This feature is currently only available for a limited audience.
The proposal budget builder makes it easy to create accurate budgets by starting with the work that needs to be done. Instead of guessing top-level numbers, you can estimate hours at the role level, then let Monograph calculate the budget for you.
Building the Budget
To get started, the lead must first be created on the Pipeline page. Once the lead is created, navigate to its Overview page and, in the Proposal section next to Budget, click Add to open the proposal budget builder.
A new page will appear, prompting a selection for how to start the project: using a template, using an existing project, or starting from scratch. Choose the preferred option and click Next to continue building the budget based on the selected method.
💡 Click on each toggle below to learn more about the budget generation methods.
Using a Template or Project
Using a Template or Project
If Use a Template is selected, Monograph will generate role and budget recommendations using the selected template to suggest which team members should be assigned.
If Use a Project is selected, Monograph will generate role and budget recommendations from existing projects that use the same Category to suggest which team members should be assigned.
💡 To note: When Use a Project is selected, the six most recent projects in the same category as the lead will appear. If no projects match that category, the six most recent projects overall will be shown instead. To locate a different project, begin typing its name and it will appear in the dropdown list.
After a specific template or project is selected, click Next to generate the recommendations. Review each phase’s suggested roles, hours, and budget, then choose Apply to accept the recommendation or Dismiss to skip it. The budgets, roles, rates, and hours can be edited further at any time.
Starting from Scratch
Starting from Scratch
If Start from Scratch is selected, Monograph won't generate any recommendations, and the budget's phases, roles/rates, and budget information will all need to be entered manually. After selecting this option, select a phase from the dropdown menu to begin building the budget.
Once the phase is created, add the following details before saving:
Link a phase - When a phase is linked to another phase, any change to the linked phase’s end date will automatically adjust the current phase’s date range by the same number of days.
The first phase cannot have a linked phase, as there is no earlier phase to link to.
Duration - The estimated number of weeks required to complete the phase.
Fee type - Specifies whether the phase uses an hourly or fixed fee.
Learn more about fee types.
Roles and Billable Rates
Role - Add each role expected to work on the phase.
Billable rate - Select the billable rate assigned to each role.
After saving the phase, repeat this process for any additional phases that need to be added. When additional phases are added, the option to copy roles from previous phases will appear.
With either generation method, as the necessary roles and estimated hours are entered for each phase, the proposal's budget and estimated totals will automatically update in real time as changes are made.
💡 Tip: Adjust hours as needed until the budget aligns with your project scope.
Adding Consultants
After adding the roles, rates, and estimated hours for each phase, scroll further down to add any phase and/or project consultants that will be used, along with their estimated budget and any markup (if applicable). The budgets will then be included in the overall proposal budget at the top of the page.
💡 Need to add a new consultant? Learn more.
Construction Cost
If you know the estimated construction costs that will be required for the project, enter them into the Construction cost section under the budget proposal totals.
💡 Learn more about how construction costs are used in Monograph.
Finalized Proposal
After all of the proposed budget information has been added, the details will appear on the Lead's Overview page in the Proposal section. This will show the budgets for all phases and consultants, the roles and rates used, the totals for each type of fee type (and markup), and the overall proposed budget total.
Editing the Proposal
To edit the proposal, click on the Edit button in the Proposal > Budget section. This will reopen the proposal budget builder page, where you can make any edits to budgets, roles, rates, etc.
After a lead has been marked as Closed - Won and is converted to a project, the proposed budget can no longer be edited. Instead, any necessary changes will need to be made directly in the project's Budget page.
Learn more about the Pipeline and Leads FAQs here.