Metrics Library
How businesses in each vertical measure themselves, explained for the teams who build their software. Each metric covers what it is, how it is calculated, how to read it, and how different roles use it.
Plan your metrics Pick metrics, mark which data you have, and get a build plan.
Browse by vertical
Construction
How contractors measure jobs, budgets, billing, and backlog.
Job cost variance · WIP over/under billing · Gross margin by job · BacklogLiveDental
How practices and DSOs measure providers, the schedule, and patient follow-through.
Production per hour · Case acceptance rate · Hygiene reappointment · Collection rate3PL
How third-party logistics providers measure cost and service by client.
Cost per order by client · On-time ship rate by clientWarehouse
How distribution centers measure receiving, picking, and fulfillment.
Dock-to-stock time · Order fill rateEmbedded banking
How software platforms measure accounts, deposits, and card programs.
Deposit growth per customer · Card interchange revenueBrowse by role
The same metric matters to different people for different reasons. These are the roles inside the businesses your software serves.
Construction
| Role at the business | Metrics they use |
|---|---|
| Owner / CEO | Backlog · Gross margin by job · Job cost variance · WIP over/under billing |
| CFO / controller | Backlog · Gross margin by job · Job cost variance · WIP over/under billing |
| Project manager | Backlog · Gross margin by job · Job cost variance · WIP over/under billing |
| Business development | Backlog |
| Estimator | Gross margin by job · Job cost variance |
| Surety / lender | WIP over/under billing |
Dental
| Role at the business | Metrics they use |
|---|---|
| Owner dentist | Case acceptance rate · Collection rate (net collection rate) · Hygiene reappointment rate · Production per hour |
| Treatment coordinator | Case acceptance rate |
| Office manager | Case acceptance rate · Collection rate (net collection rate) · Hygiene reappointment rate · Production per hour |
| DSO regional manager | Case acceptance rate · Collection rate (net collection rate) · Hygiene reappointment rate · Production per hour |
| Billing staff | Collection rate (net collection rate) |
| Hygienist | Hygiene reappointment rate |
| Associate dentist | Production per hour |
All metrics
Backlog
The work a contractor has under contract but has not yet done, in dollars.
Backlog = revised contract value − earned revenue to dateConstructionGross margin by job
How much of each job's contract value is left after cost.
Projected gross margin % = (revised contract value − estimate at completion) ÷ revised contract valueConstructionJob cost variance
The difference between what a job was budgeted to cost and what it is now expected to cost.
Job cost variance = revised budget − estimate at completionConstructionWIP over/under billing
The gap between what a contractor has billed on a job and the revenue it has actually earned.
Over/under billing = billed to date − earned revenueDentalCase acceptance rate
The share of recommended treatment that patients agree to.
Case acceptance rate = treatment accepted ($) ÷ treatment presented ($)DentalCollection rate (net collection rate)
The share of what a practice is actually owed that it collects.
Net collection rate = collections ÷ (gross production − contractual write-offs)DentalHygiene reappointment rate
The share of patients seen in hygiene who leave with their next hygiene visit already on the schedule.
Hygiene reappointment rate = hygiene patients with a future hygiene appointment ÷ hygiene patients seenDentalProduction per hour
The value of dentistry a provider produces for each hour they spend seeing patients.
Production per hour = production ÷ clinical hoursGuides
Building customer reporting for construction software
which reports contractors expect, which roles read them, and how to sequence building them.
GuideBuilding customer reporting for dental software
which reports practices and DSOs expect, which roles read them, and how to sequence building them.
Interactive example
A sample dashboard with made-up data for a 3PL warehouse, a dental group, and a contractor, showing how metrics like these look when filtered and queried. Open the interactive example.
How to use this library
- Start with a vertical hub for an overview of how that business runs and a glossary.
- Read a metric page for the definition, a worked example, and how each role uses it.
- Use the guides when planning which customer reports to build first.
- Data teams can open the collapsed section on each metric page for tables and a SQL sketch.