Worst first, always
Every project on one board, sorted worst margin first, so the project that needs you is the first thing you see.
Most firms find out at month end, or never
You quoted the project months ago. Since then, hours have gone in from three people at three different costs, the scope has crept, and nobody has done the arithmetic. The invoice will still get paid, so it feels fine.
Then someone finally builds the spreadsheet and finds the flagship project earned less than the office rent. By the time you can see it, the money is already gone.
Margin does that arithmetic continuously, and it leads with the projects doing worst, because those are the ones you can still rescue.
How it works
1
Set what each project is worth
The contract value comes from the project. That is the number everything is measured against.
2
Hours and costs flow in
Time logged in Projects & Time, cost rates per person, and direct expenses when the project is linked to Accounting.
3
Read the board worst first
Every project, sorted by margin, banded At risk, Thin or Healthy, with a projection of where each lands at the current burn.
4
Act while it still matters
See where the hours went, per person, with the cost of each. Rescope, reassign or renegotiate before the project closes.
What is on the board
Real cost, not gut feel
Quoted value against hours logged and what those hours cost, per project, updated as time goes in.
A projection, not a post-mortem
A projection of where each project lands at the current burn, while there is still time to change the ending.
Where the hours went
Hours per person on each project, with the cost of each, so you can see exactly who the budget is going to.
Suggested cost rates, working shown
Cost rates derived from your own compensation data, with the working shown, so you can check the arithmetic before you accept.
Portfolio totals
Quoted, cost to date, gross profit and blended margin across everything, so the whole book fits on one line.
Three bands, no ambiguity
Every project sits in exactly one band, so the board reads at a glance and the worst news is always at the top.
At risk
Margin under 15%
Thin
Margin under 30%
Healthy
30% and above
It admits what it does not know
A suspiciously good margin usually means missing data. So instead of flattering you, the board flags every gap in the numbers behind a project.
| Flag | What it means |
|---|---|
| No price set | The project has no contract value, so there is nothing to earn against |
| Missing cost rates | Hours are logged but some people have no cost rate, so those hours count as free |
| No time logged | Nothing has been logged yet, so cost to date is zero, not cheap |
| Expenses not included | The project isn't linked to accounting, so direct costs are missing |
| Mixed currencies | Some figures are in another currency and are excluded rather than silently converted |
Locked behind a second factor
Margin can require two-factor authentication per person, enforced on the server, because cost rates and contract values are nobody's business but yours. Role-based permissions decide who can open the board at all: a member's dashboard shows their day, not your margins.
Where it sits
Margin is part of the Money department of the Service Business OS, included on every plan. One credit allowance covers every module, so there is no per-agent pricing and no surprise line items.
Compare plansWorks with
Projects & Time
The hours Margin prices come from here: sprints, time and workload in one place.
See the moduleAccounting
Link a project to Accounting and its direct expenses count against the margin too.
See the moduleIntake
Bank statements, payroll and timesheets go in as documents, not data entry.
See the moduleQuestions owners ask
Where do the numbers come from?
Quoted value comes from the project's contract value. Cost comes from hours logged in Projects & Time multiplied by each person's cost rate, and direct expenses come in when the project is linked to Accounting. Nothing is estimated behind your back: if a number is missing, the board says so.
What if I have never worked out cost rates?
Margin suggests cost rates derived from your own compensation data, and it shows the working, so you can check the arithmetic before you accept a suggestion. You can override any rate at any time.
Can my whole team see project margins?
Only if you want them to. Roles decide who sees what, and Margin can require a second factor per person, enforced on the server, because cost rates and contract values are nobody's business but yours.
What does a suspiciously good margin mean?
Usually missing data. That is why the board carries confidence flags: no price set, missing cost rates, no time logged, expenses not included, mixed currencies. It tells you what it does not know instead of flattering you.
See your margin before it is gone
Margin is live now. Start the trial and it is one of the modules unlocked from day one, reading the same clients and projects as the rest of the OS.
Start your 14-day trial
Every module unlocked for 14 days. Card details at checkout, nothing charged until day 14, cancel any time before then.
What starting actually involves
- Every module unlocked for 14 days — no feature is held back for a higher plan
- Card details at checkout, nothing charged until day 14
- Cancel before then and you pay nothing
- Setup runs on your own clients and projects, not a demo dataset