PS Best Practices

Every PS leader watches utilization. It is one of the top measures of a professional services business, and the one that gets quoted in every operations review. So here is the uncomfortable part. Your utilization rate can sit right where you want it while your margin erodes underneath it. Utilization tells you whether hours got…

The SPI Professional Services Maturity Benchmark has shown the same thing for years. The gap between average firms and best-in-class firms on billable utilization runs into the double digits, and a lot of that gap is revenue that was earned and never captured. After implementing SuiteProjects Pro for more than 450 professional services organizations over…

One playbook doesn’t fit every starting point. Here are practical steps for moving forward, what to watch out for, and how to know you’re headed in the right direction. Parts 1 through 3 of this series covered how PSOs arrive at NetSuite from different directions, what a well-configured technology environment looks like, and what it…

Why the most mature PSOs we work with treat their NetSuite environment as a living asset rather than a completed project.

The configuration decisions you make early or inherit will either accelerate your business or quietly constrain it. Here’s what to get right. In Part 1, we identified the four scenarios PSOs may find themselves in with their use of NetSuite. We also established the foundation that applies regardless of where you are starting from and…

Before you can optimize your NetSuite environment, you need to know your starting point. Most PSOs are in one of four places and each one has a different path forward. If you work in a Professional Services Organization, you’ve probably noticed that conversations about NetSuite can go sideways quickly as they don’t have a good…

You made the right call. NetSuite for financials. SuiteProjects Pro to manage your project delivery and resources. Both are best-in-class platforms. So why does it still feel like your operations team and your finance team are living in different realities? If that question resonates, you’re not alone and the problem almost certainly isn’t the software.…

If you manage a professional services organization, you already know you should be tracking metrics. The question isn’t whether to measure, it’s which metrics deserve your limited attention and how to determine what’s actually worth tracking. Recent benchmark data from SPI’s PS Maturity Benchmark Report, shows an interesting pattern: firms tracking 165+ metrics don’t necessarily…

After two decades in the professional services automation space and working with over 400 organizations, I’ve witnessed a fundamental shift in what makes professional services organizations successful. It’s not just about having the latest technology or the most talented team, it’s about the quality of your data and the governance structures that support it. With…

Let me share something I’ve been saying to clients for years. When you implement a proper PSA solution, it’s like going into a basement, a very dark basement that hasn’t had lights, and turning the lights on. All of a sudden, you’re seeing all the cracks in the walls and all the dust on the…

Two years into their NetSuite implementation, a growing consulting firm discovered they had a problem. They wanted to offer their clients flexible engagement models—combining fixed-fee deliverables with time and materials work on the same project. It should have been straightforward. It wasn’t. The issue? Their NetSuite items were configured for immediate revenue recognition on billing.…

I don’t sleep well when we have an unhappy customer. Neither do you. Over our 17 years implementing NetSuite SuiteProjects Pro for more than 400 professional services organizations, I’ve witnessed this scenario countless times. A project manager confidently reports their project is “on track.” The dashboard shows green lights. Resource utilization looks solid. Budget burn…

Introduction: The Spreadsheet Dilemma After 20 years of implementing SuiteProjects Pro (formerly OpenAir) for professional services organizations of all sizes, I’ve witnessed a common pattern. Many organizations continue to manage their project portfolios using a patchwork of disconnected spreadsheets, emails, and disparate tools. This approach might work when you’re small, but as organizations grow, these…

As professional services organizations seek greater efficiency and competitive advantage, project management practices continue to evolve. The emergence of AI technologies presents both opportunities and questions for PS leaders committed to operational excellence. At Top Step, we work with hundreds of professional services organizations implementing Professional Services Automation (PSA) solutions. Across our client base, two…

As professional services organizations advance their resource management capabilities, a new challenge emerges: how to maximize the value of these enhanced practices. Recent industry research reveals that organizations with mature resource management practices achieve 30% higher profitability than their peers, but this success doesn’t happen automatically. It requires careful attention to critical success factors, thoughtful…

Professional services organizations today face mounting pressure to deliver more value with finite resources. As project complexity increases and talent markets tighten, the ability to effectively manage resources has become a key differentiator between thriving firms and those that struggle to maintain profitability. Recent industry research shows that organizations with mature resource management practices are…

In today’s professional services landscape, the difference between thriving organizations and those merely surviving often comes down to one critical factor: effective resource management. As the backbone of any professional services organization (PSO), resource management directly impacts revenue growth, customer satisfaction, and long-term profitability. According to recent industry benchmarks, high-performing PSOs achieve utilization rates over…

In today’s competitive landscape, professional services organizations face a constant challenge: maintaining high-quality service delivery while ensuring profitability. This balancing act is not just a goal—it’s a necessity for long-term success. As market pressures intensify and client expectations evolve, finding the sweet spot between profitability and quality has become a critical priority for leaders in…

In the world of professional services, delivering exceptional quality while maintaining healthy profit margins is not just a goal—it’s a necessity for long-term success. Yet, achieving this balance remains elusive for many firms. A recent industry survey reveals that 78% of professional services organizations consider this balance a top priority, highlighting its critical importance in…

As a Professional Services (PS) leader, keeping a pulse on your organization’s health is crucial for making informed decisions and driving success. By focusing on key metrics that cover the three essential aspects of your business—People, Money, and Time—you can gain valuable insights and take actionable steps to improve performance. In this article, we’ll discuss…

The march of technology often seems unstoppable. Artificial intelligence and automation are transforming industry after industry, changing the nature of work and the skills needed to thrive. It can be tempting to assume that everything will be handled by algorithms and robots soon. However, there is a human core to certain services that technology cannot…

In the fast-paced world of professional services, it can be all too easy to lose sight of the core driver of success: profitability. Project teams jump from client to client, expenses flow in various directions, and billing gets complicated. Before you know it, profit has become elusive, buried somewhere in the organization’s financial maze. This…

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, managing projects, resources, and finances effectively is paramount. As companies grow and their operations become more complex, the need for streamlined processes and efficient resource allocation becomes increasingly apparent. Many businesses, in their quest for operational excellence, often find themselves at a crossroads when evaluating their project management software options.…

Change is a constant in the world of professional services and managing it effectively can be a significant challenge – especially when implementing a new system that impacts nearly every part of a professional services organization. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some best practices for navigating change management in your organization, from communicating effectively…