Project Management Software for UK Architects

What architects actually need from project management software

Project management in an architecture practice is not just a task list. It is the link between the work being done, the fee that was agreed for it and the people available to do it. Software that only handles one of those leaves the practice guessing about the other two.

Most practices start with a mix of tools: a task board for the team, a spreadsheet for fees, a separate timesheet app, the accounting package for invoices and a whiteboard or shared calendar for who is working on what. Each tool works on its own. The trouble is that nothing connects a late Stage 4 package to the hours already burned against that stage, or to the two people who are about to move onto a new job.

A useful way to judge any product is to ask whether it does four jobs, and whether it does them in one place:

• Run the work: tasks, deadlines, programme and the decisions that drive them.
• Track time against the fee: hours coded to the stage and task they belong to, compared with what the fee allows.
• Plan the people: who is available, who is overloaded and what the next eight weeks look like.
• Get paid: invoices raised by stage or percentage complete, synced with the accounting system, with overdue fees visible.

Four kinds of tool on the market

Almost every product a UK practice will shortlist falls into one of four groups. Knowing which group a product belongs to tells you most of what it will and will not do before the demo starts.

Generic project tools

These are excellent for task lists, simple boards and team communication, and many small studios run happily on them. They were not designed around fee stages, so practices that use them almost always keep a fee spreadsheet and a separate timesheet tool alongside. That parallel system is where overruns go unnoticed.

Architecture practice management tools

This is the established category for the business side of a practice: timesheets, fees by phase, resource scheduling, invoicing and reporting. The best of them are well liked by practice managers. Their limit is scope. They know how many hours went into Stage 4, but not what Stage 4 produced, which decisions changed it or whether the specification and drawings agree.

Project ERP

ERP systems suit larger firms with complex project accounting, several legal entities or a dedicated finance team. They are powerful and heavy. Configuration, report changes and upgrades often need specialist help, which is a cost small and mid-sized practices rarely budget for.

Connected practice platforms

A newer group puts project management, timesheets and fees in the same system as the project information: specifications, drawing review, RFIs, submittals and compliance registers. The benefit is that time, fee and delivery data describe the same piece of work without re-keying. When comparing these, check the finance features line by line against what your practice uses now.

The UK checklist: ten things a US-built tool may not do

Several well-known products were built for North American firms first. They can work well in the UK, but check these points before you commit, because they are expensive to work around later.

1. RIBA Plan of Work stages.Projects should be set up by stage 0 to 7, not only by AIA phases or generic milestones, with the option to add your own sub-stages.
2. Fees by stage.Each stage carries its own fee and budget, so burn is measured where the appointment measures it.
3. UK fee types.Lump sum by stage, percentage of construction cost, time charge and capped time charge should all be supported on the same project.
4. Pounds and VAT.Invoices in GBP with VAT at the correct rate, and pricing for the software itself published in pounds.
5. UK accounting integrations.Xero is the most common in small and mid-sized UK practices. Check QuickBooks, Sage and FreeAgent if you use them.
6. UK data residency.Ask where data is hosted and whether a UK GDPR data processing agreement is standard.
7. Additional services and variations.Out-of-scope work should be logged, priced and billed separately, not hidden inside a stage.
8. Resource planning by person.Capacity, leave and allocation across live projects, visible a few months ahead.
9. Records beyond the timesheet.Since the Building Safety Act, decisions, changes and compliance evidence matter as much as hours. Check where those live.
10. A real migration route.Ask who moves your live projects, fees, rates and timesheet history, and how long it takes.

How the main options compare

The products below are the ones UK practices most often shortlist. The notes reflect what each vendor publishes about itself as of October 2026. Always confirm current pricing and features with the vendor.

Monograph

US-built practice management for architecture and engineering firms, with time tracking, phase budgets, resourcing, invoicing and forecasting. Its pricing page lists monthly prices based on firm size, currently shown from $45 to $490 in US dollars. Plan availability changes: Track is no longer available for new purchases, Grow is sold annually, and Pipeline is an add-on. Strong design and reporting. Its accounting integration is QuickBooks Online, which Monograph says does not currently work for firms outside the US. Monograph handles Xero invoices through CSV export rather than a direct accounting sync, so UK practices should check RIBA stage set-up, VAT handling and the invoice workflow. In 2026 Monograph announced it is joining forces with Total Synergy; the announcement says there are no immediate product, contract or support changes.

