For contractors using Viewpoint Vista, the Work-in-Progress (WIP) report is a critical tool for tracking job profitability, managing earned revenue, and ensuring compliance with ASC 606 revenue recognition standards For Contractors. It provides finance teams and executives with the visibility they need to understand financial progress across jobs and make informed decisions.

However, many Vista users face a common challenge — the built-in WIP reporting tools lack flexibility. Customizing reports for bonding agents, collaborating with project managers, or forecasting using cost-to-complete data often leads teams to export data into Excel.

That’s where PivotXL comes in. It enhances your existing Excel workflows by connecting live to your Vista data and automating the WIP reporting process — without sacrificing flexibility.

👉 Related Reads
➡️ Revenue Recognition in Construction – ASC 606 Guide

What Is a WIP Report in Viewpoint Vista?

The Viewpoint Vista WIP report helps monitor the financial performance of ongoing jobs. It typically includes:

  • Contract value
  • Estimated and actual costs
  • Percent complete
  • Earned revenue
  • Billed to date
  • Overbilling or underbilling
  • Cost to complete (CTC)
  • Forecasted gross margin

This report is essential for CFOs, controllers, and bonding agents who rely on it for financial visibility, risk mitigation, and compliance reporting.

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

Why ASC 606 Makes Accurate WIP Reporting Even More Important

ASC 606 requires that revenue be recognized as work is performed — often based on percent complete. That percentage is usually derived from an accurate cost-to-complete estimate, which makes CTC one of the most critical data points in any WIP schedule.

If your CTC values are off, it can impact:

  • Revenue recognition accuracy
  • Profitability forecasting
  • Project cash flow
  • Financial statement reliability

Therefore, getting CTC input from the field — and rolling it up cleanly into reports — is essential for both compliance and clarity.

👉 Related Reads
➡️ Cost to Complete Construction – Full Guide

Common WIP Reporting Challenges in Viewpoint Vista

Despite Vista’s powerful job costing capabilities, many finance teams still face these common obstacles:

1. Rigid Report Formats

Vista’s native reports are not always easy to modify. Creating custom WIP reports for different audiences — such as executives, operations, or bonding agents — often requires technical support or exporting to Excel.

2. Disconnected PM Collaboration

There is no streamlined way for project managers to input updated CTC values or percent complete. As a result, updates come through emails or spreadsheets, creating manual work and version control issues.

3. No Trend or Roll-Up Reporting

Vista lacks built-in tools for analyzing WIP trends over time or summarizing job data by division, client, or region. These are often needed for strategic oversight but must be built manually.

How PivotXL Enhances WIP Reporting in Viewpoint Vista

PivotXL is a financial reporting platform built on Excel that connects directly to your Vista data. It helps teams build accurate, collaborative, and audit-ready WIP reports — without changing their core systems.

📊 Connected Excel Templates

With PivotXL, finance teams can build fully customized WIP templates to match bond formats, executive dashboards, or ASC 606 compliance requirements.

  • PMs enter percent complete and cost-to-complete
  • All data rolls up into a structured WIP schedule
  • Earned revenue and margin calculations update automatically

🔄 Real-Time Sync with Vista

PivotXL connects directly to job cost and general ledger data from Vista. Your Excel report stays live and up to date — no need for exports or manual data refreshes.

📈 Forecasting & Trend Insights

Track margin slippage, billing performance, and CTC forecast accuracy over time. Create roll-up views by project type, division, or client in just a few clicks.

👥 Project Manager Collaboration

Project managers can submit updates directly within structured Excel templates. Finance retains control over calculations, while all updates are logged for audit purposes.

Benefits of Using PivotXL with Viewpoint Vista

  • ✅ Faster Month-End Close: Eliminate spreadsheet chaos and save hours
  • ✅ ASC 606 Compliant: Align revenue recognition with real progress
  • ✅ Audit-Ready: Maintain version history and user-level traceability
  • ✅ Forecast Accuracy: Get live CTC inputs from the field
  • ✅ Custom Reporting in Excel: Tailor views for every stakeholder

Conclusion

Viewpoint Vista offers a solid foundation for job costing and accounting. However, its WIP reporting tools can be limiting when customization, collaboration, and compliance are required.

PivotXL bridges the gap — turning Excel into a structured, connected WIP engine integrated with Vista. It helps finance and project teams collaborate, forecast more accurately, and stay ASC 606 compliant — all without leaving the tools they already use.

You don’t need to replace Vista — just make your reporting smarter.