Case Study: Earl Swensson Associates (ESa) achieves standardized processes and data-driven project control with Smartsheet

How Earl Swensson Associates builds a groundbreaking architecture firm

Earl Swensson Associates (ESa) is a Nashville-based architecture firm founded in 1961 that designs and manages roughly 400 projects a year across healthcare, education, hospitality, and more. With 190 employees and an expanding national portfolio, the firm struggled with paper-based workflows and disparate spreadsheets that made it hard to standardize processes, maintain oversight of designs and construction contracts, and forecast workload and staffing needs.

ESa implemented Smartsheet—using Control Center templates, forms, automated workflows, and dashboards—to standardize project phases, automate project setup and RFIs, and create a single source of truth. The result: faster, more consistent project handoffs, improved construction oversight and internal collaboration, clearer staff utilization forecasting, and data-driven decision-making that scales across projects.

Earl Swensson Associates

Eddie Lewis

Principal