In this guide 6 sections
A practice needs four things in one system. Fee stages tied to invoices. A drawing issue register with revisions. Timesheets charged to projects. A consultant log with RFIs. Judge any product by how well it links them, not by its drawing tools.
Fees by stage, tied to invoices
Most practices bill by stage. Concept, schematic design, design development, tender documents and site supervision each carry their own share. Each has an invoice trigger.
Software should hold that schedule per project and show billed against earned. If the concept stage is signed off and nobody has invoiced, the principal should see the gap without having to ask anyone in accounts.
Variations to scope need their own line. A client who requests three extra revisions of the facade has changed the fee, and the record should show when it was agreed.
- Fee schedule with stage percentages per project
- Invoice trigger and sign-off date for each stage
- Additional services logged as separate fee lines
- Billed, paid and outstanding per project
A drawing issue register that holds up
Every sheet leaving the studio needs a number, revision letter, issue date, purpose and recipient. Without them, a contractor builds from a superseded plan, and the practice carries the blame for an error nobody can trace.
The register should generate a transmittal when drawings go out, listing sheet, revision and reason for issue, such as for tender or for construction.
Check how it handles superseded sheets. Old revisions should stay visible but clearly marked.
Timesheets that reveal real project cost
A fixed stage fee only pays if hours stay inside the price. Timesheets show where design development runs over.
Keep entry short. A weekly grid with project, stage and hours takes two minutes. It fills the gap that memory never will, and it is far more accurate than a monthly reconstruction.
Compare hours spent against fee earned for each stage. Over time, you learn which building types you underprice.
- Weekly grid by project and stage
- Role-based cost rates, hidden from junior staff
- Fee earned versus hours spent per stage
RFIs and consultant coordination
Structural, MEP and landscaping consultants send comments. Contractors send requests for information. Log each with a number, date, drawing reference, owner and due date.
Open items should surface in one list, sorted by age. An RFI answered by email and never recorded is how a wrong dimension reaches the slab, weeks before anyone notices the mismatch on site.
Can consultants reply from a link?
How to choose without overbuying
Write down which of the four areas hurts most today. If late invoicing hurts most, buy billing first.
Trial it on one live project. Raise one real invoice and one real drawing issue.
Before any demo, list your fee stages and drawing numbering scheme so you can test whether the product fits them.
Practice software requirements sheet
A single worksheet in four blocks: fee stages and invoice triggers, drawing issue register fields, timesheet structure by project and stage, and consultant and RFI log fields. Each row is marked must-have, nice-to-have or not needed, with space for what each vendor actually showed.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Do architects need separate software from CAD?
Yes. CAD and BIM tools draw the building. Practice software handles fees, invoices, issue records, hours and coordination. Drawing tools were never built for that.
What is a drawing transmittal?
It is a record sent with each issue of drawings, listing sheets, revisions, date, purpose and recipient. It proves what went out. That matters in any dispute.
Is timesheet tracking worth it for a small practice?
Yes, if fees are fixed by stage. Two minutes a week per person shows which stages overrun. That evidence sharpens your next fee proposal.
Can consultants use the same system?
Often, with limited access. They can see their own drawings and RFIs and post replies, without seeing your fees, rates or other consultants’ work.