Power BI for architecture firms that bill by the project
Power BI for architecture firms connects timesheets, fee agreements and project budgets, so principals see utilization, margin and pipeline together. A design practice sells hours, yet many firms learn that a project overran only when the fee is spent. Consultants from Power BI Agency build the model online, inside your own Microsoft tenant, and show progress in a demo each week.
- Fee burn by phase
- Utilization by studio
- Pipeline against capacity
Last updated
Why do principals ask about Power BI for architecture firms?
A project fee is a budget of hours. Each phase, from concept to construction administration, gets a share. When a phase uses more hours than planned, margin shrinks. However, the project manager often finds out after the timesheets close.
The data to catch it early already exists. Timesheets record hours by project and phase. The accounting or practice management system holds fees and invoices. Still, the two rarely meet on one page without an export.
So a shared model does the joining. It shows hours spent against the fee earned for each phase. Then a project lead sees the trend while there is time to adjust scope, staffing or a request for extra services. Multi-discipline firms that manage change orders and field data have a different focus, which power bi for engineering firms covers.
Six dashboards a design practice relies on
Each one answers a question that comes up at the partners' meeting.
Fee burn by phase
Hours spent compare with the phase budget. Therefore a project lead sees an overrun forming.
Utilization
Billable and non-billable hours appear per person and studio, so workload reads fairly.
Project margin
Fee earned meets labor cost and consultant cost. As a result, the profitable project types stand out.
Work in progress
Unbilled time shows by project and age, which prompts invoicing before it grows stale.
Additional services
Extra design work requested after signing shows against the original fee, so unpaid effort gets noticed.
Receivables
Open invoices group by client and age, so follow-up goes to the oldest first.
Which systems feed an architecture firm's Power BI model?
Most firms run a practice management or accounting product that holds projects, fees and time. Some keep timesheets in a separate tool. Meanwhile the proposal pipeline may live in a spreadsheet or a customer relationship system.
Power BI has documented connectors for common databases, Excel files and many cloud services. However, access differs by product. So we check your system's export and API options first. The quote then names the route we will use.
Definitions matter as much as connections. For example, partners must agree what counts as billable. They must also agree how to treat write-offs. Because we settle these rules early, the figures hold up when someone challenges them. Designers also care how a page looks, so our power bi dashboard design service sets the layout and visual standards.
Signs that Power BI for architecture firms fits now
When a few of these apply, reporting has fallen behind the way the firm works.
- Project reports are built by hand each month
- Overruns surface after the phase ends
- Utilization differs by who calculates it
- Unbilled time sits for weeks
- Staffing plans live in one person's file
- Partners debate the numbers, not the actions
How a Power BI for architecture firms project runs
The project has four stages, and the finance lead and one principal stay close to it.
Free assessment
First we review your current project report on a thirty minute call. You then hear what can improve.
Definitions and scope
Next we agree the key measures. A written quote fixes the sources, the pages and the scope.
Power BI model for projects
We build the model and the first pages. Since you see them weekly, feedback arrives early.
Handover to the firm
Finally your team receives the files and notes. After that, a short session shows how to extend a page.
Architecture practice reporting: common questions
Can Power BI for architecture firms read our practice system?
Often it can, by database connection, API or export. The answer depends on the product and your subscription. We verify the route before quoting, using the vendor's documentation. If only exports are possible, a scheduled file still supports a daily refresh.
Will project managers see every project in Power BI?
Only if you want that. Row-level security can limit a manager to their own projects, while principals see the whole firm. Salary cost is often restricted further. So we agree the access rules in the scope and test them with real accounts.
Can Power BI for design firms forecast staffing?
It can show planned hours against available hours, which supports a staffing view. The plan itself comes from your project managers. Therefore the report is as good as the plan behind it. We build a simple input so that updating the plan takes minutes.
How fresh is the project data?
Most firms refresh each night, after timesheets post. Some prefer a weekly rhythm that matches timesheet approval. Both work. We also set the refresh time around your system's own jobs, so the two do not interfere. The scope records the schedule you choose.
Who builds our firm's reports?
Our consultants build them remotely. Power BI Agency is part of Sataware Technologies, a Microsoft Solutions Partner, and is not part of Microsoft. We keep the team small, so your contact does not change mid-project. We work with firms remotely, and replies arrive within 2 hours.
Let's build your first dashboard together.
Tell us what you report on today. A consultant replies within 2 hours with next steps.
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