Deltek Ajera - Constitution Review

I would say if you know how to use Ajera, you will be really benefit from it because it is a magic tool with some limitation. Learning curve is there, but it is well worth the time to learn how the system works correctly.

Pros

Ajera not only can help to create tools for you to manage the projects well from tracking the budget hours, the worked hours, the project costs, forecasting the project probabilities, scheduling, etc. which the Ajera salespersons are mainly focused on (it is true), but also you could create a lot of additional reports - i.e. Forecasting the workloads for next few years which will provide the data to support HR making hiring decisions, the revenue projections, and the revenue capacity with the employees you have, etc. Even more, you could create the user-friendly accounting functions in Ajera to make the accounting side move efficiently than using the accounting software - i.e. Simply Accounting, Quick Books

Cons

1. Add more import options will be great especially if we could create the custom forms to submit the data to the fields including the custom fields in Ajera. 2. Allow the Vendor Invoices to be submitted by the vendor to the client side Ajera directly especially for the architecture firms 3. Allow sharing some info from Ajera to the company website

Ajera provides simple timekeeping when billable vs. unbillable is important.

I use Ajera for timekeeping for an engineering client. We create the projects from an admin level and can assign certain things to certain staff members. It allows for them to view their accrual pay, and the submittal for approval process is as easy as can be. Our supervisors get automatic emails to approve time sheets, and rarely do we have to ask staff to make changes because the format allows for such easy time entry to projects and overhead or otherwise. Ajera is a good option for timekeeping in the instance you need to bill your time to specific projects. I would recommend Ajera specifically for engineering firms, and any other organization that does project based accounting.

Pros

I like the ease of use for our staff. It is easy for them to find the appropriate project they are working on to code their time accordingly. Additionally, it is easy for them to bill to Holiday, Sick, or overhead as necessary. Once in the timekeeping window, the search feature works great whether you are searching by project titles or numbers, so we rarely have to intervene to help people with their timesheets.

Cons

There seem to be a couple steps to just get to the timekeeping window. Needs simplification - maybe it's the first window that pops up so that staff doesn't have to use a drop down for the timesheet.

One of the worst accounting systems out there

Literally any other system would be better. I'd recommend looking into Quickbooks, Intacct, or Sage, even Netsuite before going down this road. As soon as you are up and running you will be 10 years behind technologically and if you ever transition it will be incredibly painful and tedious.

Pros

Supports "multi-company", but creates a rats nest of transactions that will cripple your accounting team

Cons

The system is built on .NET and has bugs in nearly every module. You must use a PC and internet explorer to even log into the system which does not integrate with any outside systems such as your bank or any payments platform. To even use the system you must be well versed in the individual bugs in each module. This is one of the slowest systems I've ever used because nearly everything must be manually entered and there is almost no automation or memory of previously coded transactions. The system is incredibly expensive to implement and maintain compared to other cloud-based systems and your team will spend countless hours manually entering data and trying to navigate the system's nuances. It's close to impossible to find skilled professionals who've worked with Ajera before or have any kind of knowledge beyond a very basic level unless you hire one of less than a dozen specialty Ajera consultants. When I finally moved on to a new system, they would not even provide me with a backup file of my data. I'm still in the process of extracting my data after weeks of waiting and hours spent on the phone with their customer support team. It is incredible this company still exists

life saving ie work life balance

work life balance

Pros

saved time and was able to generate different report for Project managers and Principal. Also it was a easy transfer of data.Setting up project numbers and task numbers for each project so you can bill time to each project. You can then easily track costs. You can easily create customizable reports to show what data you want to capture in an easily readable format for you to read and compare. Time sheets are easy to enter for each employee as long as the project numbers, over head numbers, etc., are entered. Expense sheets are easy to enter as long as project number, over head numbers, etc., are entered.

Cons

based on cloud, sometime freezes, also don't know if it follow the Privacy act. The user interface for time sheets could be more user-friendly. The user interface for expense sheets could be more user-friendly.

Next Big Step for A&E Firms

Pros

It has most of the features we were looking for such as the ability for employees to do timesheets, resource management, and for project managers to review billing, projections, hours spent, and WIP.

Cons

There many options and it takes quite a bit of time and effort to cater it to one's specific needs. There should be a different user license/price tier for employees that are not project managers and only need to access it to do their timesheets.