Job Costing and Dimensions in Intuit Enterprise Suite: Real-Time Profit Insights Made Simple

By: Bruce Peterka

Key Takeaways

• IES makes project/job costing genuinely simple—no more spreadsheets or crossed fingers.
• “Dimensions” let you slice and analyze every cost by project, department, location, or client.
• See up-to-the-minute profit, budget status, and overruns before they spiral.
• Onboard jobs from spreadsheets, other apps, or manually—no technical headaches.
• Custom dashboards for PMs, finance, execs—everyone gets their own view.
• Designed for construction, professional services, agencies, and fast-growing firms.

For a complete overview—including how all the features fit together—read our full article about Intuit Enterprise Suite.

Why Job Costing & Dimensions are a Big Deal

Every business that runs projects knows the pain: How do you really know what a job costs, what profit you’re making, and whether you’re on track?
Old methods are slow or full of errors. Intuit Enterprise Suite (IES) fixes that—by letting you tag transactions with “dimensions” that map perfectly to projects, departments, locations, or just about anything you care about.

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How Dimensions Work (and Why They're So Important)

Every bill, time entry, invoice, and expense can be tagged with a dimension. Suddenly, you see numbers that mean something—like profit for a particular job, region, or client.

See it in action: Watch how dimensions flip the switch for project management efficiency!

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Step-by-Step: Setting Up Dimensions for Job Costing in IES

• Pick what you want to track (projects, departments, client types—whatever fits your business).
• Use the admin panel to set up dimensions (no IT required).
• Assign costs, hours, revenue, and payments as you go.
• Run real-time reports to see budget vs. actual, cost-to-complete, and profit by job.

Start with just 2-3 dimensions and grow from there. Ask your PMs and finance leads which slices of data matter most.

Real-Time Profit Shifts

Profit and budget numbers update as soon as costs are entered—no more waiting for month-end.
Instantly track budget vs. actual, cost-to-complete, and alerts for overruns.

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Success in the Real World

One construction firm got serious and made “dimensions” part of every workflow—within three months, they cut project overruns by 21%. PMs got instant alerts right in the dashboard, and the finance team closed books days faster.
(Download the Forrester/Intuit TEI Study PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to switch from spreadsheets?

IES can import projects/codes straight from Excel or most job-costing systems—you won’t double-enter or lose history.

What reports are available for job costing?

Live job-cost summary, cost-to-complete reports, estimate versus actual—all update as costs hit the books.

Who should use dimensions?

Any business tracking jobs, clients, sites, or projects—including construction, professional services, multi-brand groups, nonprofit and more.

Can I use dimensions for payroll and expenses?

Absolutely—dimensions apply to payroll, materials, and other costs for full tracking and audit readiness.

Can my project managers have their own dashboard?

Yes—role-based dashboards keep teams focused, make access secure, and reduce info overwhelm.

Things to Do Now

Audit your next batch of projects—would real-time dimensions expose easy profit wins?

Download the IES Strategic Decision Guide

Schedule a free demo or consult with Peak Advisers

More Resources

Forrester/Intuit TEI Study (PDF)

Intuit Enterprise Suite main product page