For construction firms using CMiC, the Work-in-Progress (WIP) report plays a critical role in financial oversight. It helps track job progress, manage earned revenue, monitor cost-to-complete, and comply with standards like ASC 606 revenue recognition For Contractors.

But even with CMiC’s powerful ERP capabilities, finance teams often find themselves needing more — more flexibility, better collaboration with project managers, and easier ways to generate customized, audit-ready WIP reports. That’s where Excel — supercharged with a reporting tool like PivotXL — makes all the difference.

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➡️ Revenue Recognition in for Contractors ASC 606

What Is a WIP Report in CMiC?

The CMiC WIP report provides a real-time view of project financials, allowing you to monitor progress and profitability throughout the life of a job. It typically includes:

  • Original and revised contract values
  • Estimated vs. actual costs
  • Percent complete
  • Revenue recognized
  • Cost to complete (CTC)
  • Overbilling or underbilling
  • Forecasted gross margin

This information is essential for CFOs, controllers, and bonding agents — helping them understand where projects stand and what revenue can be earned based on actual progress.

👉 Related Reads
➡️ Work-in-Progress Reporting For Contractors

ASC 606 and the Role of Cost-to-Complete

Under ASC 606, revenue must be recognized as performance obligations are satisfied — often using a percent-complete method tied to cost-to-complete values.

This makes accurate WIP tracking more important than ever. Your ability to recognize revenue correctly depends on two critical inputs:

  • Percent Complete: How much of the work is finished?
  • Cost to Complete: How much will it cost to finish the remaining work?

Without accurate CTC data from the field, your WIP report — and therefore your revenue — becomes guesswork. That’s a compliance risk and a forecasting problem.

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➡️ Cost to Complete Construction – Full Guide

Common Challenges with CMiC WIP Reporting

While CMiC is a robust ERP, many finance teams face these challenges with its native WIP tools:

1. Customization Requires IT Involvement

CMiC’s reporting engine is powerful, but customizing WIP layouts for different stakeholders (executives, PMs, bonding agents) often requires scripting or developer time.

2. Disconnected Project Manager Inputs

PMs often track percent complete or CTC in separate spreadsheets or field systems. There’s no seamless way to feed that data into the WIP workflow inside CMiC.

3. Manual Workarounds for Rolling Forecasts

While CMiC captures static data well, many teams rely on Excel exports to analyze trends, adjust forecasts, or model scenarios. This adds time and increases the risk of error.

How PivotXL Enhances Your CMiC WIP Report Workflow

PivotXL is an Excel-based reporting platform that connects directly to CMiC data. It transforms WIP reporting by automating roll-ups, enabling collaboration, and keeping your reports in sync — all within Excel.

📊 Connected Excel Templates

Build WIP reports using templates tailored to your needs. You can include bond-ready formats, internal dashboards, or ASC 606-compliant views.

  • PMs enter CTC, percent complete, or notes at the cost code level
  • Data rolls up automatically into a real-time WIP schedule
  • Key metrics like earned revenue, margin variance, and over/under billing are calculated instantly

🔄 Real-Time Sync with CMiC

PivotXL connects directly to CMiC’s job cost and general ledger data. As your numbers update in CMiC, your Excel reports stay current — no manual exports required.

📈 Trend Analysis and Forecasting

Track trends like margin slippage, billing efficiency, and forecast accuracy over time. Create dashboards to monitor key financial health indicators across regions or job types.

👥 Field-to-Finance Collaboration

Project managers can update forecasts directly in structured Excel templates. Their inputs sync with finance reports while maintaining version control and audit trails — no more emailing spreadsheets back and forth.

Benefits of Using PivotXL for CMiC WIP Reporting

  • ✅ Faster Month-End Close: Automate report creation and reduce manual work
  • ✅ Audit-Ready: Track all inputs with full visibility into who changed what
  • ✅ Better Forecasts: Use real-time, job-level inputs for accurate projections
  • ✅ ASC 606 Compliant: Recognize revenue based on actual progress and updated cost-to-complete
  • ✅ Custom Views: Build stakeholder-specific summaries without IT bottlenecks

Conclusion

CMiC gives construction firms a strong foundation for operations and accounting. But when it comes to flexible, collaborative WIP reporting — especially under ASC 606 — finance teams need more than just static reports.

PivotXL enhances your CMiC WIP reports by turning Excel into a connected, collaborative, and audit-ready reporting engine. You get better accuracy, faster closes, and smarter insights — without abandoning the tools you already use.

You don’t need to leave CMiC — just make WIP smarter with PivotXL.