Phase profitability for interior designers

Track sourcing as its own part of the project.

Phased organises interior projects into phases and tasks. Give sourcing or procurement its own share of the fee, then log the hours spent on samples, quotes, and supplier follow-up. You can see when that phase exceeds its planned hours instead of losing the time inside the design fee.

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One apartment scheme, opened to its phases. Procurement has the smallest fee on the job and is the only phase over its hours.

Sourcing and procurement need their own hours and budget.

Samples, quotes, lead times, and supplier follow-up can take a large part of an interior project. If those hours are mixed into one design total, you cannot see how much time sourcing actually used.

Give procurement its own share of the fee and log sourcing work to that phase. Phased then compares the agreed amount with the hours while the project is still active.

Give sourcing its own fee and hours plan.

Assign part of the agreed fee to sourcing. In this €12,000 project, Procurement receives €1,800. At a target rate of €60 per hour, that gives the phase 30 planned hours for searching, scheduling, and supplier follow-up.

Log the work included in the agreement to Procurement. Phased compares those entries with the 30-hour plan. In this example, the agreed sourcing work has already reached 36 hours. The later replacement search is tracked separately.

  1. 01 Concept €3,000 50h at €60/h Moodboards, layouts, and the scheme the client falls for.
  2. 02 Detailed design €4,200 70h at €60/h Joinery, finishes, lighting, and the drawings a trade can work from.
  3. 03 Procurement €1,800 30h at €60/h Sourcing, the FF&E schedule, quotes, orders, and chasing them.
  4. 04 Installation €3,000 50h at €60/h Deliveries, snagging, styling, and handover day.
€12,000 across 4 phases · 200h of work at €60/h Name them however you work: concept, developed design, specification, install, or your own.

See what procurement is really earning per hour.

Procurement has used 36 hours against a 30-hour plan. Its €1,800 fee is therefore earning €50 per hour instead of the €60 target. The whole project still averages €71.43 because the other phases are using fewer hours than planned.

Looking at Procurement on its own shows what the project average hides. For the next proposal, you can raise the sourcing fee, include less supplier research, or allow more hours.

How Phased calculates budget use and hourly earnings

Track replacement sourcing separately.

The sofa was approved before the fabric changed and the search had to restart. Keep the original search in the Procurement budget and mark the re-sourcing entries Out of scope. This has three effects:

  • The replacement-search hours stop counting against the original Procurement budget.
  • The hours stay in your records, even if you decide not to charge for them.
  • If you include them on a report, they appear separately as Additional Work with their own amount.

You now have a clear record of the request, the time it took, and the amount you may charge. Include it on the client report, or leave it off if you decide not to charge.

Common questions

How do I track sourcing and procurement time?

Create a Procurement phase and assign part of the project fee to it. Log sourcing, schedules, quotes, and supplier follow-up to that phase. Phased then shows how many planned hours procurement has used and what its part of the fee is earning per hour.

What if I charge a percentage on furniture instead of a fee for that phase?

Phased does not calculate a percentage of purchases. Calculate that amount in your usual tool, then compare it with the procurement hours recorded in Phased. This shows whether the amount covered your time at the rate you wanted to earn.

The client changed their mind after the order went in. Can I show that?

Yes. Keep the first search in the Procurement budget because it was part of the agreement. Mark the replacement search Out of scope so its hours are separate. A Phase or Project Report can then show the first search as agreed work and the second as Additional Work, each with its own hours and amount.

Can I run several rooms or several clients at once?

Yes. Each job has its own client, phases, and budgets, while the week calendar shows time from all of them together. Choose the correct project and phase when you log an entry. Free supports three active projects; Pro removes that limit and adds profitability analysis.

Does it produce the bill?

No. Phased creates client reports showing completed work, hours, agreed amounts, and any Additional Work you include. Pro can add your letterhead. Continue requesting payment through your existing billing or accounting tool, and attach the Phased report when it helps explain the work.

Why not just use a normal time tracker for sourcing?

A basic tracker can tell you that sourcing took 36 hours. Phased also compares those hours with the fee for sourcing. In the example, a €1,800 Procurement phase with 36 hours is earning €50 per hour against a €60 target, and you can see that before the project ends.

Is this built for a studio or for one person?

Phased is built for one person. It has no team seats, roles, staff assignments, or timesheet approvals. Pro costs €7 a month or €66 a year. A studio that needs to schedule and approve work for a team will need a different product.

Do my clients see any of this?

Clients see only the reports you choose to send. Those reports can show completed work, hours, agreed amounts, and Additional Work. They never show profitability, budget warnings, effective rates, or your private notes. Once created, a report keeps the same work and amounts; open the saved version to review it before sending the PDF.

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.

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