Projectworks
Projectworks is professional services automation that connects time tracking, resourcing, invoicing, and forecasting in one platform - with invoices, expenses, leave, and timesheets all syncing to Xero
Everything on this page comes from managing the Xero integration for professional services firms running Projectworks - mapping project financials, reconciling invoicing, and keeping timesheet data clean across both systems. This is what we have learned
What Projectworks does
Features
End-to-end project intelligence - time tracking, resource planning, expense management, invoicing, and financial forecasting in a single live system Connects to Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB, Jira, Azure DevOps, and Salesforce. Supports multiple Xero organisations from one subscription at no extra cost
Time tracking
Simple timesheets that actually get filled in. Review and approval workflow built in. Time entries auto-sync to Xero Payroll for hourly staff - entered once, used everywhere
Resource management
See who is available, who is overbooked, and where the gaps are. Real-time utilisation and capacity planning so you can staff projects properly before they start
Forecasting
Revenue, margin, and burn forecasting based on live project data. See where the business is heading, not where it has been - this is the feature that separates Projectworks from basic job management
Project financials
Track budgets, actual costs, and profitability per project in real time. Labour, expenses, and subcontractor costs all roll up into one view - compared against the original budget
Invoicing
Generate invoices from time and expenses, then auto-sync to Xero. Progress invoicing, milestone billing, and custom PDF templates with project-specific detail that Xero cannot produce on its own
Expense tracking
Staff submit expenses against projects. Approved expenses sync to Xero as bills to pay. Track expense burn against project budgets so overruns are visible before they compound
Best for
- engineering and architecture firms tracking billable hours across projects
- management consulting firms with complex resourcing and forecasting needs
- software development teams integrating with Jira or Azure DevOps
- multi-entity professional services businesses running several Xero orgs
- firms that have outgrown WorkflowMax, Xero Projects, or spreadsheets
Integration mapping
Shared data between Xero and Projectworks
Data flows both ways with optional auto-sync that can be toggled on or off. Projectworks handles project management and billing, Xero handles the accounting - each system stays reconciled without double entry
Sales
Costs & Expenses
Workforce
Getting started
How to connect Projectworks to Xero
Authorise Projectworks with your Xero organisation, map your chart of accounts and tracking categories, then set up your projects and team structure
Before you start
- confirm you have Xero Advisor access - a Standard user cannot authorise the integration
- if you are migrating from WorkflowMax or another platform, talk to the Projectworks onboarding team first - they offer guided data migration starting from $1,000
Start your trial and connect Xero
- sign up at projectworks.com - 21-day free trial, no credit card required
- in Projectworks, click the cog icon in the sidebar
- under Integration, select Accounting
- click Connect to Xero and follow the prompts to authorise
- select the correct Xero organisation - you can connect multiple orgs at no extra cost
Configure sync settings
- choose which data types to auto-sync - invoices, expenses, time entries, leave. Each can be toggled independently
- map your Xero chart of accounts, tracking categories, and tax rates
- set up your employee records and link them to the corresponding Xero payroll employees
- configure rate cards for each role - these drive both billing and cost calculations
Test the full cycle
- create a test project, log time against it, add an expense, and generate an invoice
- confirm the invoice appears in Xero with the correct account codes and GST treatment
- mark the invoice as paid in Xero and verify the payment syncs back to Projectworks
- submit a leave request in Projectworks and confirm it appears in Xero Payroll
- check the project financial report - revenue, time cost, and expenses should all reconcile
Things to know
What to watch out for
Projectworks is well-built and the Xero integration is strong, but there are setup decisions and edge cases to plan for
Rate card setup
Charge-out rates and cost rates in Projectworks drive everything - project budgets, invoicing, and profitability reports. Get these right before you start creating projects or your financials will be off from day one
Invoice formatting
Projectworks can generate PDF invoices with project-specific detail that Xero cannot. But the formatting is different from Xero's templates. Decide early whether you invoice from Projectworks or Xero and standardise
Leave balance drift
Leave syncs bidirectionally but rate cards and accrual settings need to match between systems. Some users have reported discrepancies when leave accrual rates are configured differently in Projectworks and Xero Payroll
Multi-org mapping
Connecting multiple Xero organisations is a genuine advantage, but each org needs its own account mapping. A person employed in one entity working on a project in another needs correct setup from the start
Onboarding investment
Projectworks offers guided onboarding starting from $1,000 including data migration and training. This is worth it if you are migrating from another platform - self-service migration risks losing historical project data
Pricing
What Projectworks costs
Pricing model
Feature-based - 10% discount for annual subscriptions
Free trial
21 days, no credit card required - multi-Xero-org support included at no extra cost