Established on the South Coast of New South Wales in 1980, Edmiston Jones (EJ) is an architectural firm based in Nowra, Wollongong and Batemans Bay. The practice has grown to a solid architectural team consisting of qualified architects supported by technicians and clerical assistants. Their prime objective is to provide highly creative and innovative design solutions delivered with a clear management process that keeps clients involved and informed. Environmentally sensitive buildings that maximize site opportunities, while responding to climate and context, are the outcome of their design process.
Challenges
Edmiston Jones was in need of a simple and efficient billing process. Employees used to manually enter their time into Excel and then produce invoices on a separate system based on the spreadsheet calculations. “Using one system to enter data and then transferring this data to different software to create invoices and reports was very time consuming and open to errors”, said Lesley Drysdale, Accounting Manager of EJ. She wanted a software product that would streamline the entire process and automate time and expense tracking, billing, invoicing and reporting for her firm.
Solution
Since EJ employees primarily use Apple computers, they needed a solution that was compatible with Macs. The Executive Assistant at EJ was in charge of the product evaluation process and she found that there were not many Mac-based solutions available that were easy to use and had the functionality that they were looking for. After researching online, she stumbled upon ArchiOffice and was immediately attracted to the product’s intuitive and streamlined design, robust features and high level of value for a reasonable price. She requested a live demo to see the software in action and was not disappointed by the presentation.
Benefits & Results
Smart Project Management
Since installing ArchiOffice, employees at EJ have had great experiences working with the software. Lesley mentions that the firm heavily uses the project management and reporting features: “Project leaders use the tasks and time sheet reports in ArchiOffice to manage their time and percentages on a weekly basis. Also, phases and job codes work well - we have a few projects that use consultants as part of our fee, so sub-phases are a great way to manage this as well as producing reports. The Budget vs. Actual Report gives us the necessary information for our monthly billing cycle and the best part is we can invoice from the same software that we use to track time.”
Robust Reporting
“I use the Report section quite a lot to produce information relevant for our quarterly review meetings where we document staff percentages, non-chargeable time, write ups and downs per project and per project type, fee proposal success, professional development accrual, etc.”, Lesley continued.
Efficient Billing
When asked about how ArchiOffice has increased her firm’s efficiency, Lesley said, “Invoicing has become more streamlined and easier to manage, especially on large projects with consultants. Productivity has increased dramatically as we spend less time on managing projects since all relevant information is in one place.”
About BQE ArchiOffice:
ArchiOffice is a simple-to-use project management and time tracking software created by architects, for architects. It offers mobility that meets your needs in an intuitive and streamlined design that works across all major platforms.
To learn more about ArchiOffice or schedule a free demo today, visit here.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Jan 19, 2024
How to strengthen office design as employees return to work
Adam James, AIA, Senior Architect, Design Collaborative, shares office design tips for the increasingly dynamic workplace.
Modular Building | Jan 19, 2024
Building with shipping containers not as eco-friendly as it seems
With millions of shipping containers lying empty at ports around the world, it may seem like repurposing them to construct buildings would be a clear environmental winner. The reality of building with shipping containers is complicated, though, and in many cases isn’t a net-positive for the environment, critics charge, according to a report by NPR's Chloe Veltman.
Adaptive Reuse | Jan 18, 2024
Coca-Cola packaging warehouse transformed into mixed-use complex
The 250,000-sf structure is located along a now defunct railroad line that forms the footprint for the city’s multi-phase Beltline pedestrian/bike path that will eventually loop around the city.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 17, 2024
Waterproofing deep foundations for new construction
This continuing education course, by Walter P Moore's Amos Chan, P.E., BECxP, CxA+BE, covers design considerations for below-grade waterproofing for new construction, the types of below-grade systems available, and specific concerns associated with waterproofing deep foundations.
Sponsored | Performing Arts Centers | Jan 17, 2024
Performance-based facilities for performing arts boost the bottom line
A look at design trends for “budget-wise” performing arts facilities reveals ways in which well-planned and well-built facilities help performers and audiences get the most out of the arts. This continuing education course is worth 1.0 AIA learning unit.
Giants 400 | Jan 15, 2024
Top 130 Hospital Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
HKS, HDR, Stantec, CannonDesign, and Page Southerland Page top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Airports | Jan 15, 2024
How to keep airports functional during construction
Gensler's aviation experts share new ideas about how to make the airport construction process better moving forward.
Adaptive Reuse | Jan 12, 2024
Office-to-residential conversions put pressure on curbside management and parking
With many office and commercial buildings being converted to residential use, two important issues—curbside management and parking—are sometimes not given their due attention. Cities need to assess how vehicle storage, bike and bus lanes, and drop-off zones in front of buildings may need to change because of office-to-residential conversions.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 12, 2024
As demand rises for EV chargers at multifamily housing properties, options and incentives multiply
As electric vehicle sales continue to increase, more renters are looking for apartments that offer charging options.
Student Housing | Jan 12, 2024
UC Berkeley uses shipping containers to block protestors of student housing project
The University of California at Berkeley took the drastic step of erecting a wall of shipping containers to keep protestors out of a site of a planned student housing complex. The $312 million project would provide badly needed housing at the site of People’s Park.