Per-Piece Summary Report
Overview
The Per-Piece Summary Report is a comprehensive financial and operational analytics dashboard that provides executives, finance managers, and operations teams with detailed insight into per-piece billing performance across invoice groups, clients, and projects. This report aggregates monthly and quarterly data encompassing item volumes, spending by category, complexity-based breakdowns, alteration metrics, cycle times, and pending revenue - all essential metrics for managing creative production services profitability.
At its core, the report answers critical business questions: "How much creative work are we producing?", "What are we charging by artwork type and complexity?", "How efficiently is work moving through our production cycles?", and "How much revenue is pending but not yet billed?" By presenting this data in a unified view with drill-down capabilities, the report enables strategic decision-making about pricing, resource allocation, and client relationships.
The report supports three date selection modes - by year, custom date range, or single month - and provides cascading filters to narrow analysis by Invoice Group, Client, and Project. Users can toggle visibility of IFU (Instructions for Use/Insert) items, Project Management spend, and Fixed Costs to customize the view for different analysis needs.
Location: Navigate to Reports from the main navigation menu, then click Per-Piece Summary Report in the PROJECTS section.
URL: /Reports/PerPieceSummaryReport.aspx
Access Level: Administrator and Super Administrator roles only
Business Value
For Executive Leadership
The Per-Piece Summary Report provides strategic visibility for business planning and performance management:
- Portfolio Performance Monitoring - At-a-glance view of total items produced, total spend, and revenue by artwork category reveals overall business health and growth trends
- Quarterly Business Reviews - Monthly columns with quarterly aggregation support QBR presentations with concrete production and financial data
- Client Profitability Analysis - Filtering by Invoice Group and Client enables identification of high-value relationships and those requiring attention
- Pricing Strategy Validation - Complexity-level breakdowns (Extra Simple, Simple, Moderate, Complex) show whether pricing tiers align with actual volume distribution
- Capacity Planning Intelligence - Item counts by category inform staffing decisions and resource forecasting
For Financial Management
Finance teams leverage this report for:
- Revenue Recognition Support - Clear separation of billed versus pending amounts ensures accurate financial reporting
- Spend Analysis by Category - Detailed breakdown of Production Art, Brand Design, IFU, Cores, and Mock-Up spending supports budget analysis
- Alteration Cost Tracking - Average alteration spend metrics reveal whether revision costs are controlled or eroding margins
- Rush Fee Visibility - Separate tracking of Art Rush and IFU Rush charges shows premium revenue from expedited work
- Project Management Cost Allocation - Optional PM spend column shows management overhead by period
For Operations Management
Operations leaders benefit from:
- Production Volume Monitoring - Total items and breakdown by type show production throughput trends
- Cycle Time Analysis - Full Cycle and dZ Cycle metrics by category (Packaging, IFU, ELC) identify process efficiency opportunities
- Complexity Mix Analysis - Distribution across Extra Simple, Simple, Moderate, and Complex items informs resource planning
- Pending Work Visibility - The Pending column shows work completed but not yet invoiced, supporting workflow management
- Excluded Cycle Detection - Tracks projects missing full lifecycle data, highlighting data quality or process issues
Business Benefits
- Enables Data-Driven Pricing Decisions - By showing volume and spend across complexity levels, the report provides objective data for rate card reviews. If Moderate and Complex items dominate volume but Simple rates are most common, pricing adjustments may be warranted.
- Supports Client Negotiation Preparation - Before client contract renewals, account teams can generate detailed reports showing production volume trends, spending patterns, and cycle times - providing concrete data for pricing discussions.
- Identifies Operational Efficiency Opportunities - Cycle time metrics reveal where production processes slow down. High Full Cycle times with normal dZ Cycle times suggest client-side delays; the opposite indicates internal process issues.
- Validates Per-Piece Pricing Model - By comparing Total Spend against item counts and complexity distribution, management can confirm whether per-piece rates adequately cover production costs.
- Forecasts Revenue Pipeline - The Pending column quantifies work completed but not yet billed, enabling accurate revenue forecasting and cash flow planning.
- Tracks Alteration Patterns - Average alteration spend metrics reveal whether revision costs are increasing over time, signaling potential scope issues or client relationship concerns.
