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1. Clear the fog with real-time project visibility. Many PMs are operating with limited visibility for too much of the project lifecycle. Key data about budgets, staffing, and performance may sit in disconnected systems and/or arrive via Excel sheets weeks after the fact. Or, firm owners may be hesitant to share important project-level financial information with PMs. This lack of transparency makes it more difficult for PMs to deliver effectively. It also might lead them to be less engaged or feel true ownership of the outcomes. Empowering PMs with complete, real-time data enables them to catch issues and course-correct early, preventing projects going off the rails. This is critical to the success of any individual project and ultimately the firm. Modern firm management platforms give PMs real- time visibility into their projects. Dashboards update automatically as timecards and expenses are submitted/ approved, and as invoices are sent and paid. Instead of chasing data, PMs can spend their time analyzing and acting on it. The result is more projects delivered on-time and on-budget, and a better client experience. “For firms to be successful, they need to find ways of making sure their PMs are as efficient, productive, and supported (retention!) as possible. They need the right business technology – not to replace PMs, but to empower them.” 2. Turn PMs into mini-CFOs with integrated financial management. Most architects and engineers don’t have financial backgrounds. There’s a common trope I hear: “There was no business class during school.” However, PMs in the space are often expected to manage substantial project budgets and drive real financial results. Technology can help bridge the gap. Integrated financial/project management systems can translate complex financials into PM-friendly dashboards. PMs can quickly see burn rates, earned value, budget variances, and profitability forecasts in plain language. By simplifying financial oversight, technology allows PMs to think like mini-CFOs for their projects, even if they never took an accounting class. 3. Minimize the morass by automating the admin. Hours can disappear as PMs get stuck in administrative quicksand. Chasing timesheets, cobbling together status updates, pulling together invoices; the time adds up. Workflow automation can take a large percentage of this burden off PMs. For example: Alerting them when projects are going over contract or budget
Enabling project progress and time/expenses data to flow seamlessly into invoices Flagging clients behind on payments Making staffing recommendations for projects And AI enhancements will drive even greater efficiencies. The effect: PMs get back dozens of hours per month that they can reinvest into delivering great projects and supporting more junior staff. 4. Bonus: Upskilling the next generation. While the “hourglass” tenure phenomenon can be improved by empowering PMs, there is another opportunity: accelerating the career development of junior staff. Firm culture, professional development programs, etc. are essential elements to deliver new skills to junior employees. But technology is an often-overlooked tool that supports development. Learning can be faster when junior staff can eliminate admin time through automation, when they have enough context and information, and when they are supported by strong technology- buttressed processes. Success for AEC firms will increasingly be defined by not just who has the most talent, but who can leverage that talent most effectively. Especially for an industry still seeing demographic impacts from the Great Recession, business technology is not a nice-to-have. Technology fosters the success and development of today’s junior/midlevel staff and tomorrow’s firm and industry leaders. Matt Cooper is CEO of BQE Software, Inc. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 18, 2025, ISSUE 1598
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