We've grown to 4 auditors here in Boulder and I'm drowning in project management. Currently using spreadsheets to track who's working on what Xcel Energy accounts, deadlines, billing status etc. What software are you larger firms using to manage workflow and keep everyone coordinated? Need something that can handle our mix of commercial and industrial clients across Colorado utilities.
Software recommendations for managing multiple auditors?
Stuart, we're using Monday.com here in Kansas City for project tracking across 6 auditors. Works well for Evergy and KCP&L accounts. The visual boards help everyone see current workload and deadlines. Runs about $120/month for our team size but worth every penny. Integrates with QuickBooks which helps with billing tracking.
We tried Monday but found Asana better for our workflow. 5 auditors here in Knoxville working mostly TVA accounts. Asana's custom fields let us track utility type, rate schedule, audit phase, client contact info all in one place. The free tier handled us until we hit 15+ projects running simultaneously.
Have you guys looked at industry-specific software? I know there are some CRM systems designed for energy consultants. We're at 3 auditors here in Austin working mostly Oncor territory and still using Excel but it's getting messy. Austin Energy commercial accounts require so much documentation that generic project management might not cut it.
Vanessa what industry-specific options have you found? I looked at EnergyCAP but it seemed overkill for our audit-focused practice. We don't do ongoing energy management, just the bill analysis work. Would love something that understands utility tariff structures better than generic PM tools.
We built our own system using Airtable here in San Antonio. Sounds complex but it's actually pretty simple. Created linked tables for clients, projects, auditors, and utilities. CPS Energy has unique rate structures that don't fit well in standard software anyway. The custom approach let us track exactly what we need including billing anomalies and savings calculations.
Maria that's interesting about Airtable. How much time did setup take? I'm decent with databases but don't want to become the IT department. Monday works but doesn't really understand our industry terminology. Would be nice to have fields for things like "demand ratchet analysis" and "power factor correction status" built in.
Another vote for keeping it simple. We tried to get fancy with custom solutions and ended up spending more time managing the system than using it. Asana with good naming conventions and custom tags works for 90% of what we need. The other 10% we handle with supplementary spreadsheets for complex calculations.
Gary makes a good point about keeping it simple. I think I was overcomplicating things. Maybe I'll start with Asana since a few of you mentioned it. Do you track time in the same system or use separate time tracking? Clients always want detailed breakdowns of hours spent on different aspects of their Xcel audits.
Stuart, we use Toggl for time tracking integrated with our project management. Works well because auditors can start/stop timers right from their phones when they're on-site doing meter readings or facility walkthroughs. Then everything syncs back to the main project in Asana. Clients love the detailed time reports it generates.
One more consideration - make sure whatever system you choose has good mobile access. Half our work is done in the field looking at meters, electrical panels, facility equipment. Need something the auditors can update from tablets or phones without having to wait to get back to the office.
Randall's point about mobile is crucial. That's another reason we went with Airtable - the mobile app is excellent. Auditors can upload photos of meter readings, equipment nameplates, electrical panels right from the field. Everything stays organized by client and project automatically. Really helps with CPS Energy commercial accounts where documentation requirements are extensive.