A fixed-fee identity in its fourth round
Kite’s logo system is one round past its allowance. The forecast shows 33.33% against a 40% target. A $10,000 change request would lift it to 37.07%, still below target, and the project says so plainly.
Project profitability
Know the margin while you can still change it.
Studioflow forecasts each project from what has been spent and the reviewed effort still ahead, shows the calculation behind every number, and keeps proposed scope apart from what the client has agreed.
Plans: Fixed-fee projects and basic budgets on every plan. Cost rates, margin forecasts and project health on Studio and Scale, and revision rounds and change requests on Studio and Scale.
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Northline StudioProjectsKIT-001 Kite brand identity
Sample dataProjected margin
33.33%
Target 40% · 6.67 points below
How the forecast is calculated
| Contract valueFixed fee, excluding tax | $60,000 |
|---|---|
| Actual direct cost to date180h at $90 an hour is $16,200, plus $1,800 of expenses | $18,000 |
| Remaining planned cost220h of reviewed task estimates is $19,800, plus $2,200 of forecast expenses | $22,000 |
| Projected profit | $20,000 |
Forecast total cost is $40,000: what has been spent plus what remains, never the original plan added on top.
If CR-002 is accepted
Proposed figures are not committed until the client accepts and the change is applied.
| Measure | Committed | If accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Contract value | $60,000 | $70,000 |
| Forecast total cost | $40,000 | $44,050 |
| Projected profit | $20,000 | $25,950 |
| Projected margin | 33.33% | 37.07% |
Even if accepted, the projected margin stays below the 40% target.
Revision rounds by deliverable
Logo system
Identity exploration
Round 4 of 3 included
1 beyond the included roundsVisual language
Refinement
Round 2 of 2 included
Brand guidelines
Guidelines and handover
Round 1 of 2 included
Sample figures for KIT-001 Kite brand identity at Northline Studio, a fictional studio, calculated with the same functions the product uses.
How it works
From agreed scope to a margin you can trust
Set the terms
Fixed fee, hourly with a cap, retainer or internal, each with a budget in hours, cost or fee, and a margin target.
Log against scope
Time and expenses land on phases, deliverables and revision rounds, carrying the rates in force when they were recorded.
Forecast from what remains
Remaining cost comes from reviewed task estimates, future confirmed bookings or a manual forecast. Without one, the forecast is marked incomplete rather than assumed to be zero.
Act on signals
Each health signal states its reason, its calculation and the records behind it, with a next step such as preparing a change request.
Apply accepted changes once
An accepted change request updates the fee and budget exactly once and leaves a scope version behind for the record.
In practice
Where it makes a difference
An hourly website with a cap
Billable value is tracked against the fee cap, so you see the cap approaching before the hours run past it.
A retainer with rollover
Included hours, rollover and expiry are tracked period by period, with any overage valued at the agreed rate.
Time without a cost rate
If someone has no cost rate, the margin states how many hours are not covered instead of showing a flattering number.
Limits
What it does not do
Stated plainly, so you can decide with the whole picture.
- Studioflow is an operational tool, not a general ledger or accounting system. Margins are management estimates, not accounting revenue recognition.
- A forecast is only as good as its remaining estimates. Without a reviewed source, it is marked incomplete.
- Projects in different currencies are reported side by side, never added together.
- Rounds beyond the allowance are flagged, not billed automatically. How they are charged stays your decision.
Questions
Common questions
How is projected margin calculated?
(Revenue basis minus forecast total cost) divided by revenue basis. N/A when revenue is zero or inputs are insufficient. Forecast total cost: actual direct cost to date plus remaining planned labor cost plus forecast remaining expenses.
What happens when a change request is accepted?
Once the client accepts, someone with permission applies it. The fee, hours and budget update once, a new scope version is recorded, and applying the same change twice is prevented by the database.
Who can see costs and margins?
Only people whose role includes internal cost access. For everyone else, costs and margins are removed from what the server sends, not just hidden on screen.
Does it work for hourly projects?
Yes. For hourly work the revenue basis is billable value to date plus remaining planned value, capped when the project has a fee cap.
What does the health status mean?
There is no score. Each signal is a rule with a threshold: a budget nearly used, margin below target, rounds beyond the allowance, scope not yet approved, an overdue milestone, missing cost rates, time waiting for approval or an overdue client balance.
A clearer picture of the work. A stronger studio.
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