How Costpoint Utilization Reports Work
Costpoint utilization reporting generally combines employee, labor, project, timesheet, calendar, and organizational data. Report parameters can be configured around periods, employees, projects, organizations, labor categories, or other reporting dimensions.
A common utilization calculation is:
Utilization Rate = Productive or Billable Hours ÷ Available Hours × 100
For example, if an employee has 160 available hours in a month and records 128 billable project hours, the utilization rate is 128 ÷ 160 × 100 = 80%. The resulting percentage gives managers a consistent way to compare resource usage across periods or teams.
Key Metrics in Utilization Reporting
Costpoint Utilization Reports can provide several measures that help explain how employee capacity is being used. The exact metrics depend on the organization’s reporting configuration and definition of productive time.
- Available hours: Hours an employee or resource is expected to be available during the selected period.
- Billable hours: Hours charged to activities or projects that generate billable or contract-related value.
- Productive hours: Hours classified as productive under the organization’s utilization methodology.
- Non-billable hours: Time assigned to internal, administrative, training, leave, or other activities outside billable work.
- Utilization rate: The percentage of available capacity represented by the selected productive or billable hours.
Interpreting High and Low Utilization
Utilization should be interpreted according to the organization’s business model, labor category, contract structure, and definition of available capacity. A higher rate generally indicates that a larger share of available time is being allocated to productive or billable activities. A lower rate can indicate greater time assigned to internal activities, available capacity, leave, or work that is classified outside the utilization calculation.
For example, a consulting team with an 85% utilization rate may have strong project demand and substantial billable activity, while a team at 60% may have more capacity available for internal work or upcoming assignments. Neither percentage should be evaluated without considering project pipeline, contract requirements, employee roles, and expected non-billable responsibilities.
Utilization, Labor Accounting, and Costpoint Data
Accurate utilization reporting depends on reliable labor transactions. Timesheets must identify the appropriate projects, activities, labor categories, and accounting classifications so that hours flow into the correct reporting categories.
Invoice workflows also affect the quality of related financial data. During invoice capture, extraction, validation, matching, approval, and posting, accurate chart of accounts assignments and consistent gl coding help maintain reliable accounting records that can be reconciled with project and labor information.
Costpoint utilization data can therefore be reviewed alongside labor costs and project performance to understand how resource usage affects financial results and contract economics.
Utilization Reports and ERP-Connected Workflows
Costpoint utilization reporting works within a broader ERP environment where project accounting, payroll, purchasing, accounts receivable, and general ledger processes interact. Organizations using deltek Costpoint can connect these financial and operational workflows so that utilization analysis is based on consistent underlying accounting and project data.
Utilization reporting can also complement accrual analysis. For example, Accruals Discovery For Services Receieved But Not Invoiced can identify services received but not yet invoiced using reports, timesheets, and confirmations. This type of information can help finance teams connect operational activity with appropriate period-end accruals.
Utilization Reporting Across Finance Operations
Utilization reports are most useful when reviewed together with other operational and financial reports. Industry Reports provide broader business context that can help organizations compare operational patterns with relevant industry information, while Annual Reports present broader financial and organizational results over a yearly reporting cycle.
Expense reporting also contributes to resource-cost analysis. Automated Expense Reports organize employee expense information into a structured reporting workflow, helping finance teams review reimbursable and business-related expenses alongside labor and project data.
For receivables, cash application involves matching customer payments and remittances, resolving unapplied cash and deductions, and posting receipts. Reviewing these activities alongside utilization and project information can provide a broader view of project economics and financial operations.
Best Practices for Costpoint Utilization Reports
Effective utilization reporting requires consistent definitions, accurate time entry, and appropriate reporting dimensions. Finance and project leaders should agree on what counts as available, productive, and billable time before using utilization rates for management decisions.
- Define utilization formulas consistently across teams and reporting periods.
- Validate timesheet and labor-category data before reviewing utilization results.
- Analyze utilization by employee, project, labor category, organization, and period where useful.
- Compare utilization trends with project demand, staffing plans, and contract requirements.
- Investigate significant changes by reviewing the underlying labor and project transactions.
Summary
Costpoint Utilization Reports measure how available labor or resource capacity is allocated across productive, billable, and other activities. By combining reliable time, project, accounting, and organizational data, these reports help businesses monitor resource usage, support workforce planning, understand project economics, and improve financial performance.