Search resources
Guides, walkthroughs, work examples, offers, tools, metric definitions, and glossary terms in one place.
133 results
- OfferMonthly report replacementReplace a recurring construction report with connected Power BI pages, agreed measures, source mappings, and a clear process for data exceptions.
- OfferWIP and cash reportingConnect project and accounting data for WIP, billing, cost, receivables, backlog, and cash scenarios your finance team can review.
- OfferIntegration sprintScope one connection between your construction systems with defined mappings, access, validation, monitoring, and operating ownership.
- OfferAI readiness reviewIdentify a useful first AI workflow with a review of data, tools, access, risks, and evaluation criteria before building a pilot.
- WorkBringing construction reporting into one connected viewA reporting build connecting project records, accounting information, schedule milestones, and structured team inputs in Power BI.
- WorkConnecting project, accounting, and CRM informationA financial reporting implementation connecting Procore, QuickBooks Online, and HubSpot through Microsoft Fabric and Power BI.
- WorkSpecialized AI agents for construction schedulingAn agentic scheduling platform built for Syncify that helps schedulers turn drawings, specs, and client answers into validated CPM schedules, with evidence and version history.
- WorkRouting construction system tools for AI agentsA Procore MCP architecture showing tool discovery, routing, and a controlled call path for a large API surface.
- WorkPrimavera P6 operations and offline XER analysis for agentsAn MCP server for Oracle Primavera P6 with governed tool access and offline XER analysis, so agents can reason about schedules without live credentials where that's the safer start.
- WorkProcore and P6 data in one analytics modelA reference build syncing Procore project data and Primavera P6 schedules through Azure and Cosmos DB into Power BI.
- Guiden8n MCP Server Tutorial: Expose and Use MCP Tools in n8nA step-by-step guide to MCP in n8n: turning workflows into MCP tools for Claude and Cursor, giving n8n agents tools from external MCP servers, and securing both.
- GuideHow to Improve an Existing Power BI Report for ConstructionA practical review method for an inherited construction Power BI report, from refresh and model shape to pay-app measures, blank-versus-zero, usability and governance, with a prioritized checklist.
- GuideCustom n8n Nodes for Procore, Autodesk, HCSS and Power BIA walkthrough of the n8n nodes we built for Procore, Autodesk, HCSS and Power BI, the read-only Procore financials MCP server behind an AI agent, and the dashboard that traces every request.
- GuideA Worked Source-Mapping Example: Procore, Accounting and CRMHow to link a Procore project, an accounting job and a CRM deal when they share no ID: match rules in order of trust, a sample crosswalk, old-to-new cost codes, and fixing exceptions at the source.
- GuideAI Sales Automation with Zapier, HubSpot and AI AgentsA breakdown of five Zapier zaps for sales and solutions work: business-card leads, discovery and demo prep, deal updates, and info requests with a human approval before any email is drafted.
- GuideConstruction Project Reporting: Solution ShowcaseTwo Power BI reports—22 pages and ~180 measures—that replaced a general contractor's hand-filled monthly progress and QA/QC workbooks. Computed nightly from Procore, Sage 100, Outbuild, and SharePoint, and published only after ~200 data-quality rules pass.
- GuideAI for CPM Scheduling and Primavera P6: What Works TodayA practical guide to where AI helps CPM schedulers today, from evidence-backed drafts and XER health checks to governed P6 access over MCP, and how to pilot it without risking a live schedule.
- GuideHow Specialized AI Agents Standardize CPM SchedulingA walkthrough of Connect, the agentic platform we built on Syncify, where one agent per step turns drawings, specs and client answers into validated, versioned CPM schedules.
- GuideConstruction Data Quality: The Rules That Make Reports TrustworthyA practical checklist of the data-quality rules behind construction reports people can defend, from quality gates and blank-never-zero to cost-code crosswalks, reconciliation and snapshots.
- GuideConstruction WIP Reporting in Power BI: A Controller's GuideA practical guide to construction WIP reporting in Power BI: the formulas, where the data comes from in Procore and accounting, the mistakes that make a WIP schedule look right while being wrong, and how to automate it.
- GuideGoverning AI Agents in Construction: A Checklist for IT and LeadershipA practical checklist for putting AI agents into construction systems safely, covering credentials, least privilege, read-first rollout, tool routing, telemetry, evaluation and human approval, drawn from our own builds.
- GuideMicrosoft Fabric for Contractors: A Lakehouse GuideA practical guide to Microsoft Fabric for construction: the medallion lakehouse, notebooks, Direct Lake models, quality gates, the SQL endpoint, cost considerations, and when Fabric is the wrong choice.
