A
Accounts receivable (AR)
The money owed to a service-based business by its clients for services rendered but not yet paid. PSA systems often track AR as part of their billing and invoicing features.
B
Billable hours
Hours worked on tasks or projects that can be charged to a client. PSA tools help distinguish and track billable vs. non-billable time.
C
Change management
A structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state, especially important during PSA software implementation.
Client portal
An interface provided by PSA software where clients can log in to track project progress, view invoices, or collaborate on deliverables.
Compliance
Ensuring that PSA systems and business processes follow industry regulations, privacy laws, and contractual obligations.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
A system that manages a company‘s interactions with current and potential customers. Many PSA platforms integrate with CRMs to align sales and project delivery.
D
Data migration
The process of transferring existing business data (projects, clients, finances) from legacy systems into the PSA platform during implementation.
E
Estimate at completion (EAC)
A forecast of the total project cost at completion, combining actual costs to date with remaining projected expenses.
F
Flat fee billing
A pricing method in which a service is provided for a fixed total price. PSA platforms help track effort and profitability within that fee.
I
Implementation consultant
An expert or vendor specialist who guides service organizations through the PSA software setup, configuration, and adoption process.
Integration
Connecting PSA software to other business systems (CRM, accounting, HR, etc.) to streamline data flow and ensure consistency across platforms.
K
Knowledge base
A repository of process documentation, templates, best practices, and support content that can be created and maintained within PSA systems.
N
Non-billable hours
Time spent on internal or non-client-facing tasks that cannot be invoiced to a customer. PSA tools track these for internal efficiency.
P
Professional Services Automation (PSA)
Software designed to streamline service delivery operations by integrating project management, time tracking, billing, resource management, and reporting into a single platform.
Profit margin
A financial metric indicating the percentage of revenue that exceeds costs. PSA platforms often include real-time margin tracking to monitor project health.
Project budget
The total cost threshold a project should not exceed. This includes labor, expenses, contingency, and overhead, and is closely monitored in PSA systems.
Project health
A composite status indicator based on financials, timelines, and resource utilization, often visualized in PSA dashboards and reports.
Project management software
Software focused on planning and tracking individual projects, task assignments, deadlines, and communication, without full business process integration like PSA.
R
Rate card
A table defining billing rates based on roles, skill sets, or seniority, used in PSA tools to automate client invoicing.
Real-time reporting
Live dashboards or reports in PSA platforms that provide up-to-date insights on project progress, resource utilization, financial performance, and more.
Resource allocation
The process of assigning available personnel to specific projects or tasks. PSA systems help optimize this across multiple projects.
Role-based access control (RBAC)
A security method that limits users‘ access to data and tools based on their job roles. PSA platforms often support RBAC for compliance and privacy.
S
Scope management
Controlling what is and isn’t included in a project. PSA tools help monitor scope to avoid scope creep and maintain profitability.
Service delivery lifecycle
The full cycle from winning a client to delivering services, tracking performance, invoicing, and analyzing results – all areas PSA tools help manage.
Stakeholder buy-in
Getting key decision-makers and users aligned and committed to PSA implementation to ensure adoption and long-term success.
T
Task management
The process of organizing, assigning, and tracking individual tasks. PSA software typically includes this as part of broader project functionality.
Time tracking
Logging time spent on work tasks, often integrated in PSA platforms for billable and non-billable activities.
U
Utilization rate
The ratio of billable hours to total available working hours for a resource. A key performance metric tracked in PSA systems.
W
Work breakdown structure (WBS)
A hierarchical breakdown of a project into tasks and subtasks. Used in PSA platforms to estimate labor, assign resources, and plan budgets.
