The verdict in three sentences
Without fine-grained steering, a firm never sees that 15 to 30% of its engagements lose money, usually underpriced fixed fees or time-hungry files. A per-engagement profitability dashboard links time spent, hourly rate and billing to reveal each file's real margin. Budget 12,000 to 35,000 EUR and 2 to 4 months for a tool that pays for itself at the first round of fee renegotiations.
The KPIs that reveal the truth
Engagement profitability reads from a few simple but rarely combined indicators: budgeted vs actual time, realization rate, net margin per file. Brought onto a single screen, they change pricing decisions.
| KPI per engagement | Healthy target | Warning signal |
|---|---|---|
| Net margin | > 25% | < 10% |
| Budget/actual time gap | < 10% | > 25% |
| Billable realization rate | > 85% | < 70% |
| Effective hourly price | > 70 EUR | < 45 EUR |
| Time to bill | < 30 d | > 60 d |
What the dashboard changes in practice
By connecting the time tool and billing, the firm sees in real time which files are slipping. Management acts: renegotiate, reallocate, or drop structurally loss-making engagements.
| Component | 2026 indicative cost | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Time tool connection | 3,000 to 8,000 EUR | Reliable data |
| Margin calculation engine | 4,000 to 10,000 EUR | Margin per file |
| Per-engagement/client views | 3,000 to 9,000 EUR | Prioritization |
| Budget-overrun alerts | 2,000 to 5,000 EUR | Early reaction |
| Partner export / reporting | 2,000 to 4,000 EUR | Monthly steering |
Mini case study
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Pierre, partner in an 18-person firm in Lille, bills 2.4M EUR a year. After deploying a dashboard at 24,000 EUR, he finds that 22% of his fixed fees carry a margin below 8%, about 320,000 EUR of low-profitability revenue. By renegotiating the 15 worst files (+18% average fee) and dropping 3 chronic engagements, he recovers roughly 46,000 EUR of annual margin. The tool pays for itself in under 7 months and becomes the partners' monthly steering tool.
FAQ
Do we need to track time already for it to work? Yes, even imperfect time tracking is the dashboard's fuel. If the firm has none, we first add simple entry before wiring the margin calculation.
How quickly do we see results? The diagnosis of loss-making engagements appears within the first full month of data; margin gains follow the renegotiation campaign, often within 3 to 6 months.
Can it connect to our production software? Yes, connection to existing time and billing tools is planned via API or import, without changing your entry habits.
What budget for a first version? A useful dashboard (time + margin + alerts) starts around 12,000 to 18,000 EUR, later extensible to partner reporting and forecasts.
How many loss-making engagements are typically found? The 2026 order of magnitude is 15 to 30% of files, mostly old fixed fees never re-evaluated.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your time-tracking tool, engagement volume and target budget, and we will price your profitability dashboard. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
