Monograph

Pros

User friendliness. A++ We have many age ranges, and this interface is so well designed that even the older crowd is able to jump onboard easily.

Cons

The insurance companies with the payroll services. Monograph is great, but those other companies that are tied in with the additional services are quite lacking in their turnaround times and communication.

Pros

Interface is very intuitive, time tracking is almost always correct. Integration with QBO is important to us, as QBO has been our rock with regard to bookkeeping/accounting. Monograph is continuing to be developed and enhanced.

Cons

Support at first was great when we first signed up and was very responsive, and issues were generally settled immediately. Quite a bit slower and more elusive now, and there is no community forum or easy way we have found to interact with others users to pick their brains and gain from their experience in resolving questions or issues. Invoicing requires the review of multiple tabs simultaneously, and we have suggested a way to combine much (or all) of this information on the financial tab, but nothing has been done yet. Have found just a couple of errors, one leaving off consultant work and previously invoiced amounts - noted a couple of months ago, and understand they are still working on this.

Pros

The features for building out project fee, and schedule. How that translates into a Gantt chart, and how you can allocate fee / time by % to staff members.

Cons

Need's some further iteration's to refine the staffing chart. We have to keep rebalancing hours for every person, for every phase, for every project. Should be able to do in one click.

Pros

Timesheet analysis and Budget forecasting

Cons

Needs a better iOs app. Project Details & Communication Tracking sheet would be very helpful.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Monograph

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Monograph

Pros

That is gives great visibility on our projects for management and staff. The invoicing function is also a bonus since it allows you to customize the amounts each month.

Cons

I would like to see improvements in the reports features - they need to be more customizable and available as a PDF. I would also like to see the customer service area expanded so that we can call and speak to a representative and share our screen to problem solve.

Pros

I enjoy everything that Monograph has to offer; however, what I enjoy the most is the milestone management. This has been a game-changer for our office. We have a distinctive dashboard display of all milestones that need to be completed that week. I can customize these and change them when needed. Plus, this is a great visualizer for our clients to understand their project timeline better.

Cons

I'm honestly enjoying everything with Monograph.

Pros

It is very user friendly and easy to learn how to use. It does not take much time to onboard new employees. It's staffing/scheduling feature is great too.

Cons

I would like to see more metrics for each project. Namely profit margin, as the numbers I see under the profit margin for each project seem way off. It would be nice to understand how those numbers are calculated. It would also be nice if Monograph could provide a cost rate for each employee. I would also like to be able to enter PTO time available to each employee, which would also help provide a better picture of their cost rate and therefore the profit margin on projects. It would also be nice to be able to see at what pace we are consuming the fee for projects, and how we should alter staff hours accordingly.

Pros

I love the layout and color options. It is visually pleasing to start, and pretty easy to use once you get acquainted with the program. Easy for all staff to use, and helps us manage our time better.

Cons

Project reports and employee performance reports could be better and easier to read. We have some discrepancies when it comes to profit and loss, so we refer to our QuickBooks online for that information.

Pros

puts everything in one place as opposed to having multiple different products to do one feature each.

Cons

still working out some kinks and building new features.

Pros

I love the simple interface of the software and the regular updates and improvements always showing up.

Cons

Looking for ways to integrate with QBO more... looking for a how to on the new setup for best results.

Pros

Love the ability to track project profitability and budget time.

Cons

Since it's a developing software, there are still some reporting, formatting, and 3rd party integrations we'd love to see (such as utilization rates as a percentage, individual hours spent on billable projects by user, customizable invoicing, and QuickBooks enterprise edition).

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Monograph

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Monograph

Pros

So easy right out of the box for our architecture firm. All the phases, schedules and budgets are prepopulated, just a little editing is needed and you're on your way. It's nice to see Monograph taking our comments and pumping up new and improved features on a regular basis.

Cons

Invariably, our accountants need to use Quickbooks. Which is forcing us to still have QBO. The interface and synchronization between Monograph and QBO is lacking. For one, the invoice numbers get lost and have to be manually checked and plugged into QBO after the fact. A real pain if not done right away. Also, the connection to Quickbooks is lost ever day, which I almost always don't notice until I am at the end of an invoice and have to back out, force the connection and then go back into the invoice to send to QBO. Would be nice to have the connection constant or be able to update it straight from an invoice when we would send data to QBO. Also, if QBO doesn't have the client or project, it won't send the invoice data. Which is less than helpful. Lots of manual back data needed to push a new client, invoice to QBO. Way too much.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Monograph

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Monograph

Pros

1. Strongest features are the Gantt type graph with small bar showing progress on value earned. Second, the roles that can be assigned independently.

