Project management software allows architecture firms to manage the entire project process, including planning, budgeting, scheduling, staffing, and more. These tools unlock a world of possibilities for AE firms, including:
- Increases in productivity and profitability
- More collaborative planning and communication across teams
- Better workload management and forecasting
- Tighter adherence to project timelines
When choosing a project management software for your architecture firm, aside from finding all the capabilities you need, we suggest also looking for a solution that’s scalable, affordable, easy to implement, and easy to use.
Top 10 Project Management Tools for Architects
With nearly 200 project management tools available, researching all the available options yourself would take weeks. Fortunately, we’ve put together a shortlist of 10 project management tools that are well-suited for architecture firms.
Below, you’ll find a summary of each, including a list of capabilities and pricing details where available. We’ll start with our personal favorite: Mosaic.
1. Mosaic Project and Resource Management
Mosaic provides AI-powered project management, resource planning, and workforce intelligence that empower architects, engineers, and designers to build more efficient and profitable organizations. The software grew out of one A&E firm’s need to increase productivity and profitability, so its features are specifically tailored to the needs of small, mid-sized, and enterprise architecture firms.
Mosaic is best for organizations with 10 or more team members.
Mosaic Features
- Project management
- Resource planning
- Workload forecasting
- Demand and capacity analysis
- Profit and loss analysis
- Budget and time tracking
- Performance dashboards
- Integrations with financial and ERP systems (including Deltek’s products and Quickbooks) to provide complete visibility into who is working on what
Why Architects Choose Mosaic
Architecture firms turn to Mosaic so they can:
- Increase utilization and profitability—guaranteed
- Visualize and forecast workload
- Strategically plan projects
- Efficiently allocate resources
- Reduce burnout by eliminating overscheduling and minimizing overtime
- Intelligently hire the right people with the right skills at the right time
Mosaic Pricing
Mosaic’s pricing is simple, transparent, and affordable with a risk-free trial. It offers three different annual subscription plans.
- Team Plan: $9.99 per user per month, billed annually
- Business Plan: $14.99 per user per month, billed annually
- Enterprise: Customized pricing for 100+ team members
Schedule a free product demonstration.
2. Newforma
Newforma provides project information management software for the construction industry. Architects and engineers use it to organize project data, collaborate with team members, and manage construction projects from planning to delivery.
Newforma Features
- Document management
- File sharing
- Project collaboration
- Task management
- Field reporting
Newforma Pricing
Newforma doesn’t publish pricing on its website. AEC magazine reports that pricing is based on an annual subscription fee for 50-seat bundles plus an implementation fee ranging from $5,000-$10,000.
Learn more about Newforma.
3. Deltek Ajera and VantagePoint
Deltek offers two project management solutions: Deltek Ajera and Deltek VantagePoint. VantagePoint is the newer of the two products. Both offer integrated project management and accounting solutions, while VantagePoint also offers CRM and pipeline management, plus improved business intelligence capabilities. Mosaic integrates with the Deltek product suite, including Ajera and Vantagepoint.
Deltek VantagePoint Features
- Project management
- Resource management
- Contract management
- Time and budget tracking
- Team collaboration
- Performance reporting
- Invoicing
- Financial dashboards
Deltek Ajera Features
- Accounting and billing
- Payroll
- Project management
- Scheduling
- Time tracking
- Performance reporting
Deltek Pricing
Deltek doesn’t publish pricing for either product on its website. Subscription fees are customized based on several factors, likely to include users, integrations, customizations, and more.
Learn more about Ajera and VantagePoint on the Deltek website.
4. Trello
Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes projects into cards and boards. It’s highly versatile and customizable with more than 100 available integrations. Trello is designed for anyone, including design, engineering, and operations teams.
Trello Features
- Project planning
- Task management
- To-do lists
- Recurring tasks
- Project templates
- No-code automation
Trello Pricing
Trello offers a free plan, plus three paid subscription tiers that can be billed monthly or annually. Below are the annual subscription rates.
- Standard: $5 per user per month, billed annually
- Premium: $10 per user per month, billed annually
- Enterprise: $17.50 per user per month, billed annually
Learn more about Trello.
5. Asana
Asana is a work management platform that lets teams organize projects, tasks, and timelines. It can be adapted for a wide range of use cases, including service-based projects and plans.
Asana Features
- Project dashboards
- Project and task management
- Project collaboration
- Reporting
- Workflows
Asana Pricing
Asana offers a free plan, plus three paid plans that can be billed monthly or annually.
- Premium: $10.99 per user per month, billed annually
- Business: $24.99 per user per month, billed annually
- Enterprise: Customized
Learn more about Asana.
6. Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project provides tailored work management solutions for individuals, teams, and enterprises. It’s designed to help project managers develop schedules, assign resources to tasks, track progress, manage budgets, and analyze workloads.
Microsoft Project Features
- Project planning
- Task management
- Scheduling
- Resource management
- Power BI dashboards
Microsoft Project Pricing
- Project Online Essentials: $10 per user per month
- Project Online Professional: $30 per user per month
- Project Online Premium: $55 per user per month
Learn more about Microsoft Projects.
7. CMap
CMap is a business management software built for professional services companies. The platform includes project management, financial management, CRM, HR tools, and more. It’s great for teams that need an all-in-one solution to win more work, execute projects faster, and make smarter business decisions.
