Phase profitability for architects

See how each phase is performing before the project ends.

Phased is time and project tracking software for architects. Split a project into phases and tasks, assign part of the fee to each phase, and track hours against it. Phased then shows how much of the phase budget is used and its current effective hourly rate.

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One house project expanded into its phases. The project total combines every phase, so it can remain On track while one phase is already Over budget.

A healthy project total can hide a phase that ran over.

An architecture fee often covers several very different kinds of work. If every hour is logged only to the project, the total cannot show whether concept design, technical design, or site work took more time than you allowed for it.

Phased compares each phase's share of the fee with the hours logged to that phase. You can spot a problem before handover and use the finished figures when you prepare the next proposal.

Turn each phase's fee into a clear hours plan.

Start with the fee you assigned to the phase and the hourly rate you want the work to earn. Dividing €1,800 for Concept design by a €75 target rate gives you 24 planned hours. Every hour logged to Concept design is then compared with that 24-hour plan.

If the agreement changes, update the phase fee or add another phase. The hours you already recorded stay where they are, and the live project uses the new budget. Reports you created earlier keep the figures they had when you made them.

  1. 01 Feasibility €1,200 16h at €75/h Survey, constraints, and what the site will take.
  2. 02 Concept design €1,800 24h at €75/h Layouts and massing, up to the option the client signs off.
  3. 03 Technical design €4,200 56h at €75/h The drawings that get built from, and the coordination they need.
  4. 04 On site €1,800 24h at €75/h Visits, queries, and the answers the contractor is waiting on.
€9,000 across 4 phases · 120h of work at €75/h Name the phases the way your fee proposal already does, in whatever words your practice uses.

See what each phase is really earning per hour.

Effective rate means the fee divided by the hours spent on the agreed work. Concept design was agreed at €1,800 and has taken 30 hours, so it is currently earning €60 per hour instead of the €75 target. You can see that while the phase is still open.

The project average is still €93.51 per hour because Technical design has the largest fee and is using fewer hours than planned. Looking at each phase separately reveals the weaker Concept result and shows what to price differently next time.

How Phased calculates budget use and hourly earnings

Separate additional services from the agreed fee.

The third layout was not included in the agreed fee. Mark the time entries Out of scope while the drawings are still active. This keeps the record clear in three ways:

  • The extra hours stop counting against the budget for the agreed work.
  • The work stays in your time records, whether or not you charge for it.
  • If you include it on a client report, it appears as Additional Work with its own hours and amount.

Marking the work when it happens gives you a clear record for the client conversation. You can then decide whether to charge for it, while the original phase budget continues to measure only the work in the agreement.

Common questions

Can I name the phases the way my practice already does?

Yes. Type the names your practice already uses, whether that is Concept, Design Development, Construction Documentation, or the terms in your own plan of work. Each phase can have its own budget and rate. You can also mark each phase as reported and paid separately.

What are tasks, and do I have to make one for every hour?

Tasks are optional labels for the work inside a phase, such as Site visit, Plan drawing, or Consultant coordination. The phase holds the budget; tasks simply show where its hours went. On Pro, you can save the phases and task groups as a template for the next similar project.

How do I know whether a fixed-fee phase is meeting my target rate?

Phased compares the phase fee with the hours spent on the agreed work. In the example, Technical design has a €4,200 budget. At a €75 target rate, that fee allows 56 hours. If the phase reaches 70 hours, its effective rate falls to €60 per hour.

What rate should I measure a phase against?

Set the hourly rate you want your work to earn as the workspace default. If one project or phase needs a different rate, give it a custom one. Phased uses that rate to turn the fee into planned hours and compares it with the rate the work is actually earning.

Can I bill at the end of each phase?

Yes. Mark phases as reported and paid one at a time, so Feasibility can be settled while Technical design is still active. Phased does not request payment. It creates a client report showing the phase, its hours, and the agreed amount, which you can send with your usual billing document.

Can I keep track of several jobs at once?

Yes. The Projects view lists every active job with its hours, budget status, Out of scope amount, and reporting or payment status. Open a project to see the same information for each phase. Archived projects leave the active list but keep their time and reports.

Can I charge for additional services the client asked for?

Yes. Mark the entries for the added service Out of scope. Their hours stay in your records but stop using the budget for the work you originally agreed. On Pro, you can give them a price and show them on a Phase or Project Report as Additional Work. You still choose whether to charge for them.

Do I have to track every hour for this to work?

Track client work as completely as you can. The effective rate divides the phase fee by the hours you recorded, so missing time makes the result look better than it really was. The week calendar is designed for logging work during the day instead of rebuilding the week from memory.

Is this drawing or BIM software?

No. Phased does not store drawings or models. Use it alongside your design tools to track the hours, budgets, and effective rates for the work you do in them.

How is it different from practice management software?

Practice management software is usually built around staff planning, timesheet approvals, billing, and accounting. Phased is for one person, so there are no seats, roles, or approval workflows. Pro costs €7 a month or €66 a year.

If I stop paying, do I lose the jobs I have tracked?

No. Moving to Free does not delete your projects, phases, budgets, hours, or reports. Free allows three active projects; the rest are archived after a short grace period, and you can swap which three stay active. Pro-only settings such as money budgets are kept but hidden until you return to Pro, while CSV and JSON exports remain available.

One person, one price.

Free includes the calendar, timer, three active projects with two phases each, tasks, time budgets, Time Reports, and data exports. Pro is €7 a month or €66 a year. It removes the project and phase limits and adds money budgets, budget health, effective rates, priced Additional Work, Phase and Project Reports, and your own letterhead.

See what is in each plan