Most small practices start with spreadsheets, and that is a fine place to start. A fee spreadsheet and a timesheet file cost nothing and do the job. This guide is about when that stops being true, and what to do about it.
What spreadsheets do well
- They are free and everyone knows how to use them.
- You can build exactly what you want.
- For one or two people and a handful of projects, they are often enough.
If that describes you today, you may not need software yet. A free fee and hours spreadsheet is a good way to start.
Signs you are outgrowing them
- Hours live in one file, fees in another, invoices in a third, and nothing matches.
- Someone has to retype hours into an invoice.
- You find out a project lost money after it finished.
- Only one person understands the spreadsheet, and they are on holiday.
- Chasing people for timesheets takes real time every week.
- You are not sure who has capacity next month.
- Clients email you for the latest figures or approvals, and answers sit in inboxes.
Two or three of these is a good sign it is time to look.
What to look for in software
Whatever you choose, check it covers the jobs you actually do:
- Fee budgets by stage, so you can compare hours with the fee as the project goes on.
- Timesheets that people will fill in, with approval.
- Invoices from the hours and fee, with VAT, and a link to your accounts package.
- Variations that are priced and approved in writing.
- Resourcing, to see who is free in the next few weeks.
- Price and set-up effort. If it takes weeks to set up, a small practice will not finish.
What it costs to wait
The cost is not the spreadsheet. It is the hours spent re-entering data, the invoices sent late, and the projects that quietly lose money. A few hours a week of admin per person adds up quickly.
How Projexa fits
Projexa is practice management software built for small architecture and engineering practices. It covers fee budgets, timesheets, invoices with VAT and Xero, variations, resourcing and a client portal in one place. It is £19 a month for the first person, £12 for people 2 to 10 and £9 from the 11th, with a 30-day free trial.
If you are not ready for software, keep the spreadsheet. If you are, you can try Projexa free.