Project Financials
A project-level financial lens for design studios who use an hourly billing model.
The Project Financial System is a structured spreadsheet that gives design principals a clear, real-time view of what is actually happening inside a project — financially, operationally, and over time.
It brings labor, fees, FF&E spend, forecasts, and absorbed costs into a single, coherent view so decisions and client conversations are grounded in real data rather than reconstruction or instinct.
Why The Project Financial System Exists
Most studios already have the data they need. What’s often missing is legibility.
Hours live in one place. Invoices in another. FF&E spend is tracked separately. Forecasts exist — but rarely alongside reality.
When information stays fragmented, principals end up rebuilding the same financial picture over and over: when pricing new work, preparing for client conversations, or trying to understand why a project feels heavier than expected.
The Project Financial System exists to hold the full financial story of a project in one place — month by month, cumulatively, and in context.
What The Project Financial System Holds
actual design fees (monthly and cumulative)
forecast ranges, held alongside reality
internal labor usage / cost and write-offs
absorbed costs
FF&E client spend and markup
project-level financial summaries
How Studios Use The Project Financial System
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To understand project-level profitability across the life of a project.
see how labor usage is affecting margin
understand where write-offs or absorbed costs are accumulating
recognize patterns across months and phases
compare completed projects when planning future work
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To support clearer, more grounded client communication.
contextualize uneven or higher-than-expected months
explain periods of accelerated or layered work
reference expectations set earlier in the project
speak about investment using shared reference points
Many studios use the Client Financial Narrative tab as part of their internal preparation before client updates or meetings.
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Over time, Project Financials becomes a reference library.
compare projects with similar scope or complexity
understand real monthly billing patterns
see how scope changes affected effort and cost
ground future pricing and planning in actual studio experience and historical data
Project Financials gives you the context that makes pricing and planning more accurate.
Who This Is For
This is especially useful if you’ve ever thought:
“There’s gotta be an easier way to give new clients forecasted pricing for an hourly project.”
“This month’s invoice was high — how can I conceptualize that in the big picture when having this conversation with the client?”
“I see my P&L at the studio level, but I’m in the dark at the project-level.”
What You’ll Receive
The Project Financials Google Sheet & an example sheet
Embedded guidance throughout the file
A PDF companion explaining how studios use the tool internally, with clients, and for future planning
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The Project Financial System is provided for use within a single design studio. Your purchase allows you to use and duplicate the spreadsheet internally across your own client projects. The spreadsheet may not be shared, distributed, published, or made available outside your studio in any form. This includes sharing the file, providing access to others, or reproducing any portion of the spreadsheet or its structure for external use. The Project Financial System is offered on a non-exclusive basis and may be licensed to other studios.
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Because this is a digital product delivered immediately after purchase, all sales are final. If you have questions about whether the Project Financial System is the right fit for your studio, please reach out before purchasing. Once access has been provided, refunds or exchanges are not available. By completing your purchase, you agree to these terms.