- Supports Quarterly Business Reviews - The report's quarterly aggregation feature creates ready-to-present data for executive reviews, showing both monthly granularity and quarterly totals.
- Enables Multi-Level Analysis - Cascading filters allow analysis at Invoice Group, Client, or Project levels, supporting both portfolio-wide views and targeted investigations.
Usage Scenarios
Scenario 1: Annual Performance Review
Role: CFO / Finance Director
At fiscal year-end, the finance director generates the Per-Piece Summary Report for the full year. They review Total Items and Total Spend trends across months, noting seasonal patterns and growth trajectories. The quarterly totals provide year-over-year comparison data points. They export the report to Excel for inclusion in the annual business review presentation.
Scenario 2: Client Contract Renewal Preparation
Role: Account Director
Before entering contract negotiations with a key client, the account director filters the report to that client's Invoice Group for the past 12 months. They analyze production volumes by complexity tier, identifying whether the client's work mix has shifted toward more complex items. Cycle time data reveals whether the client's approval process has slowed. Armed with this data, they prepare a renewal proposal with adjusted rates reflecting actual complexity distribution.
Scenario 3: Monthly Operations Review
Role: Production Manager
Each month, the production manager runs the report in Month mode for the completed month. They review item counts by category to understand workload distribution and compare against team capacity. Cycle time metrics help identify projects with unusually long processing times. The Pending column shows work awaiting billing approval, enabling follow-up with project managers.
Scenario 4: Pricing Tier Analysis
Role: VP of Operations
The VP needs to evaluate whether the current four-tier complexity pricing (Extra Simple, Simple, Moderate, Complex) matches actual production patterns. They run the report for the past year across all Invoice Groups, examining the distribution of items and spend across complexity levels. If 70% of items are Moderate but only 40% of spend comes from Moderate rates, pricing adjustments may be needed.
Scenario 5: IFU Business Segment Analysis
Role: Managing Director
The company's IFU (Instructions for Use) business has grown significantly. The managing director toggles on the IFU checkbox and runs the report for the past two years. Monthly IFU item counts and spend reveal growth trajectory. IFU cycle times compared to Packaging cycle times show whether the IFU workflow differs in efficiency.
Scenario 6: Rush Revenue Tracking
Role: Business Analyst
The analyst wants to understand rush fee revenue contribution. They generate the report for a full year and examine Art Rush and IFU Rush spend rows. Comparing rush spend to total spend reveals the percentage of revenue from expedited work. Months with high rush spend may correlate with tight client deadlines or capacity constraints.
Scenario 7: Project-Level Deep Dive
Role: Project Manager
A project manager notices that a specific project has unusually high alteration costs. They filter the report to that single project and review the Production Art Alterations row. By clicking the spend amount, they open a dialog showing all contributing projects with their individual alteration dollar amounts, enabling identification of specific issues.
Industry Context
Per-Piece Pricing in Creative Production
Per-piece (or per-unit) pricing is a standard billing model in packaging design, labeling, and creative production services:
How Per-Piece Billing Works
- Clients pay a predetermined rate per artwork item produced
- Rates vary by complexity tier (Extra Simple, Simple, Moderate, Complex)
- Rates may also vary by packaging level (Primary, Secondary, Insert/IFU)
- This model provides clients with predictable costs and simplifies budgeting
The Management Challenge
Per-piece pricing requires careful monitoring because:
- Volume fluctuations directly impact revenue
- Complexity mix shifts can change effective rates
- Alteration costs may not be fully captured in per-piece rates
- Cycle time efficiency affects profitability
The Per-Piece Summary Report addresses these challenges by providing comprehensive visibility into all aspects of per-piece production and billing.