Total Synergy

Established in Australia (its own site says since 1999) and used across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Covers project set-up, timesheets, resourcing, stage-based invoicing, WIP and forecasting, with Xero, MYOB and Sage integrations. Typically sold as a per-user annual subscription. In 2026 Total Synergy and Monograph announced they are combining under Total Synergy\'s chief executive, with no immediate product changes for either set of customers.

Fresh Projects

UK-based practice management for architects, engineers and other built-environment consultancies. Covers fees by RIBA stage, timesheets, resource planning, variations and invoicing with Xero, QuickBooks and Sage connections.

Deltek Vantagepoint

Project ERP for larger architecture and engineering firms and the successor to Deltek Vision, whose support and cloud lifecycle differs by version and hosting arrangement. Pricing is quoted individually, and ask Deltek for a scoped implementation estimate, particularly where a migration is involved. See our guide to Deltek Vision support lifecycle.

Generic tools

Asana, Monday, ClickUp and Trello are low cost and flexible but need a separate fee and timesheet system for any practice that bills by stage.

Avoice

A connected platform for architecture practices. Timesheets, fees by stage, financials and cash flow, CRM and proposals, and people and staffing sit alongside specification writing, drawing QA, contract administration and compliance registers. UK hosted, with Xero and QuickBooks sync.

The question that separates them

Ask each vendor to show one live project from appointment to final invoice: the fee by stage, a week of timesheets, the resource plan, a variation and the invoice that followed. Then ask where the drawings, specification and change decisions for that same project live. The answer tells you how many systems you will still be running in a year.

Run the evaluation in four weeks

Long evaluations stall. A four-week process with one real project and a named decision-maker is usually enough to choose with confidence.

Questions practices ask

Short answers to the questions that come up most often when UK practices review their project management set-up.

What is the best project management software for architects in the UK?

There is no single best tool for every practice. Small studios that mainly need tasks can use a generic tool. Most UK practices need software built around RIBA stages, fees, timesheets and invoicing. The main options are dedicated practice management tools such as Monograph, Total Synergy (which announced in 2026 that they are combining) and Fresh Projects, project ERP such as Deltek Vantagepoint, and connected platforms such as Avoice that put project management in the same system as specifications, delivery and compliance records.

Can architects use Asana, Monday or Trello?

For task lists and simple boards, yes. They do not track time against fee stages, forecast fee burn, plan capacity against live projects or raise invoices. Practices that use them usually run timesheets and fees in a spreadsheet alongside, which is where margin problems hide.

How much does architecture project management software cost?

Most dedicated tools charge per user per month. Monograph’s pricing page lists monthly prices based on firm size, currently shown from $45 to $490 in US dollars. Track is no longer available for new purchases, Grow is sold annually, and Pipeline is an add-on. ERP such as Deltek Vantagepoint is priced by quote, and the implementation scope should be confirmed directly with Deltek. Connected platforms usually price per seat or per practice.

Do we need separate software for timesheets?

Not if your project management tool codes time to stage and task and compares it with the fee. A separate timesheet app only makes sense if nothing else in the practice needs the data, which is rarely true. See how to track time against RIBA stages.

How hard is it to switch?

For a small or mid-sized practice, a planned switch usually takes four to eight weeks, most of it spent cleaning data rather than moving it. Our switching checklist covers what to bring across and when to cut over.

Where Avoice fits

Avoice is built for practices that want project management, timesheets and fees in the same place as the work they describe.

In Avoice, a project carries its stages and fees, and timesheets roll up against each stage as the team works, with hours suggested from the documents and tasks people are already in. Financials and cash flow sync with Xero and QuickBooks, people and staffing shows capacity across live projects, and clients and proposals turn a priced deal into a project budget. The same project holds the specification, drawing QA, RFIs, submittals and compliance registers, so the commercial picture and the delivery picture never drift apart.

The practical test is the one in section 04: follow one live project from appointment to invoice. If you would like to run that test with your own project, book a demo.