A fixed fee only protects margin if you know how fast each phase is burning through it. Most overruns surface at invoicing time, when it’s too late to adjust.

Some of the most effective approaches are:

• Phase-level budgets, so hours are tracked against the fee for each stage of work
• Mobile time tracking, so staff can log hours from the studio or the job site
• Automatic reminders to log time
• Real-time budget vs. actual reports that flag phases trending over before the fee is spent

Yes. BigTime supports fixed-fee, hourly, time and materials, and hybrid billing models. You can align billing with each client contract, create invoices directly from tracked time, and track actuals against budgeted fees to protect margin on every project.

Your billing setup may vary depending on your BigTime subscription. Speak to our expert team to find the right configuration for your business.

BigTime offers real-time staff utilization dashboards that help principals and studio managers see who’s available and who’s overbooked. Match skills and availability to current and upcoming projects, balance work across phases, and find the most cost-effective way to staff every project.

BigTime integrates with QuickBooks Desktop and Online, Sage Intacct, Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Jira, and dozens of other systems architecture firms use. With open API access, you can also connect BigTime to your custom systems, keeping data flowing across CRM, accounting, and project delivery.

Explore our full integration ecosystem here.

BigTime gives leaders visibility into every project and phase, including potential risks, with real-time data on:

• Time tracking
• Task completion
• Budgets and margin
• Resource planning

Real-time dashboards let principals and PMs catch scope creep, unbilled additional services, or staffing conflicts early, and adjust before a fixed fee is spent.