Days to produce month-end WIP
Shows reduced manual assembly and a faster close.
Construction and general contractors · KPI and pipeline dashboards
See which jobs are fading while there is still time to fix them
For a general contractor, the numbers that matter are well known: backlog, bid hit rate, gross margin by job, over and under billings, cash position, and fade between estimate and actual. The problem is timing. The WIP schedule gets built once a month in Excel from accounting and Procore exports, and by the time it is reviewed, the month is already gone.
How it often works today
- The controller spends two or three days each month building the WIP schedule by hand from accounting and project management exports.
- PMs report percent complete by feel, so over and under billings swing month to month and surprise the bonding company.
- Bid hit rate and backlog live in an estimator's spreadsheet that nobody else updates, which leaves sales planning to guesswork.
- Fade on a job is usually discovered after closeout, when it can only be explained rather than corrected.
A scoped dashboard project would pull those numbers automatically into a tool like Power BI, refreshed weekly or daily, with a short list of exceptions instead of 40 spreadsheet tabs. PMs see their jobs, owners see the portfolio, and the controller still owns the definitions and signs off on month-end WIP.
The improved workflow
Agree definitions first
The owner, controller and senior PMs agree how percent complete, committed cost, projected margin and backlog are calculated, and write those definitions down.
Connect the sources
Accounting, project management and estimating data are pulled on a schedule into one model, with a refresh log so everyone knows how current it is.
Build three views
A portfolio view for owners, a job view for each PM and a pipeline view for estimating and business development, each fitting on one page.
Highlight exceptions
Jobs where projected margin drops more than a set amount, billings drift from cost, or committed cost exceeds budget are listed at the top.
Use it in a weekly meeting
A 30-minute weekly review walks through exceptions only. Usage is checked after 60 days, and views nobody opens are removed.
How we deliver this: AI automation for small business or fractional CTO leadership, scoped in writing and run over 90 days. See pricing or the sample scope.
What we would measure
Jobs flagged for margin fade
The core business measure; the aim is earlier visibility, not fewer problems on paper.
Weekly dashboard use by PMs
A dashboard nobody opens is just a cost. Usage tells you if it is helping.
Gap between projected and final margin
Across closed jobs, this shows whether projections are getting more honest.
Where people stay in control
- The controller owns metric definitions and signs off on month-end WIP figures shared with lenders, sureties or partners.
- Financial dashboards use role-based access, so PMs see their own jobs and company-wide figures stay with leadership.
- Any AI-written commentary on the numbers is labeled as a draft and reviewed before it reaches the bonding company or bank.
Example
Illustrative: catching fade on a warehouse job
For example, a GC with 20 active jobs sets a rule to flag any job whose projected margin drops more than two points in a month. Early on a tilt-up warehouse job, the dashboard flags rising concrete labor cost. The PM finds a crew productivity issue and a pending change order that was never priced. Both are addressed while the job is 40 percent complete. Illustrative only, not a projected result.
Tools typically involved
What the first 30 days look like
We would sit with the controller through one month-end close, list every export and spreadsheet used, and agree on the five or six numbers leadership actually reviews. The pilot builds those for active jobs only, measured against the time the manual process takes today.
Common questions
Isn't our accounting system's WIP report enough?
It might be. Sage, Foundation and similar systems produce WIP reports, and if yours is trusted and timely, a dashboard may add little. The common problem is that the data feeding it is late or inconsistent. We would check that first, because cleaner inputs sometimes solve it without a new tool.
Will our surety accept a dashboard?
Sureties and banks generally want WIP schedules and financial statements in their usual formats, prepared by your controller or CPA. The dashboard supports internal management decisions; the formal reports still come from your accounting process.
How current can the numbers be?
As current as the inputs. If hours post daily and invoices are coded within a few days, weekly views are realistic. Committed costs update as quickly as PMs enter them in Procore. We would show a last-refreshed date on every view so nobody is misled.
The business case
Does it pay for itself?
Illustrative defaults for a general contractor. Replace them with your numbers.
What this workflow costs today
a month in staff time, before any lost sales
Monthly fee + assumed tools +
Break-even: new clients a month (at first-year value)
Or: staff hours recovered and redeployed
Break-even additional revenue
Value of +1 point of win rate
First 90 days, service fee
Worth a closer lookTest the assumptions
Illustration only, not a forecast or guarantee. Recovered staff time becomes a cash saving only if spending actually declines or the time goes into paid work. Tool costs are an assumption; we replace every number here with yours before recommending a scope.
KPI and pipeline dashboards in other industries
Architecture firmsAuto repair shopsDental practicesElectrical contractorsEngineering firmsHVAC companiesIT managed service providersLogistics and freight companies
KPI and pipeline dashboards: full guide
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Your first 90 days with a fractional tech leadHow to automate invoicing in QuickBooks OnlineA practical guide to CRM data cleanupHow to automate recurring client reports
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