Design expertise. Manual administration.
Connect the project information, time records, and updates that keep pulling engineers away from their work. Survey evidence, existing software options, and how to assess a worthwhile implementation.
Engineers need time for design, coordination, and technical judgment. Project records, time entries, and recurring updates can still demand repeated administrative handling around that work.
Manual work persists alongside digital tools
Deltek’s 46th Clarity study reports that A&E firms were moderately to completely reliant on manual data entry and spreadsheets in finance (80%), operations and resource management (75%), and administration and management (83%). The 2025 study covered nearly 700 firms in the US and Canada. See the report’s “Reliance on Manual Data Entry” section, page 18. Read the source research.
These are shares of responding firms reporting reliance, not percentages of their work that can be automated. The sample combines architecture and engineering firms of different sizes.
Check the project platform first
Deltek Vantagepoint addresses project-based operations. Before creating a parallel reporting or resource-management system, examine what the firm’s platform already supports and why the team is still using spreadsheets.
Where I would investigate
- Time and project records. Identify missing inputs, inconsistent project identifiers, and repeated exports.
- Recurring client reports. Assemble approved information into a consistent draft for the project manager.
- Project handovers. Carry agreed scope and responsibilities from a won proposal into delivery tools.
The opportunity is administrative coordination. Engineering calculations, design decisions, and professional sign-off remain with qualified people. A useful implementation makes the supporting work dependable without claiming to replace their expertise.
Validate against a completed project cycle
Trace one recent report or handover from its inputs to its approved output. Record preparation time, corrections, approvals, and exceptions. Test whether native configuration solves the issue before considering a supported integration or custom automation.
Count the implementation effort and ongoing software costs. Better information can help decisions, but it is not enough to claim that automation will prevent every delay or improve every project margin.
From evidence to something working
Jovadan’s Founders’ engagement is $20,000 for ninety days, including the $5,000 diagnostic. I establish the scope and success criteria, then implement and hand over the agreed improvements. The diagnostic is also available by itself; the refund is conditional on the documented payback assessment, not a blanket money-back promise.