# Find where my construction jobs are losing money

A job cost review comparing estimate to actual by cost code, with over/under billing and profit fade explained and fixes listed.

- Topic: Data & Analysis
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Coding, Finance, Analyze, Code, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/find-where-my-construction-jobs-are-losing-money

## Prompt

```text
Analyze job costs for my construction or trade jobs and find where profit is leaking.

**Jobs to review:** [ACTIVE, COMPLETED, OR BOTH]
**Data I have:** [PASTE OR DESCRIBE: by job and cost code - estimated cost, actual cost to date, estimated hours, actual hours, contract value, billed to date, percent complete]
**How percent complete is measured:** [COST-TO-COST / PM ESTIMATE / UNITS INSTALLED]
**Known issues:** [e.g. rework, unbilled change orders, material price jumps, crew turnover]

Steps:
1. For each job, calculate estimated gross margin at bid, projected margin at completion, and the fade (or gain) between them.
2. Compare estimated vs. actual by cost code and labor hours; rank the top variances by dollars.
3. Calculate over/under billing (billed to date vs. earned revenue based on percent complete) and explain what each means for cash and for the accuracy of reported profit.
4. Look for patterns across jobs: the same cost code overrunning, certain job types or PMs, change orders done but not billed, labor productivity drop.
5. Separate estimating problems (bid was wrong) from execution problems (job was run poorly).

Return:
- A summary table by job: Contract, Est. margin, Projected margin, Fade, Over/(under) billed.
- Top 10 cost-code variances with likely causes and questions to ask the PM.
- 3-5 fixes for estimating and 3-5 for field execution.
- A list of data that is missing or looks unreliable.

Show formulas used. Do not fill missing numbers with assumptions; flag them. Have my accountant review before using this for WIP reporting to my bonding company or bank.
```

## What to fill in

- ACTIVE, COMPLETED, OR BOTH
- COST-TO-COST / PM ESTIMATE / UNITS INSTALLED

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