5 Construction KPIs You Can’t Track in QuickBooks—And How to Fix That

If you're still relying on QuickBooks to manage your construction company's financials,

you're not alone, but you're also probably missing out on the data that drives true

profitability.

‍

QuickBooks was built for small businesses. Although it’s a solid tool for basic

accounting, construction companies like yours face more complexity as they grow, with

multi-entity operations, job costing, change order tracking, real-time reporting, and

forecasting across multiple dimensions. And that’s where QuickBooks starts to fall short.

‍

In this post, we’ll explore five critical construction KPIs that are difficult (or impossible) to

track in QuickBooks, and show you how switching to a construction-focused financial

platform like Sage Intacct can change the game.

‍

1. Real-Time Job Cost Variance

‍

Why it matters: Job cost variance is the heartbeat of profitability in construction. At any

moment, you need to know how actual costs compare to budgeted amounts so you can

course-correct before a project goes off the rails.

‍

Why QuickBooks falls short: QuickBooks isn’t built with real-time job costing logic.

Most users rely on exported spreadsheets and manual reconciliation, which means you

only see the overage after it’s too late.

‍

How to fix it: With Sage Intacct, job costs are tracked in real time against original and

revised budgets. You can view cost variance by job, phase, task, vendor, or even

crew—without ever touching a spreadsheet.

‍

2. WIP (Work in Progress) Reporting with Revenue Recognition

‍

Why it matters: Without accurate WIP reports, you’re likely over- or underbilling, which

distorts your financials and can cause issues with bonding, forecasting, and cash flow

planning.

‍

Why QuickBooks falls short: You’ll need heavy customization (or external software) to

produce WIP reports with revenue recognition tied to completion percentages. It’s

clunky, at best.

‍

How to fix it: Sage Intacct automates WIP calculations and supports

construction-specific revenue recognition rules, giving you confidence in your reporting

and compliance readiness.

‍

3. Committed Cost Tracking

‍

Why it matters: Committed costs—like purchase orders, subcontracts, and material

orders—are essential to understanding your projected cash flow and remaining budget.

If you can’t see your costs in real time, it’s like building without a blueprint.

‍

Why QuickBooks falls short: QuickBooks doesn’t natively track committed costs.

General contractors and subcontractors often resort to disconnected Excel logs or verbal

updates, which can lead to budget surprises, rushed payments, and strained vendor

relationships.

‍

How to fix it: In Sage Intacct Construction, committed costs are automatically tracked

and updated across projects. That means you always know how much of your budget is

already spoken for, and where you need to adjust before cutting the next check.

‍

4. Profitability by Job, Phase, or Service Line

‍

Why it matters: For both general contractors and subcontractors, understanding which

projects, types of work, or client relationships are most profitable is key to smart growth.

Margin visibility = strategic decision-making.

‍

Why QuickBooks can’t deliver: QuickBooks reporting is one-dimensional and static. It

doesn’t support slicing your data by project phase, service line, or client in a way that’s

intuitive or real-time.

‍

How to fix it: With Sage Intacct’s dimensional reporting, you can filter and analyze

profitability across any axis—location, job type, phase, supervisor, or subcontractor. No

more copy-pasting into pivot tables.

‍

5. Labor Productivity & Cost per Labor Hour

‍

Why it matters: Whether you self-perform or manage multiple subs, labor is often your

largest cost center—and the hardest to control. Monitoring labor productivity in real time

helps prevent cost overruns and schedule delays.

‍

Why QuickBooks falls short: QuickBooks doesn’t capture labor data against budget in

a job-specific context. Even with time-tracking add-ons, it lacks true visibility into cost per

hour by crew, project, or task.

‍

How to fix it: Sage Intacct enables real-time tracking of labor costs and productivity

through integrations with field service tools. You can compare labor budgets to actuals

as work is performed—not weeks later.

‍

Final Thoughts: Get Out of Spreadsheet Survival Mode

‍

QuickBooks may have gotten you through the early stages of your business—but it

wasn’t built to support scaling construction companies managing multiple jobs, crews,

and cost codes. If you're still stitching together reports with spreadsheets, you're not just

wasting time—you're risking profitability.

‍

Sage Intacct Construction, supported by the expert team at Ledgerable, gives you the

tools to grow smarter, not just bigger. With real-time job costing, committed cost tracking,

and customizable dashboards, you get the insights you need to take control of your

business—without extra admin overhead.

‍

Ready to see how Sage Intacct can help you track these KPIs—and much more?

‍

Book a free consult with our team of construction finance pros today. Let’s talk about

how to make your numbers work *for* you.