The Problem
Project managers tracked job costs in separate Excel files per job. Finance rolled up WIP every Friday, so field decisions ran on stale numbers.
Change orders were logged in email and often missed in the weekly rollup.
The Solution
I built an Access database with jobs, cost codes, commitments, and actuals imported from accounting CSV. PMs enter change orders once; reports refresh on demand.
Standard WIP and job P&L reports replaced the manual consolidation workbook.
The Outcome
WIP available same day instead of five days late. Finance cut weekly rollup from 6 hours to under 30 minutes. PMs catch budget overruns earlier in the job cycle.
5 days → same day
WIP Lag
6 hrs → 30 min
Weekly Rollup
35+
Active Jobs
8 PMs + finance
Users
“We finally see job margin while the crew is still on site, not after the weekend close.”