I was tracking the wrong numbers on a $2 million apartment project for months

I was deep into a big apartment build in Austin, and my main focus was hitting the weekly schedule. My boss came by last Tuesday, looked at my reports, and just asked 'But are we making any money?' I realized I was only tracking if we were on time, not if each task was under or over budget. The plumbing rough-in was three days early but cost 15% more than planned. How do you guys balance schedule tracking with real cost control on a daily basis?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahpark17h ago

Man, I gotta disagree a little. Just seeing the numbers side by side never clicked for me. I mean, I need to know why something went over, not just that it did. I started doing a quick five minute huddle at the end of the day where we talk about any cost overrun and what caused it, like a material delay or extra labor. That way you're fixing the problem, not just tracking it.

wright.dakota17h ago

Yeah, that "but are we making any money" question hits hard. My buddy's foreman got him to write the budget hours right next to the schedule on his daily plan, so he sees both at once.