Cons

2. The first month I used the software, I loved it. However, as the months go on, I have found that it doesn’t easily recap and present information as I hoped. Some of the tools and filters give decent overviews, but not specific enough information for a manager/proprietor.
3. Need to have clients that can assign project below and add filters in reports, widgets, project view, etc. of items by client.
4. Adjust dates by pulling graphical bars w/o having to open project “edit” mode, also gives ability to see other projects’ schedules when adjusting. I do like the new update with it defaulting to the planner instead of the general information. But you should be able to adjust schedules in context - that is the advantage of the project view in your design. Leverage it further.
5. Values shown exceed fixed amounts, should show effective hourly rate instead of “value earned” as hourly add-up of time. Or an option that payroll will exceed budget with the value earned calculation you are using. Problem is, even the “fixed” budgets add up this way in the dashboard which does not accurately portray for flat fee projects. Could have more options in this manner for employee pay as well. Some projects are flat fees for freelancers you hire, etc.
6. When invoicing, adding hours to the invoice does not provide any options for knowing what is previously billed. You must manually look back at each invoice to determine what is new billable hours. Extra steps are more time consu

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Monograph

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Monograph

Pros

Integrating Monograph with our existing business processes was quite easy, and we soon found that the Monograph interface offered every aspect of project organization and management that we could think of. I'm currently collecting my AXP hours with the intention of becoming licensed, and this system has also made it very easy for me to refer to past timesheets and easily determine which AXP categories have been satisfied by various hours and requirements. Also, the team at monograph was always helpful and quick to respond, even on matters that weren't urgent.

Cons

The only thing that is missing from this software is a corresponding phone app, ideally with just as navigable an interface as the website layout. Hopefully over time and with enough support, Monograph will be able to develop this in the upcoming future.

Pros

Unlike other project management and time tracking software, this product provides the capability to track project budget/fees in phases that align with the architecture industry's standards.

Cons

One of the most valuable things about this software is the ability to track hours against the project fee. We wish that the status of each project related to the project fee was more clear (percentage complete, time remaining for each phase, etc). You have to click into several menus to get to this info.

Pros

As someone who constantly juggles multiple responsibilities, finding an efficient task and time management software has been a game-changer for me. After trying several options, I stumbled upon Monograph, and I must say, it's exceeded my expectations in every aspect. Its user-friendly interface, customizable features, collaboration capabilities, and accessibility have revolutionized the way I manage my tasks and time.

Cons

There are limited features. It would be great to have a one-stop shop for project tracking and paying employees or tracking commissionable pay from billable hours.

Pros

Clean layout - all features are easy to find and the GUI is straightforward

Cons

Inadvertently resetting of timer occasionally

Pros

I love how organized and user friendly it is. It is really essential to our business as a successful architecture firm and helps us with the day to day.

Cons

absolutely nothing that I can think of.

Pros

Easy setup and easy understanding. General timeline is very useful.

Cons

1- Lack of option to unlock all the premium features if you have less than 5 users.

Pros

Simple and intuitive user interface with great customer service.

Cons

Could use a better search functionality.

Pros

That it’s a small start up company is desirable.

Cons

Get an app for crying out loud! The web browser on a phone is dreadful. Time tracking should be an easy process. I liked jumping onto an app on my phone while on a bus home at the end of the day and I just can’t do it with Monograph. I have to be at a desk to use the software and even then it’s clunky and not intuitive.

Pros

The ability to see how a project is performing on a daily/weekly/monthly basis in an easily accessible way and course correct as needed before going over the project budget. Everyone on the team has access to all the necessary project information and it all lives in one place. Being able to schedule out people's time weekly and then see how that allocation is used throughout the week.

