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
| Apr 11, 2012
C.W. Driver completes Rec Center on CSUN campus
The state-of-the-art fitness center supports university’s goal to encourage student recruitment and retention.
| Apr 10, 2012
JE Dunn completes two medical office buildings at St. Anthony’s Lakewood, Colo. campus
Designed by Davis Partnership Architects, P.C., Medical Plaza 1 and 2 are four-story structures totaling 96,804-sf and 101,581-sf respectively.
| Apr 10, 2012
THINK [about architecture] Scholarship enters 15th year
Students are invited to submit two-minute creative videos that illustrate how they interact with their school's design and what the space makes possible.
| Apr 10, 2012
Structured Development & Bucksbaum close on new retail site in Chicago
The site is the location of New City, a mixed-use development that will feature 370,000-sf of retail space and 280 residential rental units.
| Apr 10, 2012
Moriarty & Associates selected as GC for Miami’s BrickellHouse Condo
Construction of the 46-story development is schedule to get underway this summer and be completed in 2014.
| Apr 6, 2012
Flat tower green building concept the un-skycraper
A team of French designers unveil the “Flat Tower” design, a second place winner in the 2011 eVolo skyscraper competition.
| Apr 6, 2012
National Association of Women in Construction forum to be hosted in Philadelphia
The April Forum, titled “Declare your Independence!” will feature educational sessions on topics ranging from Managing the Generation Gap and Dealing with Contract language across state borders to Strategic and Succession Planning.
| Apr 6, 2012
Rooftop solar energy program wins critical approval from L.A. city council
Los Angeles Business Council applauds decision allowing LADWP to create new national model for rooftop solar energy
