Anomaly drill: finding where budget has run away
4 min read · Updated 8 Jun 2026
What it shows
For each activity at risk, the table shows:
- EV — the value of work actually completed (from approved hours × budget rate).
- AC — what that work actually cost (from approved hours × hourly rate).
- Cost Variance (CV = EV − AC) — negative means overspend. The table sorts by CV ascending so the worst overruns are always at the top.
- CPI — the ratio EV ÷ AC. Below 1.00 is a problem; further below is a bigger problem.
- The WBS path (Location → Sub-Location → Discipline → Activity) so you can pinpoint exactly where the issue lives.
Open the anomaly drill
From inside a project, choose Reports → Anomaly drill. It opens pre-sorted by Cost Variance ascending (worst overrun first). Only activities with at least one approved entry and a negative CV appear.
Clicking an activity row shows the underlying approved labour entries — who, when, how many hours — so you can see whether the overrun is a rate issue, a scope creep, or a one-off spike before your next conversation with the foreman.
Use the filters to focus on a single trade or part of the site. Save the filtered view and it comes back the same way next time.
Typical causes of a negative CV
- Rate mismatch — the operative's actual hourly rate is higher than the budget rate for that activity.
- Scope creep — extra work was done and logged against this activity without a matching budget increase.
- Typo in hours — an 8h entry was typed as 80h and slipped through approval. The anomaly drill catches these before month-end.
- Underestimate — the original budget hours for the activity were too lean. The drill tells you which activities need a budget revision.
What next?
Found the culprit? Drill through the entries, then head to the WBS to update the budget: Import / edit your WBS →
Frequently asked
Why are some activities missing from the drill?
Only activities with at least one approved labour entry and a negative cost variance (AC > EV) appear. Activities where the budget is being met or exceeded-in-a-good-way (EV ≥ AC) are not listed — they're not anomalies.
Does the drill include draft or submitted entries?
No. Only approved hours feed the EV and AC figures. If an anomaly looks suspicious, check whether there are unapproved entries in the queue — approving them may correct the figure.
Can I export the anomaly table?
Yes — the Export to XLSX button at the top of the table downloads the full dataset, including the WBS path, EV, AC, CV and CPI for every anomalous row.
What's the difference between the anomaly drill and Report Studio?
The anomaly drill is a fixed, always-available report that focuses on one question: where is AC beating EV? Report Studio (Pro+) lets you build custom dashboards from any combination of measures, dimensions and filters — including your own variance views.