Margins + Leakage
Underpriced work
A full schedule can still lose if the wrong work fills it.
Executive lens
A useful brief turns the issue into a decision.
Trap
Trap
Taking every job because crews need work.
Signal
Signal
Avg job margin
Move
Move
Set minimum margin by work type
Rule
Rule
Busy is not the same as profitable.
Why it matters
Taking every job because crews need work.
Stakes
Leakage rarely arrives as one dramatic failure. It arrives as small discounts, labor overruns, rework, vendor creep, stale pricing, and overhead that never gets reset.
Why it gets missed
The business stays busy, so the owner assumes the machine is working. Busy hides leakage until the month closes and there is less left than expected. In this case, the practical trap is simple: taking every job because crews need work..
Field pattern
Use a simple model: compare more volume at the same margin against modest sales growth plus a margin improvement. The point is not that margin always wins. The point is that growth should compete against easier profit already inside the business.
Numbers to watch
The metric is useful only when it changes behavior.
Avg job margin
Shows whether the work mix is improving or just filling the calendar.
Capacity used
Reveals whether scarce capacity is being spent on the right jobs.
Close rate
Connects sales effort to pricing quality, lead quality, and follow-up discipline.
Operating moves
What to make visible before the next decision.
Move 01
Set minimum margin by work type
Move 02
Quote capacity-constrained work higher
Move 03
Stop hiding discounts inside scope
Owner questions
Use the brief in a real review.
1
If avg job margin moved this week, what decision would change?
2
Which person, process, or rule owns set minimum margin by work type?
3
What would make this number untrustworthy right now?
4
If nothing changes for 90 days, what gets harder for the owner?
Interactive model
See the principle in numbers
JGC Hub watches the controllable lanes early enough for the owner to change pricing, scope, staffing, or spend.
Keep reading
Related guides
Start with the system
Make this visible in the operating rhythm.
The brief explains the idea. JGC Hub gives you the categories, rules, and review cadence to keep it from drifting.