Artwork Categories in Packaging Design
Creative production agencies typically handle multiple artwork types:
Production Art
Technical packaging artwork (labels, cartons, boxes) categorized by complexity:
- Extra Simple: Basic text or single-element updates
- Simple: Standard label modifications
- Moderate: Multi-element designs with moderate complexity
- Complex: Full label redesigns or highly technical artwork
Brand Design - Creative and strategic design work including brand development, visual identity, and creative concepts
IFU/Insert - Instructions for Use documents and package inserts, particularly important in pharmaceutical and medical device packaging where regulatory compliance requires precise documentation
Cores - Core reference artworks that serve as templates for variations
Mock-Ups - Physical or digital prototypes for presentation and approval purposes
ELC/Loftware Items - Electronic labeling or specialized labeling system outputs
Cycle Time Metrics in Creative Workflows
The report tracks two cycle time measurements:
Full Cycle - Total time from project initiation to completion (Status 1 to Status 5), measuring end-to-end duration including client review and approval time
dZ Cycle - Internal processing time (Status 2 to Status 3.5), measuring the agency's execution efficiency without client wait time
Comparing these metrics reveals whether delays originate from client-side or internal processes.
Why Comprehensive Reporting Matters
Creative agencies face unique operational challenges:
- High-volume, item-based work requires efficient tracking
- Client-specific pricing arrangements complicate analysis
- Multiple work categories need unified visibility
- Cycle time efficiency directly impacts profitability
Without comprehensive reporting, agencies risk:
- Underpricing complex work due to volume distortions
- Missing alteration cost trends until margins erode
- Failing to identify process bottlenecks
- Inaccurate revenue forecasting
The Per-Piece Summary Report provides the visibility needed to manage these challenges proactively.
Business Logic Details
Data Aggregation and Filtering
The report aggregates billed time records and artwork data across several dimensions:
Invoice Date Filtering
- All data is filtered by Invoice Date (YYYYMM format)
- Users select Year, Range (start month to end month), or single Month
- Only billed records within the date range are included
- Pending (not yet billed) items are calculated separately for comparison
Cascading Filter Logic
The report supports hierarchical filtering:
- Invoice Groups - Selected first, limits Client and Project options
- Clients - Within selected Invoice Groups, further limits Projects
- Projects - Most granular filter level
Each filter level dynamically updates available options based on which combinations have data in the selected date range.
Item Count Calculations
Item counts are calculated differently by category:
Production Art Items = Extra Simple + Simple + Moderate + Complex items (based on time records linked to artworks with valid complexity assignments)
IFU Items = Items with Insert packaging level across all complexity tiers
Alterations = Artwork items with Alteration time type (modifications to existing work)
Total Items = Brand Design + ELC + Production Art + IFU + Cores + Irregular Items (WeirdoItems flag for edge cases)
Spend Calculations
Spend amounts are derived from billed time records:
Total Spend - Sum of all billed dollars for the period (excluding barcode-related charges)
Category Spend - Aggregated dollars by activity type and artwork attributes
Rush Charges - Separately tracked for Art Rush and IFU Rush finalization fees
Average Alteration Spend = Total Alteration Spend / Number of Alterations
Cycle Time Calculations
Cycle times are calculated from project status timestamps:
Full Cycle Days = Days between Status 1 (initiated) and Status 5 (complete)
- Only includes projects reaching completion within the reporting period
- Filtered to projects with cycle time under 90 days (3 months) to exclude outliers
dZ Cycle Days = Days between Status 2 (work started) and Status 3.5 (delivered)
- Measures internal agency processing time
Both metrics are calculated separately for:
- Overall (all project types)
- Packaging projects
- IFU projects
- ELC projects
Averages are computed by dividing total days by project counts per category.
