Architecture firms don't just agree to a fee and hope for the best. They map out how that fee will be earned across every phase of a project, from schematic design through construction administration. Fee projection charts are the tools that make this visible.

A fee projection chart plots anticipated fee expenditure over time, creating a planned spending curve that the project manager uses as a baseline. The most common format is the S-curve, named for its characteristic shape: slow spending in early phases, steep acceleration during construction documents, and a gradual tapering during construction administration. When actual spending deviates from the S-curve, you know something needs attention.

Work breakdown by phase is the foundation underneath the chart. Before you can project fee expenditure, you need to know how much of the total fee belongs to each phase. Industry benchmarks provide starting ranges. Washington State OFM guidelines suggest approximately 18% for schematic design, 20% for design development, 31% for construction documents, 2% for bidding, 27% for construction administration, and 2% for project closeout. These aren't fixed rules. They're guides that get adjusted for project-specific scope and complexity.

The PjM exam expects you to read fee projection charts, identify when a project is over- or under-burning its fee, and connect those observations to management decisions. You'll also need to understand how cost categories like direct salary costs, consultant fees, overhead, and profit factor into fee proposals that get broken down by phase.