Best Resource Planning Software for Engineering Firms

Scoro brings planning, quoting, time tracking and billing into one system, which suits engineering firms that want a single source of truth for a project from proposal to invoice. Resource planning shows workload by person and team, with utilisation targets that flag when an engineer is overbooked or underused. Managers can shift work between disciplines, watch phase budgets, and see how changes to the schedule affect fees.

The entry price of $19.90 per user per month on annual billing is higher than most tools in this guide, so the cost adds up fast for a large team. The range of features also means setup takes care, and teams need to agree on how phases, roles and rates are set up before they start. A 14 day trial lets you test the workload view with real staff data.

Price: $19.90 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: scoro.com

Kantata is a professional services automation platform aimed at larger firms, and its resource planning is built for complex staffing decisions. Managers can forecast demand by skill, role and location, model scenarios for upcoming projects, and match engineers to work based on availability and capability. Capacity views show gaps weeks ahead, which helps a firm decide whether to hire, subcontract or shift start dates.

Project financials sit beside the plan, so fee forecasts, budgets and actuals stay in view as the schedule changes. For a multi office engineering firm with many concurrent projects, that depth is hard to match with a general task tool. Implementation is a bigger job than with a lighter tool, so firms should allow time for setup and training.

Price: quote only

Free plan: No

Website: kantata.com

Accelo combines project scheduling with sales, retainers and billing, which fits engineering firms that run a mix of fixed fee work and ongoing client support. Resource planning shows who is assigned, how much capacity remains, and whether retainer hours are being used at the right pace. Managers can plan work across teams, track time against budgets, and see utilisation by person or department.

The link between the schedule and the commercial side helps firms avoid overcommitting staff to low margin work, and the reporting views make it easier to review performance each month. Pricing is quote only, which makes it harder to compare Accelo with the priced tools in this guide without contacting the vendor. A 14 day trial is available to test the core scheduling and time views.

Price: quote only

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: accelo.com

monday.com is a visual work platform that engineering firms can shape into a resource planning system with boards, timelines and workload views. Each project can be broken into phases, with tasks assigned to engineers by discipline, and the workload view shows who is over capacity at a glance. Dashboards pull together deadlines, owners and progress, which helps project leads run weekly planning meetings without building reports by hand.

The catch is that the deeper resource planning features, including advanced workload and capacity views, sit on higher tiers, so the entry price does not buy the full picture. Firms also need to design their boards with care, because a loose setup can turn into a long list of tasks with no clear capacity view. With a clear template for phases, roles and deadlines, monday.com works well for firms that want a visual, flexible planner.

Price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: monday.com

ClickUp packs tasks, docs, time tracking and workload planning into one flexible platform, which appeals to engineering firms that want to cut down on separate tools. The workload view shows capacity by person, so managers can see who is free and who is booked solid before they assign new work. Projects can be grouped by phase, client or discipline, and custom fields can hold fee data, review stages or approval status.

Time tracking sits next to tasks, which makes it easier to compare planned hours with actual hours and to spot phases that are drifting. The free plan is generous enough to test the structure with a real team. The wide feature set is also the main weakness, because new users can find the options crowded and need time to settle on a consistent way of working.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: clickup.com

Asana gives engineering firms a structured way to plan work across project phases, with timelines, portfolios and workload views that show who is doing what and when. A project can move from concept to detailed design to construction support with clear owners and due dates at each stage, and the workload view flags people who are over capacity before the problem reaches the client.

Portfolios group projects by client or sector, so directors can review the whole pipeline in one place. Templates help firms repeat a proven phase structure instead of rebuilding it for every job, which saves setup time and keeps reporting consistent. Time tracking and deeper budget control are not core strengths, and some firms add a separate tool or a higher tier to cover them.

Price: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: asana.com

Teamwork is built for client project delivery, and its workload view fits engineering firms that need to balance staff across several live jobs. Managers can see capacity by person, shift tasks between projects, and check how much time each phase has used against its budget. Time tracking is built in, so actual hours feed straight into project reports without a separate tool.

Milestones and task lists keep each phase on track, and client facing views can share progress without exposing internal detail. The interface is calm and easy to learn, which helps when engineers need to update tasks quickly between site visits and design work. Reporting is lighter than a dedicated PSA platform, so firms that need deep fee forecasting may outgrow it.

Price: $9.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: teamwork.com

Wrike helps engineering firms coordinate work across disciplines with timelines, workload views and custom workflows that mirror design review and approval stages. Managers can plan capacity by team, assign work by skill, and watch progress across many projects in a dashboard. Request forms can capture new work in a standard way, so leads can triage incoming jobs before they reach the schedule.

Time tracking and reporting sit beside the plan, which makes it easier to compare planned effort with actual effort and to report on utilisation each month. The free plan lets a team test the basic layout before choosing a subscription. Setup is the main cost, because Wrike needs to be shaped around your phases, roles and review steps before it feels natural.

Price: $9.80 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: wrike.com

Smartsheet uses a familiar grid layout, which suits engineering firms that already plan in spreadsheets and want more control without losing that shape. Schedules can be built as sheets with phases, owners, dates and hours, then rolled up into dashboards that show workload, deadlines and progress across projects. Resource views help managers see who is booked and where gaps sit.

Reports can be shared with clients or directors in a clear format, and automations can send reminders, request approvals and update status, which cuts down on manual chasing. The 30 day trial is the longest in this guide, giving teams time to test a real project. Full resource management depth needs an add on, so the entry price does not cover every planning feature.

Price: $9 per member/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Website: smartsheet.com