From signed SOW to project margin, on one system.
Pipeline in a CRM, SOWs in a shared drive, staffing in a spreadsheet, time in another tool and margin in a report someone builds at month-end. We build one custom platform around how your firm sells, staffs and delivers work.
Every handoff, in one place.
Margin leaks at the handoffs: a SOW that was sold one way and staffed another, time logged to the wrong project, a change in scope nobody billed. In one platform, each step carries forward what the last one decided.
- 1
Pipeline
Opportunities with expected start, size and the roles they’ll need, so you can see demand before it lands on the bench.
- 2
SOW
The statement of work defines phases, rates, fee type and budget, and becomes the project when it’s signed.
- 3
Staffing
People assigned by role and week against the SOW, with conflicts and open seats visible across every project.
- 4
Time
Consultants log time against the project and phase they were staffed on, from desktop or phone, with fewer places to pick wrong.
- 5
Utilization
Billable and total utilization per person, team and month, measured against targets you set, not a generic default.
- 6
Billing
Invoices built from approved time, milestones or retainers, following the terms already in the SOW.
- 7
Project margin
Budget against actuals as time is approved, so a project going over shows up mid-engagement, not after it closes.
When a standard setup stops fitting.
Professional services automation (PSA) tools such as Kantata, Harvest and Productive solve real problems, and smaller firms often do well on one of them. The friction usually starts when the firm’s way of selling and staffing stops matching the tool’s model: mixed fixed-fee and time-and-materials work, rate cards that vary by client, contractors alongside employees, or partners who want margin by practice area rather than by project.
That’s when the side spreadsheets appear. Staffing lives in a sheet because the tool’s resource view doesn’t match how you plan. Utilization is recalculated by hand because the definitions don’t match how you pay bonuses. Margin is assembled at month-end from time exports and the accounting system, by which point the project is already over budget.
A custom platform connects the pipeline, the SOW, staffing, time, billing and margin on the same project record, using your definitions of billable, utilization and margin. Your accounting system usually stays; we connect it so invoices and costs flow through without re-entry.
What a staffing meeting looks like
Instead of opening three tabs, the team looks at one screen: who is on which project next week and the week after, which signed SOWs still have open seats, which late-stage opportunities will need the same people, and whose utilization is drifting under target. Moving someone between projects updates the forecast for both, and the margin for each project reflects the change before the meeting ends. Partners see the effect of a staffing decision on margin before it happens, not after.
For how to measure utilization in a way consultants actually keep up with, read consulting firm utilization tracking that people actually use. To see where your numbers stand today, try the consultant utilization calculator.
Questions consulting firms ask us.
Is this a replacement for Kantata, Harvest or Productive?
It can be. They’re good tools, and if one fits how you sell and staff, keep it. Firms come to us when the PSA sits next to a CRM, a staffing spreadsheet and month-end margin reports, and the numbers in each disagree.
Can it handle fixed-fee, time-and-materials and retainer work together?
Yes. Fee type is set per SOW or phase, and billing, utilization and margin follow it. Mixed engagements are a common reason firms outgrow standard setups.
How do you calculate utilization?
With your definitions. We agree what counts as billable, how leave and internal work are treated, and what the targets are by role, then calculate it from the time people already record.
Can it forecast capacity from the pipeline?
Yes. Opportunities carry the roles and weeks they’ll need, weighted by stage if you want, so you can see next quarter’s demand against who is free before you hire or turn work down.
Do contractors and subcontractors fit in the same system?
Yes. Contractors are staffed and record time like employees, but with their own cost rates, so project margin reflects what each person actually costs you. Their hours can feed your payables process instead of a separate invoice spreadsheet.
Can we keep our accounting system?
Yes. Most firms keep their general ledger. We connect it so invoices, payments and costs move between the two without double entry.
How long does it take to switch?
One office is typically live in four to six weeks, including moving clients, active projects and SOWs, and training your team.
What does it cost?
$497/mo for one office, $1,497/mo for up to three, and from $2,997/mo for larger firms, month-to-month with no lock-in. Pricing is per plan, not per seat, and migration, onboarding, and training are included.
A 20-minute intro call.
Bring the list of tools your team logs into. We’ll tell you honestly whether one platform makes sense for your business, and what it would take if it does.