Cons

Biggest difficulty is navigation between the tabs - i.e. Timesheet, to Resource, to Projects, etc. There is a long lag when loading each one of those. Most of our team members have multiple tab opens to navigate between each just due to the lag. When in a project the only place to get to the tasks is through the Task tab at the top. Our team tends to click on the phase to see what's been allocated for that phase but then has to back out to the Project Dashboard to get back to the Tasks. Could be a way to get to it from multiple places, as there is that feature for other things in Monograph. Task updates don't have notifications within the software to the assigned team members. We use the comments section of tasks to talk/track info with our team members for that specific task.

For accounting purposes, we still have to use another program. I don't think this program is robust enough for our invoicing/billing and accounting needs.

Pros

Graphical representation and clarity of information conveyed.

Cons

Resource management and Quickbooks integration is not functional at the moment.

Pros

Great user interface, unbelievable customer support with a team that is always trying to improve the product. In almost all-in-one platform for architects

Cons

Really need to have your firm's phases and structure organized to begin. We do interior design, interior architecture, and architecture and it's been a bit difficult figuring out how to blend them all in one

Pros

I love how easy it is to fill out my timesheets. Timesheets are well organized in the software and easy to edit. I also like being able to add notes to the hours I put in.

Cons

I think that the time tracker clock could be easier to use. Currently I don't use it at all because it ends up being more of a pain than a benefit. As well as not improving efficiency. I think it would be more useful if it was integrated with the time sheet page. I often jump from project to project in a single day. So being able to start time on a project and pause, then start time on another would be helpful.

Pros

Monograph has been an excellent tool for our small architecture firm as we have gown over the past few years. It helps us track time spent across projects, forecast future fees and workloads, and monitor productivity to make sure everything is on track. I appreciate the clear graphic quality, easy of customizing tasks and project phases, and quick report production. It is also instrumental in our Monday morning all hands meetings, making it easy to go through all the projects and track progress.

Cons

The time sheets themselves work great, but I wish the time tracking function would get updated - it's not nearly as robust or easy to edit after the fact as other similar programs. Specifically, being able to view individual entries after the fact in calendar/time log format would be very helpful. If you miss tracking or forget to stop the timer, it's impossible to edit except in the overall total.

Alternatives Considered

Switched From

Pros

partitioning of hours in a project based on fee and who is working on the project.

Cons

I would like the option to request a revision to vacation time taken because sometimes you take vacation and end up working some of that time. Also would like to include a planned pause in a future phase where it won't populate hours in staff's schedule. For instance if we are in design development and know we will need to pause for contractor pricing, we know that people won't be working on it, but it will still be in the design development phase.

Pros

Consolidating multiple software to a single one. Purpose built for the A&E industry with work flow to match. The team is responsive and reachable. The team continues to build the software.

Cons

Not fully built out for multiple service companies. Software is still a little clunky and feels somewhat startup. They have check all the features boxes but not implemented in the best way possible yet. We have seen improvements along the way but are missing a development schedule for feature requests.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Monograph

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Monograph

Pros

I love the ease of use and interface. The platform is well suited to those working in the design/construction industry as it caters to their daily/monthly/yearly requirements. It's very straightforward when setting up a new project and the gantt chart offers a wonderful overview of workflow.

Cons

I don't have any cons. If there was one thing that seems a bit intimidating, it would be the financial forecasting features. However as a new business owner this is more of a user issue than a software issue.

Pros

Monograph does a good job managing project scheduling and how it relates for deliverables and billing.

Cons

Monograph falls short in the day to day tasks, actual invoicing and real life management of a project. Sharing timelines with a client is basic and more information could be provide.

Pros

Monograph is designed for Architects and the features are practical and functional. The project management and time management are very intuitive and easy to implement.

Cons

Making the conversion from our previous time keeping and invoicing systems has been a slower process than anticipated. Some projects span over multiple years and converting them to the new tracking system is somewhat complicated.

Pros

It is easy to use and allows us to analyze and assess each project. Based on previous projects, we can more accurately predict the amount of work and hours required, making each project more profitable. Lastly, Monograph are constantly improving the various features ie: payroll, taxes, payments, linking to accounting software, etc.

Cons

I wish team members could see their allocated hours vs. how many they've used in each phase of work without seeing the financials in a separate section of each project.

Pros

The software has given us a great tool to communicate where our projects are both internally as well as externally with our clients.

Cons

Nothing really stands out about "liking least", I'm just happy to be able to give feedback about features and then see the Monograph team deploy those requests.

