For growing professional services teams, maximizing efficiency is the game. In a packed, hands-on Propel25 workshop, Jenn Brantmier and Aya McKeen, co-founders and principal consultants at CLV Consultants, demonstrated how lean and lethal your operations can get with automation inside Rocketlane.
Jenn and Aya revealed their playbook for transforming Rocketlane into a multifunctional engine powering their entire customer lifecycle from CRM and sales to project delivery and post-go-live care without needing additional software tools or operations headcount.
Their approach isn’t just clever; it’s scalable, strategic, and simple to implement. They transform Rocketlane into a cohesive system that adapts to every aspect of the business lifecycle while being easy to operate.
Jenn Brantmier and Aya McKeen, former leaders in the hospitality software implementations, now run CLV Consultants, helping organizations streamline onboarding and service delivery. Their experience spans hundreds of projects, dozens of templates, and deep hands-on work with Rocketlane at scale and startup levels. Their backgrounds give them a unique depth in understanding what influences PS delivery.
Aya framed Rocketlane not just as a project tool, but as their firm’s central nervous system. With no CRM, no separate invoicing system, and limited resources, they customized Rocketlane to handle:
They showcased their automation logic using a fictional project example abstracted from any industry, built live. This allowed attendees to see how such a workflow could map onto their domain-specific use cases.
"Aya McKeen said, 'We don't want to spend time on admin. We want to build connections, train customers, and drive adoption. Everything else should be automated."
Jenn explained how they use Rocketlane's Accounts feature to manage prospects without a dedicated CRM. Each account includes custom fields for:
They’ve mapped their pre-sales journey to Rocketlane so seamlessly that account creation, qualification, and advancement feel native to the platform. Custom project templates kick off based on account status, setting the foundation for automated workflows from pre-sales onward.
"Jenn Brantmier said, 'The customization is powerful. You can shape Rocketlane around how you work, not the other way around."
Instead of a single template, CLV uses a modular template approach:
This lets them flex workflows by customer type, project stage, or action taken, a structure that works for managing 5 or 500 projects. It also means they can adjust quickly to new engagement types, evolving needs, or onboarding processes.
"Aya McKeen said, 'You don't need one monster template. You need smart building blocks that assemble themselves."
Jenn and Aya walked through a complete lifecycle automation chain:
They demonstrated live how marking a task as completed or a project as "In Progress" triggered cascading automations. The effectiveness was in how each stage built momentum toward the next with minimal manual intervention.
The document generation feature in Rocketlane emerged as a game-changer for CLV. It creates proposals, SOWs, and updates with smart fill fields, minimizing errors and reducing review cycles. Aya noted:
"We rarely review docs now because the templates are so accurate. Each project improves the next."
These documents reside in project spaces, are linked in tasks, and serve as handoff artifacts with zero manual formatting. They are audit-friendly, client-ready, and standardized across engagements, ensuring consistency at scale.
Project status updates aren’t just for clients anymore. CLV uses them:
Aya said, "PMs just update one field. The system handles the rest. It's visibility without hassle."
The kicker? These updates serve as a reliable source of truth, offering real-time clarity for customers and cross-functional teams.
CLV used Rocketlane’s integrations to eliminate silos and double-entry:
With Salesforce in the loop, their sales-to-delivery process is fully automated and audit-proof.
Aya noted this was essential for PMs needing full visibility on utilization, especially with siloed developer time. The integration ensured no duplicate effort or chasing updates across systems.
When projects close, Rocketlane workflows automatically:
CLV ensures the customer journey never drops, whether it means upsell readiness or transitioning to ongoing support. Clients stay informed, and internal teams stay coordinated.
"Aya McKeen said, 'Every time we automate a piece, the team gains autonomy. And I gain peace of mind."
Rocketlane's flexibility means a two-person team can run like a global PS org with clarity, consistency, and confidence.
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