Pending (Not Billed) Calculations
The Pending column shows work completed but not yet invoiced:
- Includes time records where Billed flag is false
- Filtered to same Invoice Group/Client/Project selections
- Provides revenue forecasting visibility
Key Features
Date Selection Controls
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Year Mode | Select a single calendar year for full-year analysis |
| Range Mode | Select start month/year and end month/year for custom periods |
| Month Mode | Select a single month for detailed monthly review |
| Year Dropdown | Years available from 2018 to current year |
| Month Dropdowns | All 12 months available for range and single-month selection |
Filter Controls
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Invoice Groups | Multi-select list of Invoice Groups with data in selected period |
| Clients | Multi-select list of Clients within selected Invoice Groups |
| Projects | Multi-select list of Projects within selected Clients |
| IFU Checkbox | Toggle visibility of IFU-related rows |
| PM Checkbox | Toggle visibility of Project Management Spend row |
| FC Checkbox | Toggle visibility of Fixed Costs Spend row |
| Free Alts Checkbox | Include/exclude free alterations from counts |
Report Preview Metrics
The interactive preview displays a comprehensive data grid with the following rows:
Summary Metrics
| Row | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Items | Sum of all artwork items across categories |
| Total Spend | Total billed dollars for the period |
Brand Design Section
| Row | Description |
|---|---|
| Brand Design Items | Count of brand design/creative items |
| Brand Design Alterations | Currently shows 0 (placeholder for future use) |
| Brand Design Spend | Dollar spend on brand design work |
Production Art Section
| Row | Description |
|---|---|
| Production Art Items | Total production art items (sum of complexity tiers) |
| Extra Simple | Extra Simple complexity items |
| Simple | Simple complexity items |
| Moderate | Moderate complexity items |
| Complex | Complex complexity items |
| Art Rush | Rush charges for expedited production art |
| Production Art Alterations | Count of production art alterations |
| Avg PA Alteration Spend | Average dollars per alteration |
Cycle Time Metrics
| Row | Description |
|---|---|
| Full Cycle (days) | Average end-to-end days (Status 1 to 5) |
| Full Cycle Packaging | Full cycle for packaging projects |
| Full Cycle IFU | Full cycle for IFU projects |
| Full Cycle ELC | Full cycle for ELC projects |
| dZ Cycle (days) | Average internal processing days (Status 2 to 3.5) |
| dZ Cycle Packaging | Internal cycle for packaging projects |
| dZ Cycle IFU | Internal cycle for IFU projects |
| dZ Cycle ELC | Internal cycle for ELC projects |
| No Full Cycle Projects | Projects excluded from cycle calculations |
Grid Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Month Columns | One column per month in the selected period |
| Quarter Columns | Q1-Q4 summary columns (visible in year or range mode) |
| Total Column | Sum across all months |
| Pending Column | Work not yet billed |
Interactive Features
- Clickable Month Headers - Opens dialog showing projects contributing to cycle times for that month
- Clickable Item Counts - Opens dialog showing projects and artwork details for that month
- Clickable Spend Amounts - Opens dialog showing contributing projects with their individual dollar amounts
- Get Report Link - Downloads Excel spreadsheet with full report data
- Preview Button - Refreshes the on-screen data grid with current filter selections
Summary
The Per-Piece Summary Report is a comprehensive analytics dashboard that provides complete visibility into per-piece creative production operations. By aggregating monthly and quarterly data across item volumes, spending, complexity tiers, alterations, and cycle times, the report enables executives, finance managers, and operations teams to make data-driven decisions about pricing, resource allocation, and client relationships.
Key Capabilities:
- Multi-Dimensional Analysis - Filter by date range, Invoice Group, Client, and Project for targeted or portfolio-wide views
- Volume and Spend Tracking - Item counts and dollar amounts across Production Art, Brand Design, IFU, Cores, and Mock-Ups
- Complexity-Level Breakdown - Distribution across Extra Simple, Simple, Moderate, and Complex tiers
- Alteration Monitoring - Counts and average spend for both Production Art and IFU alterations
- Rush Revenue Visibility - Separate tracking of Art Rush and IFU Rush charges
- Cycle Time Analysis - Full Cycle and dZ Cycle metrics by project type
- Pending Revenue Forecasting - Visibility into work completed but not yet billed
- Quarterly Aggregation - Automatic quarterly rollups for QBR support
- Excel Export - Full data export for external analysis and presentations
- Interactive Drill-Down - Click-through to project-level details for any metric
Business Impact:
- Validates per-piece pricing strategy with actual volume and complexity data
- Supports client contract negotiations with objective production metrics
- Identifies operational efficiency opportunities through cycle time analysis
- Enables accurate revenue forecasting with pending work visibility
- Tracks alteration cost trends that may signal scope or relationship issues
- Provides ready-to-present data for quarterly business reviews
- Supports portfolio management with multi-level filtering capabilities
The Per-Piece Summary Report serves as an essential tool for any creative services organization using per-piece pricing models. By transforming complex production and billing data into a unified analytical view, it enables management to understand performance trends, identify improvement opportunities, and make informed decisions that optimize profitability and operational efficiency.