Honest Review:

Xero Projects

• Fuss-free setup with a low learning curve
• Ease of use
• Excellent customer support

Xero Projects is not a standalone program, but an add-on that costs $7 for one user per month, plus $5 per additional active user per month. 

If you don’t use Xero yet, you’ll have to subscribe to one of the three plans first to be able to use the Xero Projects add-on; the Starter Plan costs $29 per month, the Standard Plan is priced at $46 monthly, and the Premium Plan is at $62 every month.

1. Auto-tracking

Xero Projects simplifies time tracking with its straightforward start-and-stop timer. The softwares can also be set up to auto-track time by location on mobile, which allows the mobile app to automatically track time when an employee enters or exits the 100-meter radius of a pre-defined job site.

Xero Projects creates suggested time entries that users can review and then save or discard. All it needs is the on-ground user’s permission to access their location, which can be revoked at any time if necessary.

Xero projects can support up to twenty locations at once for auto-tracking, which can be managed by editing details, enabling and disabling auto-tracking for chosen locations, and deleting locations from the list to make room for new ones. 

The data captured by the manual timer, location-based auto-tracker, and manual log are automatically organized into timesheets that reflect worked hours and rates that can be compared against time estimates and expenses to ensure that projects are progressing as they should, helping businesses deliver on time by meeting estimated timelines and budgets. 

2. Expense Tracking

With the Xero Projects expense tracking system, users can see everything they need to know about projects on a dashboard — estimate, invoiced amount, time and expenses, deadline, tasks, and itemized expenses that automatically show if it is untracked.

Plus, the project bar on each item is a great visual indicator that shows users if they’re still operating within estimates or if they’ve already gone over them at a glance. Drop-down sections on each expense item dive into expense details and show exactly where users may have exceeded estimates, providing insight into their next moves so that they can realign and ensure that the project remains profitable.

As projects move forward, expenses can be easily added and tracked against estimates by adding them directly to the project using the Add button near the top right of the project dashboard. To keep things organized, Xero Projects will prompt users to enter details such as the name of the expense, its quantity, unit price, and markup percentage.

From these, Xero Projects automatically calculates the total cost to the user and tracks the total expense amount against estimates. Employee expenses and mileage claims can also be assigned to projects, enabling businesses to recover every cent spent on the job.

The Xero Projects expense tracking system is a great way to ensure that projects don’t go over expense thresholds, provide clear documentation of what goes into completing a project, and remain profitable.

3. Flexible Invoicing

The data captured by the time and expenses trackers are automatically calculated and organized in error-free invoices that cut down on the time traditionally required for invoices to accurately reflect costing and markup using spreadsheets or paper-based systems.

Xero Projects can generate four types of invoices, namely the deposit invoice, tasks and expenses invoice, project amount invoice, and the accepted quote invoice. Once a quote has been sent to and accepted by the client, they need to be sent an accepted quote invoice that details the agreed-upon price of the project. 

After that, businesses may send them a deposit invoice to request a deposit to make the project run, which can be applied to future invoices. Tasks and expense invoices itemize chargeable tasks and expenses that haven’t been covered by other invoices yet. A lump sum may also be requested from clients using the project amount invoice, which is very useful for projects that don’t need to show chargeable tasks and other details or for projects that need to be paid all in one go.

The line items associated with any particular project are automatically listed when an invoice is made from the project, and additional line items can be added at any time. Similarly, details can be edited or removed according to need. 

All changes are automatically reflected on the Invoiced total which appears near the top of Xero Projects’ Quotes and Invoices tab, allowing users to monitor numbers and progress with ease. To further enhance the streamlining of payments, users can add a Pay Now button that allows clients to send their payments online in just a matter of clicks.

(As of October 2024)

• Xero App Store: 2.9/5 
• Google Play: 4.0/5
• App Store: 4.6/5 

Xero Projects is a nifty add-on to Xero that helps boost productivity with its ability to deliver in-depth insight into project health and profitability. Its robust reporting features with a variety of report types and customizable granularity are helpful in helping businesses know exactly where they stand on projects, ensuring that every cost, expense, and invoice is recorded accurately and can be compared against estimates and budgets with relative ease. 

However, it lacks key project management functions such as attendance tracking, shift scheduling, and accountability features to prevent time misuse. Although some processes are automated, certain tasks still require repetitive manual input and permissions, which can be frustrating. 

Given its price, businesses may find better value in alternatives that offer more robust functionality.

To sum it all up, Xero Projects lives up to its name as a productivity booster. However, it lacks crucial elements to be considered a competitive project management software. You should only use Xero Projects if you already use Xero, fully understand its limitations, and can live with the lack of certain important features. Otherwise, you should be looking for a better option.