For consulting firms
One engagement record, from first discussion to invoice.
Carry the agreement into delivery, keep the reasoning readable, and bill from reviewed time.
One engagement, five handoffs.
Illustrative engagement. A finance operations review for a logistics company, sold, delivered and billed on one record.
Discuss
The company, its contacts and this opportunity, each kept distinct in the CRM.
CRMAgree
The proposal sets the question, the outputs, the client's part and the commercial basis.
ProposalConvert
The won opportunity becomes a project. Review the handoff before the first task.
ProjectDeliver
Discovery, analysis, workshops, recommendations and follow-up, each with an owner.
Tasks and documentsBill
Preview eligible time, group it by consultant and review the amount before sending.
Invoice
The workshop is done. The decision is still open.
Documents keep the brief, meeting outcomes, assumptions and recommendations readable. A completed task and an accepted recommendation are different events, so the record names the client decision and the firm's next step.
Switch between two views of the same afternoon.
See how documents workWhat the week was worth.
The 8 non-billable hours earn nothing on the invoice, but they still cost the firm. That is why they get recorded.
- $4,32024 billable hours at a snapshotted $180 rate
- $2,560All 32 logged hours at $80 labor cost
- $1,760Before other direct expenses, about 40.7% direct margin
Illustrative figures with simplified rates. The same week is 60% billable utilization against 40 available hours, which says nothing about the quality of the advice.
The invoice
Bill from reviewed time.
The consultants' hours reach the invoice grouped the way the client will read them, after someone has checked them against the agreement.
Only eligible time
Finished, billable entries that have not been invoiced yet.
Grouped by consultant
Or by task, whichever the agreement makes easier to read.
The rate on record
Each entry carries the rate snapshotted when the work was logged.
Non-billable still counted
Senior review and coordination stay on the engagement, off the invoice.
Terms from the agreement
Check caps, payment timing and client details against what was accepted.
Billed and collected, apart
Invoice and payment status show what was sent and what has arrived.
Where each part of the engagement lives.
CRM and pipeline The company, its contacts and each opportunity, kept apart.
Proposals The question, outputs and commercial basis, accepted before work starts.
Time tracking Billable and non-billable effort, recorded the same way.
Invoicing Eligible time, grouped for the client, reviewed before it goes.
Clear about what hours can tell you.
What Flowboard does for an engagement
- Keeps the company, its contacts and each opportunity distinct.
- Converts a won opportunity into a project with its agreement.
- Records billable and non-billable engagement time the same way.
- Prepares invoices from eligible, reviewed time, grouped by consultant or task.
What it leaves to the firm
- Judging the quality of advice or the value of a relationship.
- Professional review and sensitive-record handling.
- Overhead such as business development, insurance and office costs.
- Treating a completed task as an accepted recommendation.
Review direct engagement margin here, and the whole business through your accounting process. Try the utilization calculator ↗
The details.
Everything above, in depth. Open what you need.
Turn a sales conversation into an engagement record
Use the CRM to keep the company, relevant contacts, and specific opportunity distinct. A returning client may have several possible engagements, each with different scope and timing. The proposal should explain the question the firm will address, the outputs, the client's responsibilities, and the commercial basis before delivery begins.
When the work is won, convert the opportunity into a project and review the handoff. Organize the engagement around concrete stages such as discovery, analysis, workshops, recommendations, and follow-up. A workshop is not complete merely because it happened; the project may still need an agreed decision record, an action plan, or a client deliverable.
Preserve the reasoning as well as the task status
Documents give the engagement a readable home for briefs, meeting outcomes, assumptions, and recommendations. Use client-visible material for shared context and keep internal analysis in the appropriate scope. A future colleague should be able to understand the current position without reading every message exchanged during the engagement.
Messaging supports coordination, while task ownership makes follow-up explicit. Keep those roles distinct. A promising idea in a conversation is not an assigned action, and a completed task is not necessarily an accepted recommendation. Define the client decision and the firm's next responsibility so the engagement does not drift after a productive meeting.
An illustrative hourly engagement
A consultant records 24 billable hours at a snapshotted $180 rate and eight additional non-billable hours on the engagement. The billable work represents $4,320 of hourly revenue. If all 32 hours carry an $80 labor cost, direct labor cost is $2,560, leaving $1,760 before other direct expenses. Direct margin is about 40.7%. This example is illustrative and uses simplified rates.
Against a 40-hour available week, the 24 billable hours represent 60% billable utilization. Review utilization alongside the engagement's price and direct costs: a full calendar can still contain underpriced work. Invoice and payment status show what has been billed and collected.
| Question | Useful measure | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| How much work was chargeable? | Billable time | Not all engagement effort is billable |
| What did delivery cost? | All logged labor and direct expenses | Internal work can still consume margin |
| How busy was the consultant? | Utilization against capacity | Not a measure of advice quality |
| What is ready to bill? | Eligible time and agreed terms | Not the same as collected cash |
Set up an engagement that can be reviewed and billed
Begin with a consistent engagement record rather than a complicated reporting taxonomy. The firm should be able to explain the same work commercially, operationally, and financially.
Confirm the commercial model
Record whether the engagement is hourly, fixed-fee, or retainer-based. Make payment timing, scope, and the relevant period explicit.
Create the delivery structure
Name the stages, owners, client inputs, and decisions. Keep a current brief and an understandable record of recommendations.
Review time consistently
Record client work and relevant non-billable effort. Check descriptions and billable treatment before the period closes.
Prepare the invoice deliberately
Preview eligible time where applicable and choose task or team-member grouping that matches the agreement. Review the final amount and client details.
Keep professional judgment and specialist obligations in their place
Keep your firm's professional review and sensitive-record handling processes alongside the engagement plan. Flowboard connects the tasks, shared documents, team time, and client decisions, giving consultants a clear operational record to work from.
Use direct project margin to review delivery economics. Include the relevant partner and consultant time consistently, then review business development, insurance, office costs, and other overhead through the firm's accounting process. This gives you both an engagement view and a whole-business view.
Build the agreement
Present scope, responsibilities, acceptance, and commercial terms coherently.
Explore this workflow ↗Connect reviewed time to billing
Inspect eligible entries and invoice details before sending.
Explore this workflow ↗Questions
Before the next engagement starts.
Can we manage hourly and fixed-fee engagements?
The project model supports different billing types, and their financial interpretation differs. Hourly revenue uses billable entries and rates; fixed-fee work uses the configured contract amount. Choose the correct model and review it against the agreement before relying on margin or billing figures.
Should partners record non-billable client work?
Use a consistent policy if you want to understand the engagement's direct effort. Senior review or relationship work can consume real capacity even when it is not charged separately. Decide what belongs to the engagement and avoid comparing projects with materially different recording habits.
Can invoice lines be organized by consultant?
The time-based invoice workflow supports grouping by team member or task. Choose the grouping that fits the client's agreement and makes the work understandable. Review the underlying entries and any contractual caps before generating the invoice.
Can clients access recommendations and follow-up?
Client-visible documents and portal collaboration can provide a focused place for shared material. Check visibility and the exact client experience before inviting stakeholders. Keep internal analysis and sensitive content in the appropriate scope and process.
Does utilization tell us which consultants create the most value?
No. Utilization describes recorded billable work relative to each person's available working hours. It does not capture the quality of advice, relationship value, mentoring, or business development. Use it as one operating measure alongside engagement outcomes and the responsibilities each person carries.