1) Module HUD
- Module #: 9 / 13
- Time: 25–35 min
- Outcome: “After this, you can run a weekly/monthly job-profit reporting cadence in QBO: profit by job, profit by job type (service / remodel / new construction / commercial), and a short diagnostic list when numbers look wrong.”
- Prereqs: [Module 2 — Essential QBO Setup for Contractors] + [Module 3 — Easy COA Your CPA Will Love] + (only if labor included) [Module 8 — Labor Costing in QBO]
- Stop here if: you only need basic profit by job and you’re not ready to enforce consistent job assignment and cleanup cadence.
- Level tags used in this module: ✅ Baseline / 🛠️ Operator Upgrade / ⚠️ Advanced
2) Answer Box (snippet block)
- What it is (2 lines)
A standardized set of reports + filters you run the same way every time to trust job profit.
This turns job costing from “a feature” into a routine. - When to use it (2–4 bullets)
- You want profit by job you can trust
- You want profit by job type: service / remodel / new construction / commercial
- You want fast diagnostics when job profit looks fake
- You want a cadence your team can follow
- The common mistakeS (1-2 line)
Running job reports without fixing inputs (missing job assignment, duplicates, misapplied deposits, missing labor). - The fixES (1-2 line)
Run the same reports with the same filters, fix the same exceptions, then rerun until the exception list is short.
3) The mental model (keep short)
- Job reports don’t create accuracy; they reveal whether your workflow is accurate.
- Inputs that break job profit: missing job assignment, duplicates, misapplied payments, costs in overhead, labor not allocated.
- Start with profit by job. Then roll up by job type. Then troubleshoot outliers.
- The goal is “decision-grade weekly,” not “perfect annually.”
4) Do this in QBO (step-by-step)
Choose your reporting path (Start simple → grow)
- Pick one:
- ✅ Path A: Profit by job (weekly review)
- 🛠️ Path B: Profit by job + job type roll-up (monthly decision-making)
- ⚠️ Path C: Add milestone checkpoints + exception list discipline (production control)
✅ Path A — Weekly profit by job (stop after Step 8)
- Run job profit:
- Go to Reports → Project Profitability Summary
- Date range = this month-to-date
- Click Run report
- Sort mentally: top winners, top losers, “missing data” jobs
- Fix the three most common input failures:
- Jobs with revenue and no costs
- Jobs with costs and no revenue
- Big costs not tied to the job container (Projects)
- Re-run Project Profitability Summary after fixes
- If profit still looks “too perfect,” check for missing labor:
- If you want labor included, your time/payroll method must be in place (Module 8)
- Save your weekly outputs (simple habit):
- Export or screenshot the report for the week (one file, dated)
- Stop here marker (Path A):
If top jobs by profit and loss make operational sense, stop.
Pro tip: If “everything is profitable,” you’re missing costs. If “everything loses money,” you duplicated expenses.
🛠️ Path B — Add profit by job type (stop after Step 12)
- Confirm each job has Job Type (service / remodel / new construction / commercial) on the job container (Projects)
- At month-end, run:
- Project Profitability Summary for last full month
- Create a simple roll-up outside QBO (one page):
- Total revenue, total cost, total profit by job type
- Stop here marker (Path B):
If you can answer “which job type pays?” with numbers, stop.
Warning: Rolling up job type without consistent job type assignment is just confident noise.
⚠️ Path C — Milestones + exception list discipline (stop after Step 16)
- Define the only milestones you will track (keep it simple):
- Mobilized
- Rough-in complete
- Trim complete
- Final invoice sent
- Final payment received
- Run your exception list weekly (same date range = month-to-date):
- Jobs with profit margin over your “too good to be true” threshold
- Jobs with negative margin
- Jobs with no costs
- Fix exceptions first, then discuss results with the team
- Stop here marker (Path C):
If the exception list is short for 30 days straight, stop. You’ve earned dashboards.
5) Real-world example (mandatory)
You run four jobs last month:
- Service jobs:
- Job A profit $1,000
- Job B profit $550
- Remodel job:
- Job C profit $7,500
- Commercial job:
- Job D profit $1,000
Roll-up by job type:
- service profit: $1,550
- remodel profit: $7,500
- commercial profit: $1,000
Decision you can now make: you don’t “feel” what to sell more of—you can prove it.
6) Run this report now (mandatory checkpoint)
- Report name: Project Profitability Summary
- Filters/settings:
- Date range = last full month
- Click Run report
- What “good” looks like:
- Jobs show both revenue and costs in believable proportions
- Big jobs are not showing zero labor (if labor should exist)
- Few to no “missing data” jobs
- What “broken” looks like:
- Revenue with no costs (missing job assignment)
- Costs with no revenue (billing not entered or costs misassigned)
- Profit margins that are obviously wrong
- One fix if broken:
- Open Expenses for the month, assign the biggest job costs to the correct job container (Projects), then rerun the report.
7) Lab (do it on your file)
- [PASS/FAIL] You ran Project Profitability Summary month-to-date
- [PASS/FAIL] You fixed at least 5 job assignment issues and reran the report
- [PASS/FAIL] You ran Project Profitability Summary for last full month
- [PASS/FAIL] Every active job has Job Type (service / remodel / new construction / commercial)
- [PASS/FAIL] You created a 1-page roll-up by job type for last full month
- [PASS/FAIL] You identified your top 1 winner and top 1 loser job and the results make sense
- [PASS/FAIL] You wrote a weekly cadence: day/time + owner
8) Knowledge check (3 questions)
- What are the three most common reasons job profitability looks wrong?
- What’s the first report you run for profit by job?
- If profits look “too perfect,” what’s the most likely missing input?
9) Next + Related
- Previous: [Module 8 — Labor Costing in QBO]
- Next: [Module 10 — Monthly Close in QBO]
- Related modules (2–3)
- [Module 6 — Progress Billing, Deposits, Retainers]
- [Module 7 — Change Orders]
- [Module 11 — QBO Cleanup / Rebuild]
- Don’t do this warnings
- Don’t build dashboards before your exception list is short.
- Don’t change workflows mid-month and expect clean comparisons.
- Don’t trust job profit without consistent job assignment (and labor, if labor is material).
- Don’t “fix” job reporting by creating more accounts.
Fast now = slow forever.
FAQ (short)
What’s the best report for profit by job?
Start with Project Profitability Summary.
How do I get profit by job type (service/remodel/new construction/commercial)?
Assign Job Type consistently on the job container (Projects), then roll up job results by job type monthly.
Why do some jobs show revenue but no costs?
Costs weren’t assigned to the job container, or they were coded to overhead.
How often should I run job profitability?
Weekly for active production, monthly for close and decision-making.