MIAMI, Oct. 26, 2026 — The 47th Annual Deltek Clarity Architecture and Engineering Industry Study, described in a Sept. 14 article, says 78 percent of North American architecture and engineering firms use generative AI, while 38 percent of the firms in that study report a measurable business impact. The study's May 12 announcement put that same result as 38 percent of respondents reporting a measurable positive business impact tied to AI use.

https://www.deltek.com/resources/articles/ai-adoption-gap-ae-firms/

Those two percentages are a good reason to count hours, and to finish counting before the next software purchase. Pick one billable workflow the firm already runs. If the senior hours sit in proposals, start there. If a principal keeps rewriting the project-status note by hand, that works too.

Run the tool on that one workflow for a few weeks, and put the hours next to a similar job from the prior month using time the firm already records. Then hold the difference up against utilization and against the margin on the job. Billed project time stays in the comparison, and if what changed is a lighter non-billable load on a principal, count that as well.

The whole trick is matching records. Project names, phases and staff roles have to mean the same thing in the systems the firm already uses. One person keeps the sheet, and that's the person who decides whether to keep going, change the workflow or drop it.

"Choose one billable workflow and read the hours against utilization and margin before the next subscription," said Steven De la Fe, CPA, co-founder of Precision AI OS.

About Precision AI OS
Precision AI LLC, d/b/a Precision AI OS, builds AI agents. Its Managed plan is taking discovery calls now, and Free, Team and Enterprise plans are coming.
https://getprecision.ai

Media contact: Steven De la Fe, [email protected], (305) 699-5422