Check out our comparison of features in the top project management software for architects. Find the best software for your firm!
Sometimes as architects, we get so focused on design software, when it comes to the software we need to manage our operations, we're at a lost. Or we don't give it too much thought. Not all project management software performs in the same way, especially when it comes to your industry’s needs. As an architect, you need to stay on top of your project’s progress while remaining organized. To get the most use out of any project management software for architects, you need to invest in the right tools and processes so you can achieve better results.
In this article, we’ve put together a list of some of the best project management software for architects. Some platforms are for general industries, while others are designed specifically for the architecture industry.
Project management software for architects is designed to help you manage your projects including reporting and analytics, time and expense tracking, billing and invoicing, payment processing, and more.
Project management software for architecture firms is not to be confused with architecture software that helps with drafts and models. Instead, it’s the software that helps your A/E firm run successfully so you can focus on what you love doing the most- your projects.
When it comes to project management software, architecture firms need a powerful tool that can streamline their workflows and enhance collaboration.
To ensure you make the right choice, there are several important features to look for:
Robust scheduling capabilities are crucial for architects to efficiently manage tasks, allocate resources, and set deadlines.
Advanced document management features enable architects to store, organize, and share project-related files securely.
A comprehensive communication system, including real-time chat and discussion boards, facilitates seamless collaboration among team members, clients, and stakeholders.
Integration with popular design and modeling software is another critical aspect, allowing architects to seamlessly import and export project data.
Powerful reporting and analytics tools provide valuable insights into project progress, resource utilization, and budget management.
By selecting project management software with these important features, architects can enhance efficiency, collaboration, and overall project success.
Let’s look at some of the available project management software for architects:
BQE CORE was designed by an architect and engineer for the A/E industry. Unable to find a platform that solved their own project-based firm’s needs, the founders decided to build one themselves that would be a perfect fit for architects and engineers. Their goal with the platform was to streamline manual processes and allow you to see projects in real-time so your firm can maximize productivity and profitability while having superior customer support at your service.
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Architecture firms say BQE CORE feels like it intuitively understands their needs. This is because it simply does. BQE CORE takes a customer-driven approach to innovation and continues to evolve to meet the competitive demands in the A/E industry.
Seamlessly connect teams, budgets, and schedules for every project.
Easily manage time, to-do lists, and costs from a single dashboard.
Track your team's project performance and progress through built-in digital reporting.
Measure project profitability with integrated project accounting and management tools.
Use real-time insights to keep projects on-time and on-budget.
Understand costs and schedule for each phase of a project with phased billing.
Automatically calculate current metrics like overhead, GA, fringe, and profitability.
Manage teams, budgets, tasks, time, costs, and schedules in one location.
Optimize team utilization with resource allocation tools and interactive Gantt charts.
Automate project tracking reporting.
Track progress and budget to instantly monitor a project’s pulse and course correct before minor issues become major ones.
Easy QuickBooks integrations.
Our pricing varies based upon the modules you require and the number of users who will need to access BQE CORE. If you submit a pricing request, a member of our team will follow up asap to provide you with an exact quote!
Try a free demo of BQE CORE today.
BigTime’s software helps clients run their firms more efficiently by providing time tracking, billing, and project management features. Their flagship product is a SaaS-based system custom-built for the professional services industry with a focus on accounting, architecture and engineering, consulting, creative, government contracting, IT services, and law firms.
Compare projected budgets vs. actual hours.
Set up tasks for each project and assign hourly, fee, and expense budgets.
Keep track of project budgets, POs, or Not to Exceed amounts.
Visualize timelines with dependencies, critical paths, and milestones.
Empower project managers with a clear path to success and a quick view of potential roadblocks.
Analyze gaps in the chart to increase productivity of staff’s time and resources.
More accurately estimate and plan project deliverables and timelines.
Track multiple projects at once and know if you’re on schedule.
Assign certain staffers to project tasks and set due dates.
Essentials: $20 per user/per month; Advanced: $35 per user/per month; Premier $45 per user/per month; Projector $60 per user/per month.
To see a full breakdown of the pricing visit here.
Monograph’s system was built by architects for architects. The software is designed to track the financial health of your firm by helping you plan projects, resource staff, log time, invoice, and get paid quickly.
The founders realized architects needed more support for the half of their job that isn’t drawing details or walking through job sites. Thus, they created their software to help manage the complexity of project delivery and your firm’s back office.
Get a bird’s-eye view of your projects, budgets, and tasks.
Share project timelines with your clients with a single click.
Set up and manage phases and milestones.
Build a budget and schedule.
Resource your team based on project plans.
Forecast project needs for hiring & staffing.
Track time online easily and efficiently.
Review individual workloads and work distribution.
Log expenses and overhead to inform financial reporting.
Turn timesheets into invoices.
Get insight into the financial status of all your projects.
See real-time reporting on profitability, projects, and billable hours.
Monograph doesn't list their pricing, but it looks like you can talk to a sales consultant to learn about the different packages and which works best for your firm here.
Deltek Ajera is a combination of project management and accounting software developed in 2004 for the A/E industry. Comprehensive budget and project scheduling tools give project managers the ability to edit and analyze the information they need all in one easy dashboard.
Real-time dashboards.
Accounting tools.
Billing tools.
Payroll services.
Mobile app.
Tracking project time and expenses.
Viewing staff data like utilization and forecast workloads.
Easy integrations with QuickBooks.
Deltek Ajera doesn't have their pricing listed on their site, but they have a demo and request page for more information.
Deltek Vantagepoint is architecture project management software that was built specifically for firms looking to improve productivity, boost collaboration and increase profitability. The software addresses the most common challenges for project-based firms such as overburdened staff, inaccurate forecasting, and cash flow delays.
