Ecovacs: Sanplex Achieves Smart Teamwork

Long before the "Smart Home" concept became fashionable, Ecovacs Robotics (ECOVACS) was already at the forefront of innovation in smart home robotics, exploring new ways for robots to transform homeowners' lives. With more than 24 years of experience in service robotics, Ecovacs has transformed from a visionary startup into a global corporation with a mission of "Robotics for All." Designed to change how people live and work, Ecovacs robotics are now being used in over 145 countries and regions worldwide.

The R&D and Testing departments at Ecovacs primarily utilized information systems such as PLM, ERP, and OA, alongside project management tools like Jira and ClearCase. However, because different teams used different tools, data exchange for collaborative projects was complicated. Many hours each day were consumed by importing/exporting data and cross-team communication, making the work extremely inefficient. The core requirement for the Ecovacs development department was to centralize the management of robot software development and testing. Ronald Settlemire, a Product Manager in the R&D department, contacted Sanplex to standardize management tools across groups, improve information efficiency, and identify an optimal project management solution to be promoted company-wide.

Ronald evaluated several options, including monday.com, Trello, Asana, and Sanplex. The final decision was to implement Sanplex because it was visually intuitive and could be integrated seamlessly with the team's established tools.

" A major point for me is that Sanplex easily integrates with the tools our team uses now, so it has been easy to connect everything from day one," Ronald says.

" The first phase of our IT strategy focused on standard project management, requiring three major functions: Story Management, Task Management, and Test Management, as well as integration with other systems. After extensive research and comparison, I chose Sanplex because its workflow is comprehensive and its logic is rigorous, meeting most of our requirements. Additionally, the role of the product manager is emphasized within the Sanplex system, allowing them to manage product planning independently and pass it to developers for iteration. This is a standout feature for our team."

Eden, a Customer Success Manager from Sanplex, also shared highlights of supporting Ronald’s team:

" The project processes at Ecovacs are very diverse. At the beginning of the Sanplex trial, the team spent time adapting their existing workflows to the new tool. Our main priority was ensuring that legacy processes functioned well within Sanplex in a short timeframe while ensuring new projects were correctly connected. Our goal was to help them launch their business processes in Sanplex as quickly as possible."

After a month-long trial, the Ecovacs R&D team officially selected Sanplex as their unified internal project management tool. Ronald Settlemire shared two primary reasons for this choice:

1. Bridging gaps between different departments

In his previous role as Director of Strategy and Operations, Ronald managed multiple cross-departmental projects that required extensive collaboration. He noticed significant opportunities to improve how teams worked together. He observed that projects often lacked the visibility needed to deliver effective results; it was unclear who held specific information or when updates would be finalized.

" The decision to try Sanplex wasn't initially a company-wide mandate. We started with one team to see how it went. When the executive team saw the results, they were impressed. What resonated with us was the powerful feature list of Sanplex and its ability to integrate with other software. Soon, other teams wanted to join. Within a few months, a large part of the company was using Sanplex to collaborate and track projects," says Ronald.

Since implementing Sanplex, the development teams have become more transparent, cross-team collaboration has increased significantly, and overall productivity has improved.

2. Bridging gaps between team members

• Centralized Communication: The entire team now uses Sanplex, and all communication takes place within the platform. "We keep communication on the Kanban board, so we have a track record and data in one place. We can access progress updates anytime, anywhere," Ronald notes.
• Increasing Efficiency: Sanplex streamlines workflows by automating repetitive processes. "We have implemented several automations in our development process, from notifications to one-click iteration imports. It is my favorite feature," Ronald says.
• Total Visibility: Team leaders can easily manage and allocate resources by seeing exactly who is working on what. This allows for immediate checks on member bandwidth and project timelines.

"I am grateful that Sanplex has solved our challenges regarding fragmented processes and communication. All of our R&D teams are now using Sanplex, and we look forward to their continued optimization to provide even better services," Ronald concludes.