CMap Features
- Project templates
- Project task management
- Project timelines
- Budget vs. actual tracking
- Microsoft Teams integration
CMap Pricing
CMap offers four different subscription plans: Starter, Growth, Pro, and Enterprise. Pricing is not available on its website.
8. Replicon Polaris Professional Services Automation (PSA)
Replicon’s Polaris PSA helps firms optimize projects, resources, and finances. Organizations of all sizes use it to manage processes related to projects, costs, resources, billing, and profits.
Polaris PSA Features
- Project management
- Resource management
- Client management
- Time and expense tracking
- Billing and financial management
- Financial modelling
Polaris PSA Pricing
Polaris PSA appears to offer three subscription tiers, all for the same rate. But you can’t sign up through the website; you must speak to someone on the Polaris team to get started.
- Basic, Standard, or Complete: $29 per user per month
9. Factor A/E
Factor A/E is an all-in-one business management platform built for architecture and engineering firms. Clients use it to manage projects, track time, generate invoices, and monitor organizational performance.
Factor A/E Features
- Project management
- Project templates
- Task management
- Resource scheduling
- Time tracking
- Invoicing
- Capacity analysis
- Reporting
Factor A/E Pricing
Subscriptions to Factor A/E start at $25 per user per month. There is a minimum one-time $500 implementation fee.
10. BQE CORE
BQE CORE is an all-in-one business management solution that simplifies time tracking, billing, project management, and accounting. The platform is built to help architects and engineers manage projects and maximize productivity.
BQE Core Features
- Project management
- Project accounting
- Time and expense management
- Billing and invoicing
- Project-based ERP
- Professional services automation
BQE Core Pricing
BQE CORE doesn’t publish pricing on its website. PC Mag says that the basic plan for just time and expense capabilities starts at $19.95 per user per month. Additional modules are priced separately. Learn more about BQE Core.
Why Top Architect Firms Choose Mosaic
When it comes to project management software for architects, you can see there are a lot of choices. Some tools are suited for all industries and teams, while others are specifically designed for architects and engineers.
Mosaic was purpose-built with architecture firms in mind. It combines the very best in project and resource management capabilities with advanced AI. It's the fastest and easiest way to assemble project teams, instantly accounting for skills, availability, location, and more to maximize efficiency. Plus, teams increase utilization by at least 3% when using Mosaic.
Some of the most successful architecture firms in the country—like Wallace Design Collective, Interwork Architects, and BCV Architecture & Interiors—are reaping the rewards of Mosaic’s project and resource planning software for architects.
Wallace Design Collective
With 10 offices across the country and a team of more than 170 architects, engineers, and surveyors, Wallace Design Collective is ranked one of the top 50 EA firms in the nation. Leadership, project managers, and highly compensated project teams were losing hours each week trying to make sure everyone was allocated to projects and their calendars were full of billable client work.
Gene Pillips implemented Mosaic in 2020 and was quickly impressed with the outcomes.
“A large part of what we do is getting the right person on the right job at the right time—and that can be difficult. Mosaic is the tool we use to solve that problem." —Gene Phillips, Principal
Outcomes
- Enhanced communication to facilitate optimal project staffing and timing
- Optimized team coordination to facilitate growth and scaling
- Improved meeting efficiency
Read Wallace Design’s Full Story
Interwork Architects
Susan Reid—project manager-turned-partner at Interwork Architects—was using spreadsheets to manage projects and schedules across a semi-remote team of 20 people. No matter how meticulously she assigned work, Susan couldn’t avoid an unbalanced workload. Some people were overworked while others didn’t have enough. This simply didn’t align with the firm’s commitment to their team members to live balanced professional and personal lives. Plus, Susan was wasting 20–30 hours each week manipulating spreadsheets. So she turned to Mosaic.
"Get Mosaic. It will change how you do things...It’s freedom from spreadsheets—and from time-consuming manual processes."—Susan Reid, Principal
Outcomes
- Reduced time spent on resource planning by 15-25 hours per week
- Improved collaboration and communication within the team across locations
- Enhanced forecasting capabilities to determine staffing needs and enable strategic hiring
BCV Architecture & Interiors
BCV Architecture & Interiors is an award-winning, boutique design firm that specializes in creating social spaces. As Associate Principal and Director of Operations, Colin Alley was responsible for managing project demands and staff availability to optimize project schedules. But he was trying to do all of this using the planning module in BCV’s accounting software. When that didn’t work, he switched to Excel, which left him trying to cobble things together.
In 2021, Colin came across Mosaic.
"Mosaic enables strategy, business operations, and conversations across all levels of the office. [It] helps us visualize how things are evolving and changing…[and lets us] weave the expectations of our clients with our ability to deliver."—Colin Alley, Associate Principal and Director of Operations
Outcomes
- Optimized project start dates based on ideal staffing to improve client satisfaction
- Removed communication barriers within the team
- Leveraged forecasting capabilities to identify market trends and strategically hire based on workload
Architectural projects have many moving parts. The end-to-end process can involve hundreds of components—people, plans, tasks, time estimates, budget line items, and documents—all perfectly orchestrated to deliver an exceptional outcome. It’s a lot to manage. And it simply can’t be done at scale without the help of architectural project management software.
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