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Firm profile
Established in 2017 by Principal Jessica Jolin, architecture and design firm Mobile Studio Design’s name initially took inspiration from Jolin’s college dream of revitalizing her beat-up 1976 Airstream into a mobile studio. More grounded in its current iteration, the four-person firm is now headquartered in Biddeford, Maine. Specializing primarily in high-end residential, commercial, and community design projects, the firm’s process centers around the progression of thoughtful decisions regarding client needs and priorities to yield intensely thoughtful design outcomes. With previous experience in construction management, the firm is also adept at identifying the most effective avenues to meet specific budget requirements surrounding projects. The process of working closely with clients during every phase of the design process allows the firm to effectively implement client vision.
The Challenge
When Mobile Studio Design first started, it was easy enough to manually track budget projects and overages by pulling from Quickbooks.
As the studio grew and the number of projects increased, it became clear that they needed a better way to track project fees.
They needed real-time tracking to manage client expectations and to better handle their work backlog. This was especially relevant when they would invoice—and not have a clear picture of project progress.
“When getting ready to invoice, it becomes really hard to understand where fees are tracking and how to deal with contract management. Other applications have next to no capacity to track project fees beyond running reports, and there was no way of scheduling and understanding time charts in relation to the fees of a project.”
—Leah Schaffer, Mobile Studio Design
Clear Picture of Project Progress
Now a year into utilizing Monograph, Mobile Studio Design currently manages 20 projects in Monograph. At times, it’s been up to 40.
Monograph has allowed them to have a clear picture of project progress at all times—alleviating billing issues and allowing them to better communicate project timelines with their clients.
“The main benefit is more accurate tracking, and having a clear visual of where a fee is by phase of the project. This helps us make sure that as clients' wants and needs change, we’re not exceeding what we initially estimated, which we can then communicate more clearly.”
—Leah Schaffer, Mobile Studio Design
Less Time on Administrative Tasks
Mobile Design Studio now spends less time in meetings and administrative tasks, which allows them to spend more time doing billable work on project deliverables.
“It’s significantly changed how we do our studio meetings. Monograph makes it easier to structure them, allowing us to break it down more specifically by projects using the project list.”
—Leah Schaffer, Mobile Studio Design
Built for Architects
One of the difference-makers for Mobile Design Studio was that Monograph was built for architects, unlike many of the industry-agnostic project management tools in the market.
This translates into an open dialogue with Monograph about how to continue to help better serve architects like Mobile Studio Design.
“It's made for architecture firms specifically as opposed to generic software, which is huge. There's also a lot of interface with the company. We can give or get feedback and feel heard. It's interesting to work with a company that's in its earlier stages, and is building what they feel the industry needs,”
—Leah Schaffer, Mobile Studio Design
Delivering Better Client Experience
Mobile Studio Design prides itself on a great client experience—one that starts with thoughtful listening and continues with timely and transparent communication.
Monograph has allowed them to double-down on that value proposition by reducing administrative overhead and giving them a clear picture of their projects in real-time.
If you want to explore our how your firm can boost client experience with real-time project tracking, get started with Monograph today!
