Deltek launched their 2025 roadmap at Project Nation Live in London earlier this year. It was a jam-packed day, with insights from Bob Hughes, President and CEO of Deltek, and real insights from customers like George P.Johnson on how they optimsed EMEA operations at a global scale.
But the most exciting part for me was hearing from Mike McLean, Product Director for Deltek WorkBook, as he shared what Deltek is targeting to deliver next. The roadmap includes some brilliant updates, and here are the features I’m most excited about and why I think they’ll have the biggest impact for agencies.
1. Faster Invoicing with Character Recognition
Character Recognition functionality – both Optical (OCR) and Intelligent (ICR). In simple terms, this means the system can now scan and “read” PDF or image files and automatically pull in key invoice details, everything from the header to individual line items.
For agencies, this is a big deal. It slashes the time it takes to process a supplier invoice. What used to take around three minutes can now take 20 seconds. Teams spend less time on admin-heavy tasks and more time where they can add real value. It also works seamlessly with existing tools like the voucher IMAP and hot folder agents, and there are plans to expand this to personal expenses too.
2. Create a Schedule from a Text Prompt
The new feature lets you create a project schedule using plain, natural language. Deltek WorkBook users will be able to type a brief into the chat and have the system turn that into a timeline. No clicking through templates or manually adding phases. Just real-language briefs that instantly create schedules.
While this is a really exciting development, it’s not perfect yet. It doesn’t take your actual working patterns or team availability into account, and it’s not powered by a learning model that evolves with your data (yet). It paves the way for future innovation that we hope to see and I’m looking forward to seeing how it can change account management.
3. Expense Justification & Details Fields
This feature enhances expense tracking by allowing users to provide detailed information for each expense entry. This one might sound a bit boring on paper, but I really like it because it’s quietly improving businesses across APAC by helping them stay compliant with local legislation. The new fields for expense justification and details bring Deltek WorkBook closer to what you’d expect from best-of-breed expense platforms. It means fewer add-on tools and ultimately, cost savings for agencies.
4. Fixed Asset Register
This is a whole new module in Deltek WorkBook and it’s a big step toward making WorkBook a more complete solution. The fixed asset register introduces a dedicated sub-ledger to manage the full lifecycle of your assets, with support for acquisition, disposal, periodic depreciation, and revaluation.
All of my top new 4 features aren’t live just yet and I’ll be sharing a deeper analysis once our team of consultants, accountants and developers have had the chance to test them in the real world. For now, I’m excited about the direction Deltek WorkBook is heading. It’s clear they’re listening to agency needs and building features that reduce admin, drive efficiency, and help teams focus on the work that really matters.
Helen Johnson, Founder and Managing Director
Helen founded Tangram to help agencies navigate the complexities of project management and system integration. With a wealth of knowledge and a passion for driving successful outcomes for agencies, Helen continues to be a leading force in the field of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
