Cost Tracking Tips

1. Track daily, not monthly – Monthly reports detect problems 15–30 days late. Daily catches them in 1–3 days.
2. Always log production – Hours without production = cost without context.
3. Watch unit cost, not total cost – Total rising is expected. Unit cost rising means something is wrong.
4. Investigate 3-day trends – One bad day happens. Three consecutive days below plan = pattern. Investigate crew, equipment, conditions.
5. Run Project Cost Summary weekly – Every Monday, sort by variance, focus on top 3 problem activities.
6. Share results with the field – When foremen see their rates vs plan, they self-correct.