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Work through a construction project dashboard using budget, actual cost, commitments, and progress from workbook exports. See how a corrected progress input changes the review without changing the cost forecast.
A Power BI construction project dashboard should compare a project's approved cost budget, actual cost, remaining commitments, and verified progress at the same reporting date. The example below shows the workbook figures a US contractor would review, the decisions they support, and what changes when one progress input is corrected.
Microsoft defines a dashboard as a single-page canvas of tiles; selecting a tile can open its underlying report. Use that distinction to separate the project summary from the package detail, following Microsoft's dashboard guidance.
This is a business review example. It specifies the inputs, calculations, checks, and interpretation that should be agreed before a team arranges the visual presentation.
An illustrative US general contractor reviews a warehouse expansion at September 30, 2026. The approved cost budget covers the packages shown below, and actual cost includes incurred costs recognized through that date. Open commitments exclude amounts already recorded in actual cost.
Microsoft documents support for importing or connecting to Excel workbooks in its workbook data guidance. The important business preparation is consistent definitions: each workbook row needs a project, package, cutoff date, and source reference.
| Package | Cost budget (USD) | Planned complete | Verified complete | Actual cost (USD) | Open commitments (USD) | Uncommitted remaining cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations | 400,000 | 75% | 75% | 310,000 | 60,000 | 35,000 |
| Frame | 600,000 | 50% | 40% | 270,000 | 260,000 | 110,000 |
| Services | 200,000 | 25% | 25% | 55,000 | 120,000 | 25,000 |
| Total | 1,200,000 | 635,000 | 440,000 | 170,000 |
The uncommitted remaining cost column comes from the project manager's completion review. It excludes work covered by existing orders. Assume that the outstanding commitments are still required and payable; disputed or cancelable balances need explicit treatment before using this arithmetic.
Keep revenue and customer billings outside this cost comparison. They answer commercial and cash questions, while these rows compare the resources used and expected against the approved cost scope.
The Department of Defense's earned value definitions define estimated completion cost as actual cost plus estimated cost to complete. Here, the remaining estimate is split into outstanding commitments and uncommitted work so the reviewer can check for overlap.
Estimated completion cost = Actual cost + Open commitments + Uncommitted remaining cost
Forecast budget variance = Cost budget − Estimated completion cost
| Package | Completion-cost calculation (USD) | Estimated completion cost (USD) | Forecast budget variance (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations | 310,000 + 60,000 + 35,000 | 405,000 | −5,000 |
| Frame | 270,000 + 260,000 + 110,000 | 640,000 | −40,000 |
| Services | 55,000 + 120,000 + 25,000 | 200,000 | 0 |
| Total | 635,000 + 440,000 + 170,000 | 1,245,000 | −45,000 |
The headline is a forecast $45,000 overrun: $1,200,000 − $1,245,000. Frame contributes $40,000 of that exposure, so its remaining labor and procurement assumptions deserve the first review.
Put the approved budget, completion estimate, and forecast variance together. The package table explains the headline and identifies the owner who can change the outcome. A chart comparing actual cost only with the full budget would omit both commitments and uncommitted work.
For these packages, earned value equals approved package cost budget multiplied by verified completion. Planned value uses planned completion at the same date. The National Science Foundation's earned value reference gives cost performance index as earned value divided by actual cost and schedule performance index as earned value divided by planned value.
| Package | Earned value calculation (USD) | Planned value calculation (USD) | Cost variance: earned value less actual cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations | 400,000 × 75% = 300,000 | 400,000 × 75% = 300,000 | −10,000 |
| Frame | 600,000 × 40% = 240,000 | 600,000 × 50% = 300,000 | −30,000 |
| Services | 200,000 × 25% = 50,000 | 200,000 × 25% = 50,000 | −5,000 |
| Total | 590,000 | 650,000 | −45,000 |
Budget-weighted completion is $590,000 / $1,200,000 = 49.2%. The cost performance index is $590,000 / $635,000 = 0.929, and the schedule performance index is $590,000 / $650,000 = 0.908. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place and indices to three decimals.
The cost variance to date and forecast variance happen to match in this example. They are separate calculations and need separate labels. The first compares completed work with incurred cost; the second includes management's estimate of everything still required.
For definitions beyond this worked case, use the construction dashboard guide. The broader project management dashboard example covers a different review scope.
Suppose the site review finds that the frame progress register omitted accepted work. Change verified frame completion from 40% to 50%, leaving every other input unchanged. This is a correction at the same reporting date, not a claim that more work occurred without cost.
Frame earned value becomes $600,000 × 50% = $300,000, an increase of $60,000. The following comparisons show exactly what moves:
| Project measure | Original input | Corrected input |
|---|---|---|
| Frame verified completion | 40% | 50% |
| Total earned value (USD) | 590,000 | 650,000 |
| Cost variance (USD) | 590,000 − 635,000 = −45,000 | 650,000 − 635,000 = 15,000 |
| Cost performance index | 0.929 | 650,000 / 635,000 = 1.024 |
| Schedule performance index | 0.908 | 650,000 / 650,000 = 1.000 |
| Budget-weighted completion | 49.2% | 650,000 / 1,200,000 = 54.2% |
| Estimated completion cost (USD) | 1,245,000 | 1,245,000 |
| Forecast budget variance (USD) | −45,000 | −45,000 |
The corrected input shows more completed work for the same recorded cost. The completion estimate stays unchanged because no remaining-cost input changed. Ask the project manager whether the new evidence justifies revising that estimate; do not mechanically release budget because the progress card improved.
Tie actual cost of $635,000 to the project ledger and documented accruals. Tie $440,000 of open commitments to outstanding order balances. The completion estimate must match both the component total and the package total: $405,000 + $640,000 + $200,000 = $1,245,000.
Retain the progress measurement evidence and correction reference with the workbook. Finance should be able to reproduce the cost figures; site management should be able to reproduce completion. For teams choosing to review the workbook directly, the spreadsheet dashboard guide covers that presentation approach.
Covirage is not affiliated with Microsoft.
Bring your cost budget, actual-cost export, open commitments, and progress register to Covirage. Covirage maps the columns, and its tools compute and check the figures; the external AI model explains the results with every figure traced to its rows. Create a free Covirage account and bring a sample of your own data.
See project cost control in Covirage for the supporting workflow.
Yes. Microsoft's documentation identifies Excel workbooks as a supported Power BI data source. For the business review, prepare consistent project identifiers, cost codes, reporting dates, and clear cost definitions before deciding how the measures should be presented.
Microsoft distinguishes a dashboard's single page of tiles from the reports behind it. Selecting a tile can open the underlying report. Keep the project summary concise and retain package detail in the supporting report for investigating cost and progress differences.
No. Correcting measured progress changes earned value and efficiency comparisons. It does not automatically revise outstanding orders or the estimate of uncommitted work. The project manager must reassess those estimates separately when the correction changes the expected cost of finishing.