evaluating Rhumbix as a comprehensive replacement for their fragmented systems, Murphy Electric selected Rhumbix for its ability to consolidate timekeeping, T&M ticketing, daily reporting, and future production tracking in one mobile-first platform with proven Foundation integration capabilities.

Key Capabilities That Won the Deal

1. One Platform for Timekeeping, T&M, and Daily Reports: Rather than maintaining a homegrown system for time/T&M and Raken for daily reports, Rhumbix consolidated everything into one mobile-first platform. Foremen could enter time cards, copy that data to T&M tickets with one click, and complete daily reports—all without switching applications.

2. Transform Workflows: Rhumbix’s “transform” feature allowed foremen to enter time once, then copy labor and hours directly to T&M tickets with one click—eliminating duplicate data entry and ensuring consistency between time cards and T&M documentation.

3. Foundation Cloud Integration via ODBC: Rhumbix integrated with Murphy Electric’s cloud-hosted Foundation instance via ODBC database connections, pulling employees, projects, cost codes, materials, equipment, and budgets from Foundation while exporting time cards back via configured CSV files.

4. Union-Specific Shift Extras & Pay Rate Management: Rhumbix’s “shift extras” functionality handled Murphy Electric’s complex union requirements: second/third shift multipliers, trade classification changes, reimbursements, per diem, mileage, vacation/holiday time—all configurable and exportable to Foundation.

5. Project-Specific Rate Tables for T&M: Each project maintained its own rate tables (standard time, overtime, double time) for labor, equipment, and materials. This allowed Murphy Electric to price T&M tickets accurately across different customer contracts without foremen seeing pricing.

6. Flexible T&M Workflows: Murphy Electric needed different T&M workflows: 70% of tickets went directly to customers without GC signatures, while 30% required GC superintendent sign-off before final pricing and billing. Rhumbix supported both scenarios.

7. T&M Ticket Bundling for Change Orders: Rather than sending individual T&M tickets, Rhumbix allowed Murphy Electric to bundle multiple tickets into comprehensive change orders with cover pages, itemized summaries, and all backup documentation.

8. Division-Based Groups: Rhumbix’s “groups” functionality allowed Murphy Electric to organize their gas, commercial, and industrial divisions separately, with division-specific project visibility, cost codes, and notification preferences.

9. Real-Time Labor Analytics: Rhumbix’s analytics platform (powered by Google Looker) provided dashboards showing budgeted vs. actual hours at the cost code level, labor distribution across projects, and projected gain/loss.

10. Future-Ready for Production Tracking: While Murphy Electric wasn’t initially ready for production tracking, Rhumbix positioned them to add quantity-based productivity metrics whenever they were ready—included with timekeeping at no additional cost.

THE IMPLEMENTATION

Murphy Electric took a methodical, consultative approach to implementation spanning December 2024 through July 2025.

Phase 1: Discovery & Demo (December 2024)

• Initial demo with Bob Sullivan, Connor Graham, Mark Pitts, and Joe Harrison
• Walked through timekeeping workflow, T&M ticket creation, and daily reporting
• Discussed Foundation integration options (API vs. ODBC)
• Confirmed union-specific requirements and change order management workflows

Phase 2: Deeper Technical Validation (December 2024)

• Follow-up call with VP of Construction Innovation Guy Skillett
• Deep dive on Foundation integration: confirmed ODBC database connection approach
• Validated bidirectional data flow: Foundation to Rhumbix and back
• Demonstrated T&M-to-change-order workflow with customizable cover sheets

Phase 3: Configured Sandbox Pilot (January 2025)

• Rhumbix provided sandbox environment with test data
• Bob Sullivan and Connor Graham self-explored platform independently (“10 steps ahead of most folks”)
• Key challenge identified: differentiating T&M jobs from contract jobs
• Solution: label T&M jobs with distinct identifiers in Foundation job numbers for visibility in Rhumbix

Phase 4: Configuration Refinement (January – June 2025)

• Murphy Electric shared T&M ticket templates for Rhumbix to digitize
• Configured shift extras for second/third shift multipliers, reimbursements, vacation/holiday time
• Set up division-based groups (gas, commercial, industrial) with appropriate user permissions
• Enabled cost code status reports and labor distribution dashboards
• Coordinated with Morpheus (Foundation integration partner) on ODBC connection specifications

Phase 5: Field Rollout (July 2025)

Target go-live: End of July 2025, replacing homegrown system and Raken with single Rhumbix platform across 60 field users.

