Abtrac has served ANZ consulting engineers, surveyors and planners for a long time, and that longevity is worth something. But if the month only closes because someone chases every timesheet, it's worth looking around. KodaTime is the narrower, faster option — here's the landscape either way.
Job costing systems are usually chosen by the person who reconciles the month and used by everyone else. The review starts when the gap between those two groups widens: staff avoid entering time, the numbers only come out because someone chases them, and a principal spends the first week of every month reminding people to submit.
So weight any trial — ours included — toward the people entering time. Have three staff log a real week without a walkthrough, then take that week through approval and invoicing yourself. If the hours land on the invoice without rekeying, and you can explain the rate on each one, the tool has passed the only test that matters.
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WorkflowMax by Xero was retired on 26 June 2024.
Best if you already know WorkflowMax and want continuity.
The continuation of the WorkflowMax product under new ownership, covering leads, clients, quotes and job tracking.
Visit WorkflowMax by BlueRockBest if resource forecasting and planning drive your business.
A professional-services platform spanning resourcing, forecasting, timesheets, expenses and invoicing.
Visit ProjectworksBest for established practices that value a long ANZ track record.
Job and time management used by consulting engineers, surveyors, planners and architects.
Visit AbtracBest for architecture firms wanting an all-in-one practice platform.
An Australian-built project and business management platform for architecture and engineering practices.
Visit Total SynergyBest for firms wanting fast timesheets and invoices without enterprise complexity.
Timesheets, work-scope budgets, approvals and invoicing for firms that bill by the hour.
See what it doesKodaTime is built for consulting firms that bill by the hour and don't want a full professional-services platform. You still get project budgets, approvals and invoicing — you just don't have to configure forecasting, resourcing or leave management you'll never use.
Longevity counts for something.
An established system your team knows, with years of history in it, has real value — and switching costs are never zero. If the month closes cleanly and nobody has to be chased, that's a working system and there's no prize for replacing it.
Have staff log a real week in the trial without a walkthrough, take that week through approval and invoicing, and ask how charge-out rates resolve when several could apply to one hour. Also ask what data export looks like, before you need it.
Most firms are logging time the same day. Set up your clients, projects and work scopes first; historical time can usually stay in your old system, since you rarely need it in the new one.
KodaTime is free for up to 3 users, then $12 per user per month. Pricing is published rather than quoted, so you can work out your cost before talking to anyone.
Free for up to 3 users. Have three people log a real week before you decide anything.
Free for up to 3 users. No card required.