Key Results
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40+ Person Firm Running on 1 Connected Platform
Urban Practice replaced disconnected spreadsheets and manual workflows with 1 centralized system.
3-Way Sync Between Factor, QuickBooks, and Banking Software
Connected systems reduced duplicate entry across accounting and operations.
2 Months to Firm-Wide Adoption
The entire team was confidently using Factor within roughly 60 days of go-live.
1 Dashboard for Projects, Staffing, and Resources
Leadership and project managers now track workloads, schedules, and budgets in real time.
Overview
Urban Practice specializes exclusively in multifamily residential architecture, with projects spanning affordable housing, student housing, military housing, and market-rate developments.
Founded roughly six years ago by three partners, the firm has grown rapidly to more than 40 employees. At the time, Urban Practice was using BQE Core for time tracking and reporting while relying on spreadsheets for staffing projections and forecasting.
But as the firm’s operational needs evolved, leadership wanted a more intuitive and connected way to manage projects, schedules, resources, and financial data across the business.
The Challenges
Staffing and Project Visibility Were Spread Across Multiple Systems
Urban Practice used BQE Core for several years after the firm was founded. While it supported the firm’s time tracking and reporting needs, the team eventually found themselves relying heavily on spreadsheets for staffing projections, forecasting, and operational planning.
Because staffing, schedules, reporting, and forecasting lived across multiple systems, leadership often had to gather information manually to understand project and resource status across the firm.
The team wanted better visibility into:
- Staffing and team capacity
- Project schedules
- Actual vs. budget performance
- Resource allocation
- Forecasting and reporting
The Firm Needed a More Intuitive Operational Platform
As Urban Practice evaluated next steps, ease of use became one of the biggest priorities.
While BQE Core offered robust functionality, the team wanted software that felt more straightforward and intuitive for day-to-day project and staffing management.
“We found that BQE Core was not as user-friendly or intuitive.”
—Bryon Yoder, Principal, Urban Practice
The firm also wanted to reduce reliance on manual workarounds and create a more connected workflow between project management, staffing, accounting, and reporting.
“You can have a very complex, complicated program that does a lot of things, but if people don't know how to use them, they're not going to use them.”—Bryon Yoder, Principal, Urban Practice
Accounting and Operations Needed to Work Together
As Urban Practice prepared to bring accounting operations in-house, the team also needed software that integrated cleanly with QuickBooks while reducing duplicate administrative work.
The firm evaluated several platforms, including Monograph, Deltek Vantagepoint, and monday.com, before ultimately selecting Factor.
After roughly two months of evaluating solutions, a six-person internal team aligned on Factor.
The Solution
Urban Practice selected Factor because it combined project management, staffing visibility, reporting, and accounting connectivity in one platform.
One of the biggest differentiators was Factor’s flexibility around project phases and sub-phases, which aligned closely with how the firm structures fees and departmental workflows.
“In Factor, we can create sub-phases and really break down our fees and proposals the way we do them. That was really unique.” —Bryon Yoder, Principal, Urban Practice
The team also valued Factor’s QuickBooks integration and straightforward interface, which helped support adoption across the firm.
Urban Practice rolled out Factor using a phased onboarding process that included:
- Data migration from BQE Core
- Role-specific training sessions
- Project manager onboarding
- Team-wide implementation presentations
The firm officially went live in October and had the majority of the team comfortably using the platform by December.
One Place to Manage Staffing, Projects, and Reporting
Today, Urban Practice uses Factor as a centralized platform across the business.
Leadership and project managers use live dashboards during weekly and biweekly staffing meetings to review workloads, staffing projections, schedules, budgets, and future resource needs in real time.
“The ability to both assign tasks and look at what people are doing now and in the future... we can just pull up everyone's schedule for the next few months at least and get a really good sense of the pulse of our staffing needs.”—Bryon Yoder, Principal, Urban Practice
Instead of relying on manually updated spreadsheets, teams now have direct access to live operational data across projects and staffing.
Better Visibility Into Budgets and Project Performance
Project managers can now quickly review actual versus budget performance in real time, helping teams stay closer to project financials throughout delivery.
The reporting functionality also gave leadership better access to operational data without relying on disconnected systems.
“Project managers are now able to see in real time how much time and money has been spent on the project.” —Bryon Yoder, Principal, Urban Practice
Reduced Duplicate Administrative Work
Factor’s integration with QuickBooks and the firm’s banking software helped create a more connected workflow between accounting and operations.
The connected systems reduced duplicate data entry and improved efficiency across the accounting team.
“The way it syncs seamlessly with QuickBooks, and then by extension, our banking software syncs with QuickBooks... it's a three-way communication that's really helpful.”—Bryon Yoder, Principal, Urban Practice
Fast Adoption Across a 40+ Person Team
For Principal Bryon Yoder, one of the biggest successes of the implementation was adoption across the firm.
Because the platform felt intuitive and straightforward, the team was able to successfully roll it out across operations staff, project managers, and the broader organization within roughly two months.
The team also highlighted Factor’s responsive support experience throughout onboarding and implementation.
“I've heard a lot from everyone on our team about how available and supportive the customer support experience has been.”
—Bryon Yoder, Principal, Urban Practice
