Outproduce
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For directors and project leads in engineering, technical and advisory consultancies.

Why is the project always behind the admin? Because scope, deliverables, time and invoicing live in four separate places.

Proposals, scope changes, deliverable registers, timesheets and invoices are held across a project tool, documents and finance. Outproduce installs the path from the enquiry to a proposal, from the project record to a maintained deliverable register, and from recorded time to a drafted invoice, with scope variations captured and raised. Client submissions, scope positions and invoices wait for a named approver.

Book a callSee the workflows
  • Project management tool
  • Document store
  • Timesheet system
  • Accounting software
  • CRM

By hand today

What your team does by hand, and what we build.

You do this by hand

A proposal is built by editing the last similar one and rewriting the scope and fee basis.

We build this

A proposal preparation path that assembles the scope, exclusions and fee basis from the enquiry and prior work.

What changes

Proposals go out faster with a consistent scope and exclusion set.

You do this by hand

The deliverable register is maintained in a spreadsheet updated when somebody remembers.

We build this

A deliverable register on the project record, with each item tracked by state and owner.

What changes

Project leads can see what is late and why without asking around.

You do this by hand

Extra work is done first and argued about later, often without a written instruction.

We build this

A variation capture path that records the request, compares it with the agreed scope, and raises the commercial effect.

What changes

Out of scope work is identified while it can still be charged or declined.

You do this by hand

Timesheets are chased by email and corrected at invoicing time.

We build this

A time completeness path that checks recorded time against project activity and prepares chases and corrections.

What changes

Time is complete before invoicing rather than reconstructed during it.

You do this by hand

Invoices are prepared by reading time, milestones and the fee agreement together.

We build this

An invoice preparation path that drafts from recorded time, milestones and approved variations for review.

What changes

Invoicing is a review step, with unbilled work and scope questions shown.

Consulting profitability is decided by scope discipline and by billing what was actually done. Both depend on administrative records that senior technical people maintain in between client work.

Clients expect a clear deliverable position and a clean invoice. Producing both reliably means the project record, the time record and the fee agreement have to be connected rather than reconciled.

Lifecycle

Where the system runs and where a person decides.

Typical lifecycle in this sector
  1. 1Enquiry received
  2. 2Scope, exclusions and fee basis assembledAutomated
  3. 3Project lead approves the proposalHuman approvalScope and price positions wait here.
  4. 4Project record and deliverable register createdAutomated
  5. 5Deliverable states maintained from project activityAutomated
  6. 6Variation requests captured and compared with scopeAutomated
  7. 7Time completeness checked before invoicingAutomated
  8. 8Invoice reviewed and releasedHuman approval

Workflows

The workflows we install first.

Each one names the manual version, the installed version, and the approval point that stays with a person. Figures show sample records, never client data.

01

Enquiry to proposal

The scope, exclusions, assumptions and fee basis are assembled from the enquiry and comparable prior work. The project lead approves before issue.

Expected impactExpected impact: proposals leave sooner with fewer scope gaps.
Illustrative proposal assembly · Illustrative
SectionAssembled fromWhen it is held
Scope of servicesEnquiry and comparable projectsRequirement that does not match prior work
Exclusions and assumptionsStandard set and project contextNew risk not covered by the standard set
Fee basisRate record and effort estimateEffort outside the usual range
Programme dependenciesClient stated constraintsDependency the firm cannot control
02

Deliverable register maintenance

Each deliverable sits on the project record with an owner, a state and a dependency, updated from project activity rather than from a weekly ask.

Expected impactExpected impact: late deliverables and their causes are visible early.
Illustrative ladder for deliverable stateIllustrative
  1. Deliverable createdSet from the approved scope with an owner.
    Automated
  2. In progressState maintained from project activity and recorded time.
    Automated
  3. Technical reviewA named reviewer accepts the deliverable before issue.
    Human approval
  4. Blocked by a dependencyRaised with the cause and the party responsible.
    Escalated
03

Scope variation capture

Requests that extend the agreed scope are compared with the proposal and raised with their commercial effect, before the work is absorbed.

Expected impactExpected impact: less unbilled scope creep and clearer client conversations.
Illustrative trace of a variationIllustrative
  1. 01
    Request captured

    Recorded against the project with who asked and when.

    Automated
  2. 02
    Compared with scope

    Checked against the agreed services and exclusions.

    Automated
  3. 03
    Outside scope

    Raised with the effort and fee effect for a decision.

    Escalated
  4. 04
    Project lead decides

    Named approval to quote, absorb or decline.

    Human approval
04

Time completeness to drafted invoice

Recorded time is checked against project activity, gaps are chased, and the invoice is drafted from time, milestones and approved variations.

Expected impactExpected impact: fewer write offs and less reconstruction at invoicing.
Illustrative comparison of invoicing preparation
CaseBy hand todayInside the installed path
Time fully recordedChecked at invoicingConfirmed complete before the draft is built
Activity without recorded timeWritten off quietlyFlagged for the owner to record or explain
Approved variationSometimes missed on the invoiceIncluded in the draft with its approval reference

Go live

How it reaches production in your firm.

  1. 01

    Fit Review on a live project

    We follow scope, deliverables, time and invoicing with the project lead who carries them.

    Free
  2. 02

    Operating Map

    The map names the project records, the deliverable states, the fee basis and every approval point.

    Paid, yours to keep
  3. 03

    Production Install on a scoped project type

    A chosen project type or team goes live first, with an agreed acceptance test on real projects.

    Human approves
  4. 04

    Managed operation or handover

    We run the exception queue with your team, or hand over the documented system with an owner named.

    Monitored

What we measure

Baseline first, then the delta.

We record each of these before anything switches on, so the result is measured against your numbers, not a benchmark.

first builds: enquiry to approved proposal · deliverable register maintenance · time completeness to drafted invoice

Related

Questions from engineering and consulting firms.

Does it decide what is in scope?

It compares the request with the agreed scope and raises the difference. The decision to quote, absorb or decline stays with the project lead.

Can it issue deliverables to clients?

No. Technical review and client issue stay with named people.

Other sectors

Start here

Show us the workflow.

Tell us what starts it, who owns the result, which tools carry it, and where it stalls. We will tell you whether it is ready to map.

Book a 20-minute callOr send it in writing
Strong fit

The workflow repeats

One person owns the result

The records exist

Several tools carry the work