Most architecture and engineering firms are not running one tool for time tracking. Theyâre running multiple.
A spreadsheet for weekly hours. A project management tool for tasks. An accounting platform for invoices. And somewhere in the middle, a finance manager spending two days a month trying to reconcile it all.
The question isnât just which time tracking tool to use. Itâs how to build a tech stack where your time data flows cleanly from the moment it is captured through to your project financials, invoices, and profitability reports.
What a Good Time Tracking Tech Stack Looks Like
For architecture and engineering firms, a functional time tracking stack has three layers:
- Time capture: Where your team logs hours, against what projects and tasks, and with what level of detail.
- Project management: Where that time data connects to budgets, WIP, and profitability, so it becomes meaningful to project managers and finance leaders.
- Accounting and invoicing: Where approved time and costs flow through to client invoices and into your accounting platform.
When these three layers are disconnected, you get manual handling, reconciliation errors, and a team that does not understand why logging time matters. When they work together, time tracking becomes a genuine business intelligence tool rather than an administrative burden.
Option 1: The All-In-One Approach (Recommended)
The simplest and most reliable stack is a single platform that handles all three layers natively.
Total Synergy (Core Platform)
Built in Australia with support teams in Sydney and London, Total Synergy is a purpose-built project and practice management platform for A&E firms. It handles time tracking, project financials, and invoicing in one connected system, removing the need to stitch together separate tools.
Time tracking: Staff log time via daily timers, weekly timesheets, or by copying a previous week. Time is recorded against projects, phases, and tasks. Mobile access supports site-based and remote work.
Project financial layer: Every time entry flows directly into project budget burn, WIP reporting, and utilisation tracking. Project managers see real-time financial data without waiting for a reconciliation run.
Invoicing and accounting: Approved time and costs connect directly to invoice generation. Invoices push to Xero, MYOB AccountRight Live, or QuickBooks Online without re-entering data.
Reporting: Pre-built dashboards show billable versus non-billable time, utilisation by staff member, project profitability, and WIP across the firm. No additional reporting tool required.
For most A&E firms, this is the cleanest stack available. One platform, one source of truth and no reconciliation overhead.
Book a demo to see the Total Synergy all-in-one stack in action.
Option 2: Best-of-Breed Stack For Firms With Existing Systems
Some firms have accounting platforms or project tools already embedded in their workflows. Here is how to build a functional time tracking stack around existing systems.
Time capture layer: Toggl Track or Clockify
Toggl Track and Clockify are two of the most widely adopted standalone time tracking tools. Both offer clean interfaces, project-level tracking, and team reporting. Both integrate with a range of downstream tools via Zapier or direct API connections.
Toggl Track is better suited to firms that want detailed reporting and integrations with project management tools like Asana or ClickUp.
Clockify is a strong option for firms wanting a free entry-level solution with basic project tracking.
The limitation of both tools is that they sit outside your project financials. Data will need to move via integration or manual export to connect to budgets and invoicing.
Project management layer: Asana or ClickUp
Asana and ClickUp handle task management, project timelines, and team collaboration. Both integrate with standalone time trackers, allowing time entries to sit alongside the tasks they relate to.
Neither platform provides A&E-specific project budgeting, phase management, or WIP tracking. For financial visibility, you will need a separate layer.
Accounting and invoicing layer: Xero or QuickBooks Online
Xero and QuickBooks Online are both strong accounting platforms for small to mid-size firms. They handle invoicing, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting at the business level.
For project-level financial management, both require either manual data entry or integration with a project management tool. Xero’s native Projects add-on provides basic project tracking but does not support phase management or WIP at the depth engineering and architecture practices need.
The challenge with multi-tool stacks
Every additional tool in a stack introduces a potential break point: data that does not transfer cleanly, integrations that need maintenance, and team members who log time differently across platforms. The more tools in your stack, the more time your operations and finance teams spend reconciling rather than improving.
For most A&E firms, the overhead of managing a multi-tool stack outweighs the perceived benefits of choosing best-of-breed tools in each category.
Option 3: Augmenting an All-In-One Platform With Specialist Tools
For firms already using an all-in-one platform like Total Synergy, there are a small number of specialist tools worth layering in for specific use cases.
Microsoft Teams and SharePoint: Total Synergy integrates natively with Teams and SharePoint, so project communications, document control, and time tracking can coexist without platform switching.
Salesforce or HubSpot (CRM layer): If your firm needs a dedicated CRM for business development and pipeline tracking, both Salesforce and HubSpot integrate with Total Synergy, connecting your sales pipeline to project delivery.
BambooHR: For firms needing HR management alongside project operations, Total Synergy’s BambooHR integration connects leave, staff data, and capacity planning.
Slack: For team communication and notifications, Slack can complement your Total Synergy workflow for firms that rely on it for day-to-day messaging.
Choosing The Right Stack For Your Firm
The right tech stack depends on your firm’s size, your existing tools, and how much reconciliation overhead you are willing to deal with.
For most architecture and engineering practices, the simplest path to clean time tracking is a platform that handles capture, project financials, and invoicing natively. Adding tools adds complexity. And in a firm where project managers are already stretched, complexity has a real cost.
If your current stack is creating more work than it saves, book a demo with Total Synergy to see what a purpose-built all-in-one approach looks like.
