PSA in one sentence
A PSA tool connects the work a firm sells (projects and engagements) with the people who do it and the money it earns, so the firm can deliver on time and know whether it is profitable.
Who uses PSA software
Any business whose main product is the time and expertise of its people: consultancies, agencies, IT and managed service providers, architecture and engineering firms, accounting and legal practices, and the services teams inside software companies.
What PSA software usually includes
- Project management: projects, phases, tasks, milestones and deliverables
- Resource management: who is available, with what skills, and how much of their time is booked
- Time and expense: timesheets and expense claims recorded against projects
- Billing: invoices from approved time, milestones or fixed fees
- Reporting: utilization, project margin and forecasts
Many PSA tools also include a light CRM for opportunities and a place for contracts or statements of work.
PSA, ERP and CRM: how they fit
A CRM manages the sales relationship until a deal is won. A PSA manages the delivery of that work. An ERP runs the back office: accounting, purchasing and often people. In many firms these are three different systems with integrations between them. Read ERP vs PSA for a closer comparison.
| CRM | PSA | ERP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Winning the work | Delivering the work | Running the business |
| Typical scope | Contacts, opportunities and the pipeline | Projects, staffing, time and billing | The ledger, purchasing and people |
| When it is used | Until the deal is won | From the signed deal to the invoice | Every day, across the business |
Signs you need a PSA
- Staffing lives in a spreadsheet that is always out of date
- Timesheets are exported and re-keyed into invoices
- Nobody knows a project’s margin until after it ends
- Utilization is calculated by hand every month
- Sales promises dates without seeing who is available
Choosing one
Our guide how to choose PSA software lists the questions to ask, including the one most buyers forget: how the PSA will connect to accounting.
How Perspectiv helps
Labels show what opens first in the private beta (Q2 2027), what is being built now, and what is on the roadmap.
- Project managementComing soon
Projects, programs and portfolios, with budgets, change orders, WIP, profitability and forecasts.
- Resource managementComing soon
Availability, scheduling, staffing, capacity, utilization and pipeline-driven demand.
- Time & expenseComing soon
Timesheets, timers and expenses against the work, approved and ready to invoice.
- SalesPlanned
Quotes, services estimates, sales orders, client agreements, invoices to clients and payment tracking.
Questions
What does PSA stand for?
Professional services automation.
Is PSA the same as project management software?
No. Project management is one part of a PSA. A PSA adds resource management, time and expense, billing and financial reporting around the project.
Is Perspectiv a PSA?
Yes, and an ERP. Perspectiv covers PSA and back-office ERP on one shared record of clients, projects, people and money.