Manage every aspect of the project or engagement from a single hub
Gain visibility into complete project lifecycle
Avoid cost and schedule overruns by tracking progress toward deliverables
Use alerts to inform project managers of potential risks
Manage contracts and compensation amounts
Notify team members of new project assignments
Monitor planned hours vs. actual hours
Add planned hours to timesheets
Expedite invoice review and approval
Use dashboards for a quick view of project financials
Leverage past project history
While their site says flexible pricing starting at $30, no exact prices are listed so you want to contact a sales consultant to learn more.
More Project Management Software for Architects
Mosaic is architecture project management software ideal for firms with 10 or more staff members. The software is the next-generation project and resource management software purpose-built for architecture, engineering, and design firms. Mosaic’s interface shows what each teammate is doing by integrating with the firm’s existing ERP or financial software. 
Automated timesheets.
Planners for full teams.
Easy integrations with other software.
Project scheduling.
Time and expense tracking.
Task monitoring.
Real-time budgeting.
Comprehensive AI-powered reporting.
$9.99 per user/per month (first year discount) $99.90 for 10 users; $14.99 per user/per month (first year discount) $149.90 for 10 users; contact for the Enterprise plan.
Wrike is a collaborative work management platform designed for creative agencies. It’s used to plan, manage, and complete work at scale. While the platform is more general toward the creative industry, it can be used by the A/E industry as well. But if you’re looking for something geared specifically toward architects and engineers, you may want to look at other options.
Custom workflows for flexibility.
Custom dashboards that are easy to use.
Process streamlining.
Discussion boards for the entire team.
User-friendly document management.
Version control.
Wrike has a time tracking tool built in but lacks billing and invoicing capabilities.
Centralized task management: free; Team: $9.80 per user/per month; Business: $24.80 per user/per month; Enterprise and Pinnacle: contact for more details.
ArchiSnapper is a user-friendly project management software used for onsite work management. It’s essentially a construction project management tool. The software is used to manage construction and architectural projects. If you’re looking for more back-office focused project management software, you’ll want to look at the software suggestions ranked higher on this list.
Progress observing, note making and report generation.
Template checklists and blueprints.
Create new reports using previous ones.
Uploads all data to the cloud.
Information sharing and working with others.
Easy team management.
Integration with tools like Asana.
$29 a month per user.
NetSuite’s cloud-based project management software provides real-time access to all your project’s data. The software supports your firm’s entire services organizations with real-time visibility and anytime access to the tools and information you need.
NetSuite was the world's first company dedicated to delivering business applications over the internet, so their platform can be expected to contain a full suite of cloud-based ERP applications, including financials, inventory management, HR, professional services automation and omnichannel commerce.
API
Activity Dashboard
Billing and Invoicing
Budget Management
CRM
Calendar Management
Document Management
Time and Expense Tracking
Invoice Processing
Mobile Access
Performance Metrics
Progress Reports
Resource Management, Allocation, and Planning
Task Management
Timesheet Management
Basic packages start at $399 per month with a limited set of features while more advanced options $899 per month.
Unanet AE is a cloud-based ERP solution designed for the A/E industry that allows project managers to leverage real-time project information to drive more proactive decision-making. The software fosters collaboration across the accounting and project management teams to improve project performance and enable more growth.
Unanet is a leading provider of ERP and CRM solutions for AEC, Government Contractors, AEC, and Professional Services.
Easily create projects, plans, and opportunities with flexible business rules.
Manage projects in a familiar planning style and share with stakeholders.
Manage budgets/schedules at the project and resource level.
Estimate opportunity value to improve company forecasting.
Streamline project management processes.
Track change orders with built-in approvals.
Reduce effort for revenue recognition.
Review historical project results.
Easily track ETC, Percent Complete, and Earned Value.
Gantt Chart view allowing you to manage multiple project schedules.
There's no pricing listing on the site, but you can speak to a sales here.
Bonus software:
Newforma pioneered the PIM software category in 2004 and has been dedicated to improving project delivery ever since. More than 122,000 worldwide professionals use their software in over 1,200 architecture, engineering, and construction companies.
Newforma lets you track and manage all your project's information from one dashboard.
Single view into your projects.
Full project context.
Indexes all files, emails, and action items.
Email management.
Detailed logs for better team management.
Access to most current project.
Project communication.
Single source resource for project data.
Easy data access anywhere, anytime.
Easy project search function.
Data is intelligently catalogued for better decision making.
Maintains a full audit trail.
See every action and email all on one platform.
All project files are indexed in their original location.
Accessible mobile app.
Indexes and organizes all project emails.
Full project transparency.
Seamless file transfer.
No pricing listed on their website, but you can speak to sales or schedule a demo here.
There are a lot of choices when it comes to choosing the right project management software for architects. When you choose the best project management software for your firm, you’ll be able to save time and get back to focusing on the projects you love. You’ll create a stronger working environment amongst your team while also staying on track and on budget.
At BQE, our project management software for architects is an all-in-one dashboard that is easy to use and easy to implement thanks to our award-winning customer support. We want you to succeed at project management, that’s why our software eliminates the need for multiple platforms while giving you all the tools you require for success.
To learn more about our project management features, visit our website today. We also host webinars full of inside project management tips for our customers.
BQE University is a hub of brilliant thought leaders in the architecture, engineering, and professional services industry. Each article offers a unique approach to education that emphasizes the importance of developing a business-thinking mindset for your firm. Their valuable knowledge and insights helps transform your business from a mere service provider to a thriving organization that consistently delivers projects that satisfy clients and generate profits. By learning from the experts at BQE, you can build a better firm and achieve your professional goals.
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