The Metrics I Couldn't Trust: A CFO's Case for Better Software | Ken Dixon at AIA 26

Presented live at AIA26 in San Diego, this session features Ken Dixon, previous CFO & COO at Fusion Design Consultants. As a longtime finance leader and Factor customer, Ken shares why his firm decided to move away from Deltek Ajera, what they learned during the transition, and why trustworthy data is essential for making better business decisions.

Why Reliable Data Matters

As a CFO, Ken believes every business decision starts with one thing: confidence in your data.

Firm leaders rely on software to understand project performance, monitor financial health, and communicate results to stakeholders. But when the underlying data isn't accurate or easy to access, those decisions become much harder to make.

Ken explains that good software should help firms answer four simple questions:

• How have we performed in the past?
• What are our current OKRs? (Objectives & key results)
• How are we currently performing?
• How will we perform in the future?

If you can't answer those questions with confidence, it's worth taking a closer look at the systems you're relying on.

When Deltek Ajera Was No Longer Meeting Their Needs

Before moving to Factor, Fusion Design Consultants spent years using Deltek Ajera as its project management and accounting platform.

As Ken explains, the firm found it increasingly difficult to trust the reports they were generating. Financial data often required manual corrections, reporting was time-consuming, and employees lacked confidence in the information they were seeing.

To support the system, the firm hired outside bookkeeping services and consultants, adding significant ongoing costs. Even after years of training and support, they continued to face inefficient workflows and limited visibility into project performance.

For Ken and his team, it became clear that Ajera was no longer supporting the way they wanted to run the business. They needed software that was easier to use, provided more reliable data, and gave their team greater confidence in the numbers they were using every day.

Evaluating Software Beyond the Feature List

One of Ken's biggest takeaways is that choosing software shouldn't be about comparing features alone.

Instead, firms should start by identifying what they actually need from their system and then compare that to what they're receiving today.

He encourages firms to ask questions like:

• Is the data easily accessible and readable?
• Can we trust the data we're looking at?
• Are our employees confident using the software?
• How much time are we spending entering, fixing, or searching for information?
• What is the true cost of those inefficiencies?

Looking at the gap between what your business needs and what your software delivers often reveals whether your current solution is still the right fit.

Better Software Supports Better Business Outcomes

For Ken, moving to Factor wasn't simply about replacing one platform with another. It was about creating a system that people actually wanted to use.

He explains that intuitive software reduces frustration, improves adoption, and makes it easier for employees to access the information they need. When project managers and team members have visibility into project performance, they can make better decisions and take greater ownership of outcomes.

That visibility doesn't just benefit finance teams. It strengthens collaboration across the entire firm and gives leaders greater confidence in the decisions they're making.

The People Behind the Software Matter Too

Technology was only part of Ken's decision.

Throughout the evaluation process, he emphasizes how important it was to work with a team that understood both the software and the architecture and engineering industry.

Having knowledgeable, responsive people throughout implementation helped reduce the firm's risk, build confidence, and ensure the transition was successful.

For Ken, choosing the right software also meant choosing the right partner.

Final Thoughts

Ken's experience is a reminder that software should support your business, not create more work. When your team can't trust the numbers or spends more time managing the system than managing projects, the cost extends far beyond the software itself.

Factor helps A&E firms replace disconnected processes with one intuitive platform for project management, financial visibility, and reporting. By bringing project budgets, costs, time, billing, and profitability together in one place, firms gain the real-time insights they need to make better decisions with confidence, without relying on disconnected systems or manual workarounds.

Whether you're evaluating your current software or considering a change, Ken's advice is simple: understand what your business needs, identify where your current system falls short, and choose a solution that gives your team the clarity and confidence to succeed.