Pros

Monograph is a very intelligent and easy to use software for time tracking against project phases. It makes it very simple to gather reports on project finances and send out invoices to clients. It makes our day to day project management so easy, we couldn't live without it at our office!

Cons

Monograph offers many tools and one of them, the staffing tool, could be extremely useful to us however it is not easy to deploy and it leaves the users very confused when we do deploy it. Would love a simpler version of it where each designer in said project has an hour countdown per project so they know how much time they have left per phase.

Pros

Staffing and planning features and how integrated they are with projects.

Cons

The newness of the product means that a lot of needed features have not yet been built out...especially when it comes to reports.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Monograph

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Monograph

Pros

I love the time tracking function. I keep a browser window open to Monograph and hit the timer whenever I switch between projects. It has replaced my previous method of logging start and stop times on a notepad.

Cons

As a standard package user I do not have easy access to workload projection tools.

Alternatives Considered

Pros

To get a visual overview on projects, easy to recover costs and revenues.

Cons

I would love a visual projectview per person. To easily see if a co-worker has to much or not enough on his plate.
I think invoicing has not enough flexibility.

Pros

We love that Monograph is specifically made for Architecture. The projects are divided into larger phases corresponding to the payment structure. This is an essential piece that is missing in many other products. Since Architecture is a service-based industry, we also love that Monograph has specific pay rates for different employees and projects.

Cons

Task management is harder to implement in Monograph. For instance, it would be nice to have a dashboard on the list of items needed for the day. It also takes a lot of clicks to create a task and no specific way to create a list of sub-tasks. Click-up and Asana in that sense are better task management software.

Pros

Once a project is entered, users can immediately track time and monitor performance. There are not major customizations to make and everything is available instantly. The invoicing process is one of the simplest I've expereinced.

Cons

Somewhat limited features compared to the big company offerings, but they are expanding their features on a monthly basis.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Monograph

Pros

The reports of profitability, time management, and utilization rate are game-changing in the software.

Cons

They are always improving the software. I wish we could do some purchase orders for products and materials we sell for projects.

Pros

Monograph is a user-friendly program that can help organize data. It can be a one-stop hub once you have everything in order.

Cons

Some budget items are less user-friendly, and we are still working on understanding and addressing these with monograph staff. Entering information can be a bit tedious at first.

Pros

Intuitive and easy to use, very responsive development team that incorporates requests quickly.

Cons

Rapid updates to the software make it hard to keep projects tidy, as protocols for invoices can change mid-project. You can't customize the look of your invoice almost at all.

Pros

It's clearly a product made by and for Architects. When well-used, it helps young designers like myself better understand fees and project timelines in relation to fees.

Cons

Not much. I honestly couldn't think of many ways to improve it from a user experience but I think administrators at the firm have had more challenges with the interface.

Pros

The time tracking for projects and overall cost evaluation is fantastic.

Cons

The cumbersome use is terrible. Lack of being able to create and share tasks easily is also not good. Not being able to collaborate with other Monograph users for tasks is very frustrating. Invoicing is constantly glitching and the partnership with Stripe is Hell and has personally cost us close to $10,000 in lost revenue.

Pros

It looks nice, is well organized, simple enough with the complexity needed to wrap your head around.

Cons

It needs better reporting and time tracking (like Harvest has a widget/app to track time outside of having to log into the browser).

Pros

Ability to track employee timesheets and sync with Quickbooks.

Cons

Customer support is very difficult to get in contact with.

Pros

Monograph is very user friendly, easy to implement and navigate. The Gantt view of projects is pretty useful.

Cons

Given Monograph has so much information about our firms operation, I think reporting is very basic. Many insights could be obtained that would make the tool a lot more valuable!
There is no mobile app for time tracking yet.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Monograph

Pros

Monograph is much more user friendly than our last system.

Cons

Porting over all the projects into the system.

Pros

I like the idea of Monograph, but so far we haven't been able to take full advantage of it. So it's a very expensive timesheet app. I don't know why it's been so hard for us to take off on it.

Cons

Really need a phone app. I would like more customization options. Colours, graphics, etc. Especially to differentiate projects.
I often don't get around to plugging my numbers in...an app to do this would be really helpful.

Pros

how easy it is to use / project management / reports

Cons

implementing data from quickbooks and onboarding takes time but it's worth it