- GuideProcore API Integration Guide: Patterns, Crosswalks and GovernanceA practical guide to connecting Procore with accounting, scheduling, BI and CRM systems: which pattern to use, how to link projects across systems, and how to keep the numbers trustworthy.
- GuidePlaybook: Replacing the Monthly Excel Report for ContractorsA step-by-step program for retiring a contractor's hand-built monthly Excel report: inventory the workbook, map sources, give manual data a home, build crosswalks and a gated pipeline, pilot in parallel, then retire the spreadsheet.
- GuideWhat Is MCP? A Practical Guide for Construction TeamsA plain-language guide to the Model Context Protocol for contractors: what MCP servers and gateways do, why large APIs like Procore and P6 need tool routing, and how to start safely.
- GuideProcore, QuickBooks & HubSpot Reporting ExampleA 10-page Financial Operating System in Power BI that gives owners and controllers one view of contracts, WIP, cost, cash, pipeline, and labor—joined across Procore, QuickBooks Online, and HubSpot.
- GuideHow We Built Construction Reporting in Microsoft FabricThe engineering behind a nightly Procore + Sage + Outbuild reporting platform in Microsoft Fabric: medallion lakehouse, cost-code mapping, a quality gate, and building it with Claude and MCP servers.
- GuideHow We Joined Procore, QuickBooks and HubSpot in Microsoft FabricA build walkthrough of the pipeline that joins Procore projects, QuickBooks jobs and HubSpot deals in Microsoft Fabric, including the crosswalk that refuses to guess and the gate that stops wrong numbers.
- GuideRebuilding a Construction Monthly Report: Procore to Power BIWe replaced an 11-tab, 700-input-cell Excel workbook with an automated Procore, Sage and Fabric pipeline feeding 12 Power BI pages, and found two hidden scorecard bugs on the way.
- GuideBuilding an MCP Server for Oracle Primavera P6A walkthrough of P6 MCP: a governed MCP server that turns 585 Primavera P6 REST operations into a small discovery, planning, and execution surface, plus offline XER analysis.
- GuideRouting 2,755 Procore API Tools Through MCP Without Drowning the ModelA walkthrough of the Procore MCP server architecture: generated tools for every endpoint, router-mode meta-tools, hybrid retrieval, and a single dispatch chokepoint for safety and audit.
- GuideMCP Gateway with Telemetry: How Tool Runtime Governs Agent ToolsTool Runtime pulls many MCP servers into one governed endpoint. Here is how the gateway composes tools per API key, logs every call, and why production agents need this layer.
- GuideProcore + P6 Analytics in Power BI via Azure and Cosmos DBHow we synced Procore RFIs into Azure Cosmos DB with Function Apps, parsed P6 XER schedules in Power Query, and combined both in a Power BI report that refreshes itself.
- GuideBuilding AI Agents for Construction with MCP Tools and ProcoreA walkthrough of Construct.Chat: building a Procore financials agent with MCP tools, auditing every tool call, and the structure of a 735-tool Procore MCP server.
- WalkthroughConnect: Agentic AI for Construction SchedulingStandardize how schedulers plan, build, validate, and deliver CPM schedules—with agents, evidence, and an audit trail.
- WalkthroughProcore + Sage + Outbuild in Fabric & Power BIRetire the monthly Excel workbook: nightly, validated Power BI reports where every number ties back to its source.
- WalkthroughProcore + QuickBooks + HubSpotConnect project operations, accounting, and CRM data in Microsoft Fabric for one view of financial performance.
- WalkthroughFrom manual reports to Microsoft FabricTurn manual monthly construction reporting into a connected pipeline from Procore through Microsoft Fabric to Power BI.
- WalkthroughOracle Primavera P6 MCP ServerExpose 585 P6 operations over MCP—with offline XER analysis agents can actually use.
- WalkthroughProcore + P6 + Power BILive analytics: Procore and P6 flowing into Azure, Cosmos DB, and Power BI.
- WalkthroughBuildFlows n8n NodesAutomate Procore, Autodesk, HCSS, and Power BI in one n8n workflow layer.
- WalkthroughTool Runtime MCP GatewayRoute agent tools through an MCP gateway with telemetry you can actually review.
- WalkthroughProcore MCP ArchitectureRoute thousands of Procore API operations through MCP without drowning the model.
- WalkthroughConstruct.Chat AgentsAI agents on live project data—MCP tools working against Procore in the open.
- WalkthroughAI Sales Automations with ZapierFive Zapier zaps that capture leads, prep discovery calls and demos, and draft follow-ups in HubSpot and Gmail.
- ToolReporting readiness checklistTwelve things your finance, operations, and technology owners should agree before automating a report.
- ToolWhat your monthly report costsEstimate the labor and delay around a recurring report, with gross and net figures and a payback check.
