Data-driven research on project margins, utilization rates, and ERP selection for professional services firms.
In-depth analysis for 15–100 person professional services firms.
QuickBooks shows you P&L. It doesn't show you which projects make money, which clients are subsidized, or which team members are costing you margin. Here's what visibility actually looks like.
Read the article →Utilization rate, project gross margin, client concentration, employee variance, and effective $/hour rate — the five numbers that determine whether your firm is actually healthy, with formulas, benchmarks, and dollar examples for each.
Read the article →CPAs work from P&L and balance sheet. Project margin requires time × rate data matched to project-level costs. That data isn't in QuickBooks — and your CPA doesn't have it.
Read the article →Revenue quality, margin profile, client concentration, key-person dependency, systems maturity, growth trajectory — the 6 things PE buyers evaluate and how each one affects your multiple.
Read the article →Original research from our internal assessment data and named public sources — content no competitor can replicate.
Median operational health score of 52/100 across assessed firms. The biggest gap? Margin visibility — 67% score below 50. [ESTIMATE] Data from our ProServ Health Assessment tool.
Read the analysis →Compiled benchmarks from BLS, SPI Research, Deltek Clarity, Hinge Research, AICPA, Census Bureau, and Statista. Every number cited with its source.
Read the analysis →Synthesized from AI-guided conversations with firm owners. Top concern: "How do I know which projects are profitable?" — appearing in 34% of sessions. [ESTIMATE]
Read the analysis →CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) for consulting and agency firms — how it differs from manufacturing CPQ, leading platforms (DealHub, Rocketlane, Salesforce CPQ), and what to evaluate before buying.
Read the guide →Research in progress on the operations issues that matter most to services firm operators.
Industry utilization rates by firm type, size, and vertical. See how your numbers compare.
The scope creep problem — how it happens, how to quantify it, and how to stop it.
A structured approach to deciding between PSA, hybrid tools, and staying with QuickBooks + add-ons.
The free ProServ Health Assessment benchmarks your firm in 5 minutes. The Margin Diagnostic shows you exactly where margin is leaking.