How Barrett Group turned missed variations into real-time profit control
Business name: Barrett Group
Location: Australia-wide
Barrett Group went from missing variations on nearly every project to capturing 100% of them. The key shift was real-time visibility – seeing issues as they happened instead of days later, when profit had already disappeared.
“We were slack with variations and always missed them. Now the PMs create them straight away and match them back to the claim – it’s tidied up our whole process.”
100% Variation Capture
Across all projects,
in real-time.
50+ Connected Staff
Across office, factory
and site.
130+
Projects
Per Month
Managed locally and remotely, with ease.
About Barrett Group
Barrett Group is a second-generation family business specialising in retail and commercial fitout. Operating from Brisbane with their own joinery factory and maintenance division, they deliver fitouts nationwide for major commercial clients.
Teams: Office, factory, site & maintenance
Established: 1993
Barrett’s award-winning fitout, The Hour Glass Adelaide. IFA Awards, Interior Fitout of the Year 2025 – SA
The challenge
As Barrett grew into a fast-moving national operator, their old system couldn’t keep up. Jobs were progressing faster than information could be tracked, and visibility relied on being physically onsite.
Critical job information was buried in an old system that was hard to navigate, so staff relied on spreadsheets to piece things together. Variations were frequently missed, and purchase orders were often raised after the invoice rather than before.
The issue wasn’t competency – it was timing. By the time anyone had the full picture, the cost had already landed.
What changed with Nexvia
Nexvia gave Barrett live oversight across office, factory and site, turning what used to be reactive project management into real-time control.
Variations are now captured the moment they occur, factory time tracking keeps labour accurate and managers can review multiple projects without travelling between sites.
Rolling Nexvia out was far easier than expected and quickly became part of daily operations.
“The implementation was super easy. We expected the worst and were really surprised it went so well. ”
The outcome
Today, Barrett control costs at the point they’re created – not weeks later. POs are approved upfront instead of after the invoice, which stops disputes before they happen and protects margin in real time.
The same visibility extends to their maintenance division, where they now handle 20 – 30 quick-turnaround jobs a day inside Nexvia without the overhead of setting up full projects, while still tracking and billing each one individually.
With daily photo uploads replacing site travel, the team can oversee work across four states without needing to physically attend every job, and site visits now only happen when they add value.
“Things used to slip through the cracks and we’d only be arguing about it once the bill arrived. Now we stop it before it happens.”
Why it matters
This wasn’t just a software swap – it changed how Barrett Group operates. Real-time visibility has built accountability into daily delivery, so profit is protected before it can slip, not discovered after it’s gone.
“It’s so easy to use. We can put any young person in front of Nexvia and within half an hour they’ve got the hang of it. And when we need help, the Nexvia team jumps on straight away - that’s kept us moving.
I think Nexvia is setting the benchmark for everyone to aspire to. "
Highlights
100% variation capture across all projects
Real-time visibility across office, factory and site
Same-day issue response and cost control
20-30 maintenance jobs managed daily without project overhead
50+ staff connected Australia-wide
Xero integration for seamless accounting
get started
Contact us now for more information about our software and to arrange a free demo.
