JOB COST HEALTH REPORT

A simple self-check for trade contractors

This is not a test.
It is a quick self-check to understand how much visibility you actually have into job profitability today.

Most well-run trade businesses uncover a few blind spots the first time they go through this. Each question is designed to surface small structural gaps that quietly affect margin, cash flow, and decision-making.Answer honestly. Every No is simply a signal pointing to where clarity and control can improve.

Financial Control

1. Our bank accounts and credit cards are reconciled monthly.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, job reports are built on incomplete cash data.

2. We know if we are losing money or making money on each job based on our reporting.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, decisions are made without clear job-level visibility.

Job Setup

3. Every job is set up in our system before costs are recorded.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, costs drift into the wrong places.

4. Each job starts with a budget tied to cost codes.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, overruns stay hidden until the end.

Labor Tracking

5. Labor is assigned to jobs weekly or more often.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, labor problems surface too late to correct.

6. Field labor time is consistently coded to the correct job

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, job profitability becomes guesswork.

Cost Codes

7. Our cost code structure is simple and clearly understood.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, the system creates confusion instead of clarity.

8. Cost codes help us identify issues before a job is complete.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, they are only recording history.

Vendor & Invoice Control

9. Vendor bills are assigned to jobs before payment.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, margin leaks after the work is done.

10. Job costs are reviewed before final invoices are approved.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, overruns are discovered too late.

Review & Improvement

11. Completed jobs are reviewed against the original estimate.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, the same mistakes repeat quietly.

12. Past job data influences how we price or staff new work.

☐ Yes ☐ No
If this is No, job costing is not shaping the business.

Score Insight

Count the number of Yes answers.

10–12 Yes
Strong structure is in place. Focus on refinement and consistency.

6–9 Yes
Job costing exists, but profit is leaking quietly.

0–5 Yes
Jobs are being managed on intuition rather than visibility.Most solid trade businesses land in the middle range the first time through.

Final Thought

Job costing does not fail because of effort.
It fails because of missing structure.Improvement rarely requires a full overhaul.
It starts by fixing one No at a time.