- ToolWIP schedule template (Excel)Cost-to-cost percent complete, earned revenue, over/under billing, GP %, and backlog, with definitions and Power BI DAX measures.
- ToolAI pilot evaluation worksheetCompare candidate AI workflows on value, data readiness, consequence of error, and how you'd evaluate them, then draft a pilot scope.
- ToolMetric dictionaryDefinitions, formulas, sources, and missing-data rules for WIP, billing, cash, schedule, quality, and data-quality metrics.
- MetricRevised contractThe original contract value plus approved change orders. Pending change orders are reported separately as exposure, not included.
- MetricPending change order exposureThe total value of change orders submitted or in negotiation but not approved, shown next to the age of the oldest unapproved item.
- MetricEarned revenueThe share of the revised contract earned by work performed, using the percent complete method the finance team has adopted. Calculated job by job, then summed.
- MetricOver billingThe amount billed to date in excess of earned revenue on a job. Reported as a liability, often labeled billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings.
- MetricUnder billingEarned revenue in excess of the amount billed to date on a job. Reported as an asset, often labeled costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings.
- MetricNet over/under billingThe combined position of over and under billing. Positive means net over billed; negative means net under billed.
- MetricBacklog valueRevised contract value not yet earned, across signed work only.
- MetricBacklog monthsBacklog value divided by recent average monthly earned revenue. The averaging window is a policy choice; three months is common.
- MetricEstimated cost at completion (EAC)Cost incurred to date plus the project team's estimate of remaining cost. It drives percent complete, earned revenue and margin.
- MetricPercent complete (cost-to-cost)Cost incurred to date as a share of estimated cost at completion. Cost-to-cost is the most common method; the finance team and advisers choose the method and any adjustments, such as excluding uninstalled materials.
- MetricCost to completeThe project team's estimate of remaining cost, by cost code and in total.
- MetricGP % at completionExpected gross profit at completion as a share of revised contract.
- MetricFade / gainThe change in GP % at completion between two month-end snapshots. A decrease is fade; an increase is gain.
- MetricForecast varianceThe difference between forecast cost at completion and revised budget, by cost code and in total, with a percentage of budget.
- MetricPercent bought outCommitted cost as a share of budget. A low figure late in a job means price risk remains open.
- MetricCost variance (PM system vs accounting)The difference between project management system cost to date and accounting job cost for the same job. A difference is a finding to review, not automatically an error.
- MetricRetainage held (owner, subcontractor, net)Retainage receivable held by owners, retainage payable held on subcontractors, and the difference. Treatment in billed and AR figures is a policy choice for the finance team and advisers.
- MetricAR outstanding (as of a date)Posted customer invoice balances, net of credits and payments applied through the cutoff, in the reporting currency. The controller chooses whether retainage is included.
- MetricDays to payment / DSOAverage days to payment measures paid invoices from invoice date to payment date. Days sales outstanding (DSO) estimates collection time from the AR balance relative to billings over a period.
- MetricExpected collectionsOpen customer invoice balances placed in the week they fall due. Overdue balances roll into the current week.
- MetricCumulative cash positionThe running total of expected collections minus expected payments by week. It is a projection from issued invoices and bills, not a bank balance.
- MetricOverdue milestones %Critical-path milestones whose finish date has passed while still under 100% complete, as a share of all critical milestones.
- MetricCompletion variance daysForecast finish date minus baseline finish date, in calendar days. Positive means late.
- MetricObservation closure daysAverage days from an observation being created to being closed, for observations closed in the period.
- MetricPunch items aged over 7 daysCount of open punch items created more than 7 days before the reporting date. The threshold follows the firm's escalation policy.
- MetricRecordable incidentsCount of incidents classified as recordable under the firm's safety program, reported with hours worked so the figure has context.
- MetricSource coverage %Projects present and mapped in all required systems (for example the PM system, accounting and the scheduler) as a share of active projects.
- MetricUnresolved recordsCount of records on the unresolved worklist (rejected rows, unmatched invoices, unmapped projects, cost codes or trades), with the amount they carry and the system to fix each in.
- MetricData freshness (hours since last validated refresh)Hours since the last refresh that passed the data-quality gate, shown with a pipeline status such as passed, warnings, late, stale or blocked.
- GlossaryAgentic AIAI systems that plan and take multi-step actions with tools, not just answer questions.
- GlossaryAI AgentA language model given a role, instructions and tools so it can complete tasks.
- GlossaryAPIApplication Programming Interface: the documented way software systems exchange data.
- GlossaryAR AgingAccounts receivable grouped by how long invoices have been unpaid.
- GlossaryBacklogContracted revenue that has not yet been earned.
- GlossaryBaseline ScheduleThe approved version of a schedule that progress is measured against.
