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IntermediateBEHAVIORAL
Tell me about a time you identified a recurring project cost variance on multiple construction/service projects—what analysis did you perform, how did you communicate the findings to stakeholders, and what actions did you implement to correct trends going forward?
Project Accountant
General

Sample Answer

On a portfolio of 12 regional service projects I supported, I noticed direct labor overruns averaging 9% month-over-month, costing about $240K per quarter. I pulled timekeeping, change order, and budget-to-actual reports, then did a root-cause roll-up by trade, site, and PM. Two sites showed repeated overtime and one subcontractor was billing outside SOW. I presented a concise dashboard to the PMO and Ops showing variance drivers, examples, and a forecast if unchanged. We negotiated scope adjustments with the subcontractor, standardized time-entry codes across teams, and instituted weekly labor variance calls. Within two months overtime dropped 55% and quarterly overruns fell to under 2%, saving roughly $180K over the next quarter.

Keywords

Used data (timekeeping, change orders, budget vs actual) to pinpoint driversClear stakeholder communication with dashboard and forecastImplemented operational fixes: contract negotiation, standardized time codes, weekly reviews
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