For architecture and engineering firms, project management is more than just a tool. It can be a make or break for visibility, growth, and profitability.
For many businesses, project management software is embedded into the operational, financial and quality backbone of their organisations.
We recently hosted a customer panel, where we brought together leaders from across the A&E industry:
- Amy Crawley, Financial Accountant at Barker Ryan Stewart
- Joanne Brill, Finance + Strategy Lead at Tzannes
- Luke Sheehy, Managing Director at DC Partnership
- Shameera Arangil, Finance Manager at Artefact Heritage Services and Environment
During the panel discussion, we explored how these businesses are using project management software and the kinds of benefits they’ve seen with Total Synergy.
From proposal creation through to invoicing and accounts receivable, customers shared how the platform underpins visibility, discipline and decision-making across their firms.
Here are some key themes that emerged.
From Proposal to Payment: End-to-End Visibility Drives Control
Several panellists described Total Synergy as central to their entire workflow.
At DC Partnership, Luke says their process runs from project initiation all the way through to invoicing, with visibility into accounts receivable and financial performance through dashboards and widgets.
For finance teams in particular, real-time access to project budgets is critical. Being able to check in at any point provides confidence and clarity, especially for businesses running multiple concurrent projects. This is also true for smaller firms, where system ownership often sits with one person.
“We use Total Synergy to manage projects from proposal to invoicing. And in finance, I use it to run all the reports and to create dashboards for the team.” – Shameera Arangil, Finance Manager, Artefact Heritage and Environment
Having transparency across teams and leadership is also a major benefit our panellists highlighted. When leaders have clear, timely insight into project performance and cash flow, they can make faster, more informed growth decisions. And in these practices, project management software isn’t just nice to have. It’s vital for day-to-day operations.
“The benefit of having Total Synergy is that we know the data is real and we know what it’s built on. It gives us clarity to make better decisions.” – Joanne Brill, Finance + Strategy Lead, Tzannes
Smarter Time Tracking = Clear Insights
Accurate timesheet data is key for meaningful project insight. It’s not just about payroll; it’s about understanding exactly how much time a task or project is taking.
Joanne has found that when hours are recorded consistently and truthfully, her firm gains a clear picture of project profitability, team utilisation and where effort is really being spent.
Clean data also enables stronger financial control. When overtime is visible and approved through process, when additional hours are recorded rather than absorbed, and when actual effort aligns with project budgets, leaders can respond early to overruns. This protects margins and improves forecasting.
“We use our timesheet data in Total Synergy as a benchmark for future projects, as a reliable source for KPI reporting, and as a way to encourage our staff to open up meaningful conversations around workload.” – Amy Crawley, Financial Accountant, Barker Ryan Stewart
Strategic Impact & Business Scaling
Having a dedicated, purpose-built project management software in place is, for many businesses, a strategic decision rather than an operational one.
Having clear reports, revenue forecasting capabilities, budgeting tools and real-time visibility into project performance can mean that decisions are based on evidence, not instinct. The right tools can help firms scale with confidence.
Many of our customers have found that as teams expand and projects become more complex, informal processes and spreadsheet-based tracking quickly reach their limits. A centralised platform creates a single source of truth, aligning project managers, finance, and leadership around the same data. This reduces duplication, minimises miscommunication, and ensures that decisions are made using consistent, reliable information.
The ability to see updates in real time also changes the way practices plan and grow. It enables earlier intervention when projects start to drift, clearer forecasting of revenue, and stronger cash flow management. Having a live snapshot of invoicing and budgets allows directors to make confident hiring, resourcing and investment decisions.
“The visibility in Total Synergy is great for the managing director – she doesn’t have to come to finance to see what project is performing. It is easy for her to go into the system and see the status of the project.” – Shameera Arangil, Finance Manager, Artefact Heritage Services and Environment
When proposal data flows through to delivery, invoicing and reporting, leaders gain a connected view of performance across the entire project lifecycle. This end-to-end workflow makes Total Synergy more than a project management tool. It becomes an information engine; one that gives businesses the clarity they need to scale with control rather than complexity. DC Partnership, for example, has increased in size by more than 150% in the last six years while using Total Synergy.
“We use Total Synergy a lot. I’ve scaled the company off the back of the information we’re getting out of the platform.” – Luke Sheehy, Managing Director, DC Partnership
Life Without a Project Management System
It’s easy to underestimate the impact of project management software, until imagining what operations look like without it.
Without an all-in-one platform, firms rely on disconnected spreadsheets to track budgets, separate tools for timesheets, manual invoice preparation, and information across inboxes and shared drives. Project managers rely on fragmented data, leadership lacks real-time visibility, and reporting becomes a reactive, end-of-month task rather than a proactive management tool. The result isn’t just inefficiency. It’s uncertainty.
Before Total Synergy, Lab-works Architecture relied on MYOB for timesheets, Excel for tracking, and PDFs for forecasting. Invoicing took a day. Forecasts were outdated within a week. There was no central place to view how projects were tracking.
Now, Total Synergy has become the team’s operational backbone. Project budgets, timesheets, invoicing, and forecasting are now tracked in one place, and senior leaders have reclaimed 8 hours a month.
Without a single source of truth, small data gaps quickly compound. Timesheets are delayed or incomplete, project budgets are updated inconsistently, and leadership decisions are made on outdated information. Cash flow forecasting becomes guesswork. Overruns are discovered late. Accountability becomes harder to measure.
As teams grow, this fragmentation results in more meetings to reconcile numbers, more manual checks, and more administrative overhead. A connected project management platform removes that friction, replacing scattered processes with structured visibility that enables clarity, confidence and controlled growth.
“If Total Synergy disappeared tomorrow, I’d probably find a new job. It’s embedded in what we do.” – Luke Sheehy, Managing Director, DC Partnership
About Total Synergy
Built in Australia, Total Synergy is a global software platform purpose-built for the architecture and engineering industry. Our all-in-one solution brings together project management, resourcing, budgeting, time tracking, document management, invoicing, and reporting into a single system.
Trusted by thousands of A&E professionals across the globe, we simplify complex workflows so teams can spend less time on admin and more time delivering exceptional results.
With teams in Sydney and London offering around-the-clock support, we ensure you maximise the value of our platform. Book a demo today and discover how Total Synergy can transform your firm.