Anticipated License Structure

• 60 field user licenses (foremen, superintendents, project managers, payroll)
• Rhumbix Plus Plan: Timekeeping + T&M + Daily Reports + Analytics ($588/user/year)
• Total annual cost: ~$35,280 (first year) with $2,500 implementation fee
• Optional Data Explorer (Google Looker platform) for custom dashboards: +25% of contract value

EXPECTED RESULTS

Operational Improvements

Single System of Record: Eliminating homegrown system and Raken consolidates field operations into one mobile-first platform, reducing training complexity and system-switching friction for foremen.

Eliminate Duplicate Data Entry: Transform workflows (copying time to T&M tickets) save foremen from re-entering labor and hours, reducing errors and accelerating T&M ticket completion.

Faster T&M Billing Cycles: Bundling multiple T&M tickets into change orders with professional cover sheets streamlines customer approvals and accelerates payment collection.

Real-Time Cost Code Visibility: For the first time, Murphy Electric PMs can see budgeted vs. actual hours at the cost code level in real-time—enabling proactive project management rather than reactive firefighting.

Improved Payroll Accuracy: Configurable shift extras ensure payroll data exported to Foundation accurately reflects complex union pay rules.

Strategic Wins

Reduced IT Maintenance Burden: Deprecating homegrown Zoho system eliminates ongoing development and maintenance costs, freeing IT resources for higher-value initiatives.

Scalable for Multi-Division Growth: Division-based groups enable Murphy Electric to scale operations across business units without creating separate system instances.

Foundation for Autodesk Integration: As Murphy Electric evaluates moving from Foundation Project HQ to Autodesk Construction Cloud, Rhumbix’s existing Autodesk integrations position them for a smooth transition.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Homegrown Systems Hit a Ceiling

Murphy Electric’s experience demonstrates that even “tailored” homegrown systems eventually become unsustainable. As field teams expect mobile-first experiences and leadership demands analytics, custom-built tools struggle to keep pace with commercial platforms’ innovation velocity.

Workflow Differentiation Requires Intentional Design

Murphy Electric’s challenge distinguishing T&M jobs from contract jobs highlighted a critical implementation consideration: systems must respect existing business logic rather than forcing process changes. Rhumbix’s job number labeling solution addressed this elegantly.

Union Contractors Need Union-Specific Features

Generic timekeeping tools fail to accommodate shift multipliers, trade classification changes, and vacation/holiday accrual rules that vary by employee. Rhumbix’s shift extras configurability proved essential for Murphy Electric’s union operations in the Boston market.

Platform Consolidation Requires Change Management

Murphy Electric’s methodical six-month pilot demonstrated mature change management. Rather than rushing implementation, they validated workflows, self-explored the platform, and coordinated Foundation integration specifications before rolling out to 60 field users.

“I think you kind of answered a lot of questions today. I think it’s more just getting used to a different kind of path… we really liked that [Raken] dashboard view… we’ll figure that out.”

— Bob Sullivan, Outside Supervisor

Analytics Unlock Future State Capabilities

Murphy Electric’s interest in Rhumbix’s Data Explorer (Looker-powered custom dashboards) despite not being “ready” for production tracking showed forward-thinking leadership. The ability to query all field data for custom reports represented transformative operational visibility.

LOOKING AHEAD

Murphy Electric’s journey from fragmented systems to a consolidated Rhumbix platform represents a broader trend: mid-sized specialty contractors outgrowing custom-built tools and demanding enterprise-grade field operations software at accessible price points.

The Murphy Electric case demonstrates that contractors shouldn’t choose between “unsustainable homegrown systems” and “rigid off-the-shelf software.” Rhumbix’s highly configurable platform offered a third path: commercial software flexible enough to replicate existing workflows while delivering innovation velocity impossible to maintain in-house.

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