- GlossaryBronze, Silver and Gold LayersThe raw, cleaned and business-ready layers of a medallion lakehouse.
- GlossaryChange OrderA formal amendment to a construction contract's scope, price or time.
- GlossaryCommitted CostCosts a contractor has contractually agreed to pay, through subcontracts and POs.
- GlossaryCost CodeA code that classifies job costs by type of work, often based on CSI divisions.
- GlossaryCost-to-Cost Percent CompletePercent complete measured as cost incurred to date divided by total estimated cost.
- GlossaryCPM (Critical Path Method)A scheduling method that uses activity durations and logic to find the longest path.
- GlossaryCritical PathThe longest chain of dependent activities, which sets the project finish date.
- GlossaryCrosswalkA mapping table that links the same thing across different systems' IDs and codes.
- GlossaryData-Quality GateAn automated check that flags or holds bad data before it reaches reports.
- GlossaryDFOW (Definable Feature of Work)A distinct task with its own quality-control requirements, common on federal projects.
- GlossaryDirect LakeA Power BI storage mode in Fabric that reads Delta tables in OneLake directly.
- GlossaryDriving PathThe chain of activities that controls the date of a specific activity or milestone.
- GlossaryEAC (Estimate at Completion)The forecast total cost of a job when it is finished.
- GlossaryETLExtract, Transform, Load: moving data from sources into a reporting store.
- GlossaryFade and GainThe decline or improvement in a job's projected profit versus the original estimate.
- GlossaryFloatHow long an activity can slip before it delays a successor or the project finish.
- GlossaryGolden SetA fixed set of test questions with known-good answers used to evaluate an AI system.
- GlossaryHubSpotA CRM platform used to track contacts, companies and sales pipeline.
- GlossaryHuman-in-the-LoopA design where people review or approve AI actions before they take effect.
- GlossaryJob CostTracking every cost against the specific project and cost code it belongs to.
- GlossaryLakehouseA data platform that stores files and tables together and supports SQL and analytics.
- GlossaryLeast PrivilegeGiving a user, service or AI agent only the access it needs, nothing more.
- GlossaryMCP (Model Context Protocol)An open standard for connecting AI applications to tools and data sources.
- GlossaryMCP GatewayA control point between AI clients and MCP servers for auth, routing and logging.
- GlossaryMCP ServerA service that exposes a system's operations as tools AI clients can call via MCP.
- GlossaryMedallion ArchitectureA lakehouse design that refines data through bronze, silver and gold layers.
- GlossaryMicrosoft FabricMicrosoft's unified analytics platform covering data engineering, warehousing and Power BI.
- Glossaryn8nA workflow automation platform with visual flows and self-hosting options.
- GlossaryOutbuildA cloud-based construction scheduling and planning platform.
- GlossaryOver/Under BillingThe gap between what has been billed on a job and the revenue actually earned.
- GlossaryPay ApplicationA contractor's periodic request for payment, based on progress against the schedule of values.
- GlossaryPower BIMicrosoft's business intelligence tool for interactive reports and dashboards.
- GlossaryPrimavera P6Oracle's enterprise project scheduling software, widely used for CPM schedules.
- GlossaryProcoreA cloud construction management platform for project, quality, safety and financial tools.
- GlossaryQuickBooks OnlineIntuit's cloud accounting software, common among small and mid-size contractors.
- GlossaryRAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)Grounding an AI model's answers in documents retrieved at question time.
- GlossaryRetainageA portion of each progress payment withheld until the work is substantially complete.
- GlossaryRubricExplicit scoring criteria for judging whether an AI output is good enough.
- GlossarySage 100 ContractorSage's construction accounting and job cost software for small and mid-size contractors.
- GlossarySchedule of ValuesThe line-item breakdown of a contract sum used for progress billing.
- GlossarySemantic ModelThe business layer in Power BI that defines tables, relationships and measures.
- GlossarySnapshotA saved copy of data as it stood at a point in time, such as month-end.
- GlossaryStar SchemaA data model with central fact tables linked to descriptive dimension tables.
- GlossaryTelemetryRecorded data about what a system did: calls, latency, errors and usage.
- GlossaryTool RoutingSelecting the few relevant tools for a request from a large catalog.
- GlossaryVector EmbeddingsNumeric representations of text that let software find content by meaning.
- GlossaryWIP ScheduleThe work-in-progress report showing earned revenue, billing position and margin by job.
- GlossaryXERPrimavera P6's native file format for exporting and exchanging schedules.
Next step
Which report or workflow would you like to improve?
Tell us what your team does today, which systems are involved, and what you want to change. We'll discuss whether there is a practical fit.
Prefer email? charley@buildflows.ai