Creating a project management app for small architecture firms

So I’ve been working on a project management app for small architecture firms on the side, with help from Codex, for the past two months. I was looking for an app that would let me issue progress invoices with multiple consultants, phases, and billing methods. None of the generic invoicing programs could handle that combination.

Then I tried one specifically catered to architects, and it was great: it had all the right fields for complicated architectural invoices and more. But I found the app overly complex and hard to navigate. Someone from the company took the time to chat with me online, but shockingly, they told me that it honestly wasn’t worth onboarding someone like me with a single seat because they wouldn’t make much money. Yikes.

I’m part of a collective of small-firm owners, and coincidentally, several members had asked about recommendations for project management apps. They weren’t happy with their current choices, or they weren’t using any tools and wanted to see what was available. It seemed that there weren’t many options for smaller firms like ours.

That’s when I thought: Can I do better? I’m an architecture firm owner myself, so I know what a small-firm owner needs. We don’t need much, but what we do need is highly specialized—specialized enough that a generic invoicing or project management app can feel overwhelming or simply lack the right features.

With a growing number of active projects, I was starting to feel overwhelmed myself. I wanted a way to manage all my projects in one place. Many of us probably still use Excel and similar tools, but that can quickly become messy and disorganized. Especially for single-person firm owners like me, there’s no one else to remind us about upcoming deadlines or pending items that need a response. An app can help keep us accountable and our information organized.

So that’s why I’m developing my own project management app that is designed to give small architecture firms a simpler way to manage projects, deadlines, consultants, employees, and invoices in one place. It’s built around the workflow that I employ on a daily basis. I’m currently testing the beta version and once that’s ready, I will be asking colleagues to test them out.