Job Costing is used by organisations that charge out time for services performed. They need to know if the cost of the work performed is adequately rewarded by the charges they make to their clients.

It involves managing a list of clients, the jobs that are performed for those clients, the disbursements made on behalf of clients and attributing staff time to the jobs for work performed.

The relevance of Job Costing depends on your perspective. If you are customer focused, having the ability to accurately quote for prospective jobs, then keep track of exactly what resources are used on jobs can ensure fair and reasonable billing to customers – supported by evidence if required.

Customers also expect timely invoicing for services performed on their behalf. Job Costing systems allow this to happen with ease.

As with any business activity, there is a need to ensure resources are bought and sold at the right prices to ensure profit. This applies to labour costs of service organisations.

If an organisation is wishing to incorporate best practice / structured processes and workflows in their approach to business, a Job Costing system will assist with this. The system forces the use of rules and disciplines that contribute toward best practice and efficiency.

We are a service company and we use Job Costing software ourselves – we couldn’t operate without it. We know the typical workflows associated with Job Costing and can translate these into the requirements of most service businesses.

WorkflowMax is the software of choice for us. It’s owned by Xero and integrates nicely to Xero for accounting functions. We know the software well and can set it up efficiently for new users and provide training and support for new and existing users.

As is the norm for us, we also connect WorkflowMax to other systems, some are most definitely out in left field – Weighbridge software (read our blog about this), corporate office printer cost allocation system, inventory management system.

We think outside of the square for our customers. We solve problems for them using familiar tools in creative ways.

Any industry where people perform work for others and charge for their time is relevant to Job Costing.

We currently support clients from the following industries:

•  Engineering
•  Quantity Surveying
•  IT Consulting
•  Transportation
•  Legal Architecture
•  Events Marketing
•  Security
•  Kitchen design