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Stop Hunting for Phase Budget Changes
You're reviewing a project's financials and notice a phase budget doesn't match what you remember. Was it $50,000 or $55,000? Who updated it? When?
Suddenly you're digging through activity logs, asking teammates, or worse—making decisions based on outdated information.
Without automatic notifications, you might only discover budget changes during project reviews, weekly check-ins, or when something doesn't add up. By then, the change has already impacted planning, staffing, or financial forecasting.
This problem hits close to home. Monograph's CEO worked extremely hard for 10 years in Architecture…until he got fired for going over budget. That changed his life. So he created Monograph to make business easier for Architects & Engineers. Because no one learns it in A&E school.
Budget changes shouldn't stay hidden until it's too late. When budgets shift without visibility, projects go over budget, teams make decisions with outdated information, and firms discover problems weeks or months after they happen.
Phase budget notifications stop the guessing. When someone updates a phase budget, you get a quick heads-up in Monograph—and by email if you've got notifications enabled. Each notification shows what changed: which project and phase, who made the update, and the old versus new budget amounts.
No more mystery math. No more hunting through history. You know quickly when budgets change, who changed them, and what the impact is.
How Unnoticed Budget Changes Impact Your Team
When budget changes go unnoticed, the impact ripples across your team.
A project manager tracking hours against an outdated budget might miss that a phase is over budget. A team lead making staffing decisions allocates resources incorrectly. Your finance team forecasts revenue based on numbers that no longer reflect reality.
These problems compound over time. A $5,000 phase budget increase might seem small, but if it goes unnoticed, it leads to overstaffing, incorrect invoicing, or missed profitability targets. Multiply that across multiple phases and projects, and small unnoticed changes become significant financial discrepancies.
Sometimes budget changes happen on existing phases when they should actually be new additional services phases. Without notifications, these changes blend into the original scope, making it harder to track scope creep, bill for additional services, or maintain accurate project records. Phase budget notifications help you catch these changes immediately, so you can decide whether a budget increase should stay in the existing phase or be moved to a new additional services phase.
Phase budget notifications catch these issues before they become problems. Team members following the project get notified quickly—no waiting for the next project review or hoping someone remembers to mention the change.
When budgets change, your team stays aligned. You can adjust plans, staffing, and forecasts accordingly.
This visibility matters for project tracking, where phase-level data drives decisions across your firm. Phase budget notifications mean you're never playing hide-and-seek with budget changes—you know quickly when something shifts and can respond.
Control Your Phase Budget Notification Settings
You're busy. Not every budget change needs your immediate attention.
Phase budget notifications use your existing notification settings. You'll see updates in-app, and email notifications are optional—turn them on or off in your notification settings so you only get the alerts that matter.
Phase budget notifications are part of "Project updates", which also includes notifications for phase timeline changes, phase status changes, and other project updates. If you have Project updates enabled, you'll get notifications for budget changes alongside timeline adjustments and other phase updates—you see how your projects are changing.
What does "following" a project mean? Following a project means you receive notifications for that project's updates. You automatically follow projects you're assigned to or create. You can also manually follow or unfollow projects from the project's Overview page or your notification settings to control which projects send you notifications.
What permissions do I need? Phase budget notifications fall under "Project updates," which is available to all users. However, you can only see phase budgets if you have "Edit assigned projects" or "Edit all projects" permission. Therefore, phase budget change notifications are only sent to team members who have one of these permissions and are following the project.
You choose whether to get notified about every change or check in-app notifications on your own schedule. You stay informed about changes that impact your work without getting overwhelmed.
Phase Budget Notifications and Project Budget Tracking
Phase budget notifications work with how you already manage projects in Monograph. When you're tracking project phases, checking budget performance, or reviewing financial reports, these notifications mean you always have current information.
If you're tracking overall project health, phase budget notifications alert you to changes at the phase level—where most day-to-day budget adjustments happen. You catch budget shifts before they impact your project's bottom line.
These notifications work with building budgets in Monograph. When you create phase budgets tied to staffing, consultants, and timelines, phase budget notifications keep those budgets accurate and visible as projects evolve. You spot when projects are trending over budget, so you can adjust resources and capture additional services before it's too late.
Budget changes often happen alongside timeline adjustments—when a phase timeline extends, budgets may need to increase, or when scope changes, both timelines and budgets shift. Phase budget notifications work alongside phase timeline change notifications (also part of Project updates) so you see how your projects are changing. Whether it's a budget change, timeline adjustment, or both, you're notified quickly so you can assess the full impact.
For teams managing multiple projects, phase budget notifications keep you up to date on project changes. You can follow specific projects to get notifications for budget changes, phase updates, timeline adjustments, and other important project activities.
Best Practices for Phase Budget Notifications
Set up notification preferences early. Set your notification settings when you first start using Monograph, or review them periodically as your role and project load changes. You get the right level of visibility without getting overwhelmed.
Follow projects strategically. Following a project means you receive notifications for that project's updates. You automatically follow projects you're assigned to or create. Follow additional projects you actively manage or need visibility into, and unfollow projects where budget changes don't impact your work. This keeps your notification feed relevant and actionable.
Use notifications as a starting point. When you receive a phase budget notification, use it as a prompt to review the project's overall budget health. Check how the change impacts phase progress, staffing allocations, and project profitability. Notifications alert you to changes, but deeper analysis helps you make informed decisions. This is especially important when budget increases might actually represent additional services that should be tracked as separate phases rather than blended into existing scope.
Coordinate with your team. If multiple people manage budgets for the same project, phase budget notifications keep everyone on the same page. Everyone sees who made changes and when, so there's no confusion about who updated what.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who receives phase budget notifications?
Following a project means you receive notifications for that project's updates. You automatically follow a project when you're assigned to it or when you create it. Phase budget notifications fall under "Project updates," but you can only see phase budgets if you have "Edit assigned projects" or "Edit all projects" permission. Therefore, phase budget change notifications are only sent to team members who have one of these permissions, are following the project, and have Project updates enabled in their notification settings. Email notifications are sent only if you have email notifications enabled in your notification settings.
Can I turn off phase budget notifications?
You can control email notifications in your notification settings. You can also manage which projects you follow to control which projects you receive notifications for.
What information is included in a phase budget notification?
Each notification shows the project name, phase name, who made the change, and both the old and new budget amounts. This gives you complete context about what changed and who changed it.
Do I get notified for all budget changes?
Yes—any time someone updates a phase budget, team members following that project receive a notification, depending on their permissions, provided they are following the project and have Project updates enabled in their notification settings. Following a project means you receive notifications for that project's updates. You automatically follow projects you're assigned to or create, and you can manually follow or unfollow projects as needed.
How do phase budget notifications work with project budgets?
When a phase budget changes, it impacts the project's total budget. Phase budget notifications alert you to these changes so you can see how they affect project-level financials. This is part of how Monograph helps with building and tracking budgets—you see what's happening at every phase and project level.
Can I see a history of phase budget changes?
Phase budget notifications alert you to changes as they happen.
Are there notifications for other phase changes?
Yes—Monograph also sends notifications for phase timeline changes, phase status changes, and other project updates. These fall under the same "Project updates" notification category, so if you have Project updates enabled, you'll receive notifications for timeline adjustments and other phase changes in addition to budget changes.
Do consultants receive phase budget change notifications?
No. Consultants collaborating on projects through Monograph cannot view financial information such as budgets or billable rates. Since they cannot see budgets, they do not receive phase budget change notifications. Consultants do receive notifications for other project updates like phase timeline changes, phase status changes, and milestone updates—these keep them aligned on project schedules and deliverables.
Learn more about managing notifications
