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AIA Small Project Design (SPD) Knowledge Community supports, celebrates, and promotes small projects by engaging designers and the public.

  • 1.  Project coordination

    Posted 06-29-2017 03:40 PM

    Good afternoon,

    We are a small, 7 person, architectural Office and I am interested in improving our project management system.

    Presently  it is done manually with time sheets, personally posting our time weekly. This method lends itself to a number of possible errors from the person posting the time to the person login it. The Office Manager uses Quick Book to record the projects history.

    Please advise if there is a better computer based system connected to the workers project folder, which would automatically record the time spent on the project.

     

     

    Regards,

    Manny

     

    Manuel Perez-Vichot, AIA

    Principal

    image001.png@01CFCE8E.52A02AA0

    627 Eldron Drive Suite 101, Miami Springs, FL 33166

    T 305.871.1648  F 305.871.1734  C 305.989.4132

    E mperez@sedainc.com

     



  • 2.  RE: Project coordination

    Posted 06-30-2017 05:59 PM
    We use Harvest, a web-based time sheet/invoicing program.  It has a timer that can be set when working on a project, but not an automatic system linked to a project file.  It is inexpensive and dependable.


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    Jane Kittner AIA, LEED AP BD+C
    Kittner & Pate Design Associates
    Waco TX
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  • 3.  RE: Project coordination

    Posted 07-03-2017 07:43 PM
    I use Harvest integrated with asana to tract projects. Tasks in asana are connected to time recorded in harvest.

    ------------------------------
    Kenneth Crutcher AIA
    Crutcher Studio Architects
    Farmington MI
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  • 4.  RE: Project coordination

    Posted 06-30-2017 05:59 PM
    I have something that works here, but it is not a software package designed for architects.  There are some of that type I believe, but what we have works.  It's a full featured accounting package.

    AccountEdge Pro/Acclivity Software.

    Small Business Accounting Software | AccountEdge

    This is a double entry accounting package. I use if for:

    Banking
    Chart of accounts
    Purchases (including subcontractors, like engineers)
    Time tracking
    Invoicing
    Reports (many, but balance sheets, P&L, sales summaries by customer)
    Payroll (internal, no separate package required)
    Payroll taxes

    It does not normally track project management issues like RFI's, Field orders, change orders, project field reports, and the like.  It tracks the financial parts.

    Some attractive features are:

    1.  Person that spends the time, enters the record.  I use a time slip approach, one each day for each project worked on.  It includes a start and stop timer, with an accumulating daily total.  Admin staff have no role or time requirement.

    2.  For me, billing hourly plus expenses, invoicing is fast and simple.  20-30 minutes to prepare detailed invoices with all time entries for 5-10 projects, once a month.  This saves admin time.  There are also options for milestone billings, but we are hourly with monthly billing so I don't use that.

    3.  Payroll is internal.  Takes mere moments to calculate and prepare for print a paycheck, with all the usual detailed payroll date on the stub.

    4.  It's networkable.  I don't need this, but if you have 5 employees, they each run a version and track their time and expense on their own computer, or tablet, or phone.

    5.  It simplifies payroll and income tax liabilities by collecting the data we need and facilitating the accounting entries.  They also offer a forms option which we don't use which provides automatic filling in of Federal forms, like 1099, W2, 1120, etc.

    6.  Price is reasonable for a single seat.  About $25/month, which includes tech support, payroll tax updates throughout the year, and an new version every December.

    We've been using it for 10-12 years.  Prior to that we were on quickbooks.  We left QB because their mac version did not have parity with the windows version.  AE started mac, but is both, and they are the same.  My wife had trouble with QB but picked up AE right away.

    Like all software we use, we use a subset of the features that fit our needs.  AE does other things as well, including POS and web sales, which we do not have a use for.  My CAD and modeling programs also do things that I don't need.

    There is a quickbooks file converter to aid the migration.  I believe there is also a trial version.  It is such basic software for a business, there should be no expectation of it being a simple and insignificant change.  But we did not need a consultant to pull it off.  They also offer a free copy to your accountant.

    Hope this helps,



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    Donald Wardlaw AIA
    More Than Construction, Inc.
    Oakland CA
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Project coordination

    Posted 06-30-2017 06:54 PM
    We have used archi office from BQE for the past 12 years. We log our time, generate invoices, set up budgets etc 
    everything runs thru archi-I can create monthly reports, project staff and project needs. 
    We have grown from 5 to 14 staff. With archi. Designed for architects by classmate at Syracuse Steve Burns
    Ralph Fey AIA 


    ------------------------------
    Ralph Fey AIA
    Principal
    Ralph Curtis Fey AIA Architects
    Doylestown PA
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Project coordination

    Posted 07-01-2017 03:07 PM
    We had a similar sized office and used Harvest   <harvestapp.com> .  We manually recorded our time then entered it weekly-but it has automatic timers.  Will do billing. Will tie into Quickbooks pretty sure.  About $40/month for  5-6 people.  Might work for you.

    Bob Knight
    Robert Knight AIA, Principal | Knight Architect LLC
    bob@knightarchitect.com | 207-326-9345