Per-project profitability for creative and production studios - built for founders and studio leads who quote a budget, run the project, and only find out at invoicing time whether it actually made money.
| Project | Quoted budget | Actual cost | Margin | Flag | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Solstice Rebrand Client: Northgate Retail |
$42,000 | $42,300 380h @ $95 + $6,200 ext. |
-0.7% was 18% at kickoff ↓ |
Scope creep | ▸ |
Original scope 3 concepts, 1 revision round Delivered scope 3 concepts, 5 revision rounds Extra hours 96h unbudgeted Change order raised No AI note: two extra brand-mark directions were added after kickoff without a change order. The client kept saying yes to "quick tweaks" - each one small, five rounds together erased the entire margin.
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Harbor App Launch Client: Bluecrest Fintech |
$68,000 | $61,120 512h @ $110 + $4,800 ext. |
10.1% was 32% at kickoff ↓ |
Unbilled revisions | ▸ |
Billable hours logged 512h QA / rework hours 140h (27% of total) Rework billed 0h Cause Post-launch bug fixing AI note: 140 hours went to fixing issues found after the client's own QA pass signed off the build. Standard practice on similar engagements is to bill post-signoff defect work at a reduced rate rather than absorb it fully.
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Meridian Product Video Client: Solano Foods |
$19,500 | $14,000 140h @ $85 + $2,100 ext. |
28.2% stable |
Healthy | ▸ |
Scope changes None Revision rounds 1 of 1 budgeted External costs On quote Status On track AI note: no leak signals. Scope, hours and external costs are tracking within 5% of the original quote.
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Aurora Brand System Client: Vantage Health |
$54,000 | $50,500 410h @ $100 + $9,500 ext. |
6.5% was 25% at kickoff ↓ |
Rate mismatch | ▸ |
Hours by senior staff 240h of 410h Billed rate on those hours $100/h blended Standard senior rate $140/h Rate gap $9,600 under-recovered AI note: a senior art director carried most of the identity system work but was logged at the team's blended rate instead of the senior rate. The work was priced correctly at quoting - the staffing plan changed after kickoff.
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Cascade Motion Reel Client: Ferro Logistics |
$27,800 | $22,100 210h @ $90 + $3,200 ext. |
20.5% stable |
Healthy | ▸ |
Scope changes None Revision rounds 2 of 2 budgeted External costs On quote Status At target AI note: right at the 20% target. No action needed.
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Lighthouse Web Redesign Client: Amber Grove Realty |
$61,000 | $57,900 500h @ $105 + $5,400 ext. |
5.1% was 22% at kickoff ↓ |
Scope creep | ▸ |
Original scope 8 page templates Delivered scope 13 page templates Extra hours 118h unbudgeted Change order raised No AI note: five additional listing-page templates were added mid-project to match a competitor's site. Reasonable client request, but it went straight into the build queue instead of a change order.
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Prairie Product Photography Client: Solano Foods |
$14,200 | $9,500 95h @ $80 + $1,900 ext. |
33.1% was 24% ↑ |
Healthy | ▸ |
Scope changes None Repeat client Yes, 3rd booking Setup reused Yes, from prior shoot Status Above target AI note: repeat-client efficiency - reused lighting setup and shot list cut prep time versus the original quote.
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Beacon Ad Campaign Client: Northgate Retail |
$38,500 | $40,420 340h @ $98 + $7,100 ext. |
-5.0% was 15% at kickoff ↓ |
Unbilled revisions | ▸ |
Ad variants quoted 6 variants Ad variants delivered 14 variants Extra hours 88h unbudgeted Change order raised No AI note: the client's media buyer kept requesting new size and copy variants for A/B testing after the campaign was already in flight. Each variant is small on its own; fourteen add up to nearly two extra weeks of design time.
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