Managing a construction budget isn't just about watching the bottom line. It's really about tracking multiple moving parts, from fluctuating material costs to labor overruns and change orders. And with so many things to manage, it's easy to lose sight of how each cost affects the overall financial health of a project.
Too often, project teams end up "frankensteining" information together from spreadsheets, reports, and emails to understand the state of their budget or see any changes that took place. This approach isn't just inefficient and time-consuming, but it's also full of risk. Disconnected data makes it harder to identify issues early, allowing costly mistakes to slip through the cracks.
To maintain control, you need a solution to manage all cost-related activities in one place. Even better? Equip yourself (and your team) with a solution that helps you analyze your budget, spot issues quickly, and make well-informed decisions.
That's precisely what Cost Management in Autodesk Build is built to do.
In this quick guide, you'll see how the Budget Snapshot feature can bring more clarity, control, and confidence to your cost management processes—helping you avoid those moments of 'How did we end up in this situation?' or 'Why didn’t I know about this?' by giving you regular comparisons that make issues visible before they become problems.
Autodesk Build offers a powerful Cost Management toolset that centralizes all cost-related activities in the cloud and connects data across project and field management workflows to strengthen cost control.
One especially valuable feature is the Budget Snapshot, which allows users to capture a complete view of the project budget at specific points in time. Snapshots can be created manually when needed or scheduled to automate data capture.
Comparing snapshot versions is simple and intuitive within the user interface, and you can easily export comparison reports in an Excel format that's just as clear and user-friendly. Visual cues make it easy to identify what has changed, been added, or removed. There are also delta indicators that highlight both positive and negative variances. You can hover over these indicators to see the exact variance amounts. That way, you can spot and understand deviations quicker, and you won't have to spend hours digging through siloed data.
Want to learn more about Budget Snapshots and how to use this feature? See the capability in action below.
But you don't have to take our word for it. Here's a firsthand perspective on how Budget Snapshots delivers results:
"Budget Snapshots enhance financial awareness, decision-making, and goal tracking by comparing actual expenses and income against budgeted amounts. Regular comparisons help detect issues early, allowing for timely strategy adjustments. Analyzing past snapshots also improves forecasting accuracy, leading to better budget planning and management." - Noor H Hanafi Harris, Client Project Manager, Arcadis US Inc.
Construction budgets are complex but managing them doesn’t have to be.
With Budget Snapshots in Autodesk Build, you get a clear, real-time view of where your project stands financially. From there, you can quickly identify changes and take corrective action to protect your margins.
Ready to stop piecing together cost data and start making smarter decisions? Dive into Budget Snapshots and take control of your budget.
