The short answer
Data and BI consulting for construction and engineering firms connects accounting, project management, estimating, and field data into one reporting layer. The result is dashboards for job cost, work in progress, cost to complete, and backlog that update automatically, so project managers, executives, and lenders see the same current numbers without anyone rebuilding spreadsheets each month.
Why construction reporting falls behind
Construction data lives in many systems, and the people who need it rarely have time to stitch it together.
- WIP built by hand. Work in progress schedules take days to assemble at month end.
- Different numbers in every meeting. Accounting, operations, and project managers each bring their own version.
- Backlog without context. Leadership sees contract totals but not margin, risk, or remaining labor by job.
- Field data left out. Daily reports and production quantities never make it into financial reporting.
92%
Share of construction firms reporting difficulty hiring for open positions in the 2025 workforce survey of nearly 1,400 firms by AGC and NCCER. AGC and NCCER, 2025 Workforce Survey
When firms cannot simply add staff, reporting that runs itself is one of the few ways to give project managers more time for the work only they can do.
What data and BI work looks like for construction
Job cost dashboard
Budget, actual, and committed cost by job and cost code, refreshed automatically.
WIP and over/under billing
A work in progress view that finance and bonding partners can trust.
Cost-to-complete forecasting
Projected final margin by job, updated as costs and percent complete change.
Backlog and capacity
Remaining work, margin, and labor needs across the portfolio of jobs.
Month-end reporting or live dashboards?
Month-end packets are history. Dashboards are for decisions.
| Month-end packet | Connected dashboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Weeks after the work | Days or hours after the work |
| Effort | Rebuilt by hand each month | Refreshes automatically |
| Level of detail | Summary by job | Drill from portfolio to cost code |
| Used for | Reporting what happened | Changing what happens next |
Want to see your WIP and job cost without rebuilding a spreadsheet? Book a working session.
How an engagement starts
We start with the report your team argues about most, often WIP or job cost, and agree on definitions for cost, percent complete, and committed cost before building anything.
Then we connect your accounting and project systems and build the first dashboard in short cycles. If the data is late because of process, our business performance work fixes that side. See how we work.
Frequently asked questions
What should a construction WIP report show?
A WIP report should show contract value, cost to date, estimated cost to complete, percent complete, earned revenue, billings, and the resulting over or under billing for each job. Good versions also show projected final margin and how it has moved, so problems stand out early.
Can Power BI connect to construction accounting software?
In most cases, yes. Many construction accounting and project systems offer APIs, database access, or scheduled exports that Power BI can use. The method depends on your specific system and version, which is worth confirming early so the reporting design matches what the data source supports.
How often should construction dashboards refresh?
Daily is a good target for job cost and committed cost, since most decisions happen weekly. Some data, like payroll, may only update on its own cycle. The goal is that a project manager opening the dashboard on Monday sees last week’s reality, not last month’s.
Who should use construction dashboards?
Project managers use job-level views, operations leaders use portfolio views, and executives and finance use WIP, backlog, and margin trends. Lenders and sureties often want WIP too. One shared data model with different views keeps everyone on the same numbers.
Do we need clean data before building dashboards?
Some cleanup is usually needed, but waiting for perfect data stalls projects. Building the first dashboard tends to reveal which codes and records need attention. Fixing those issues as part of the build is faster than a separate cleanup project that never quite finishes.
