Case Study - Transforming Labor Management for a Custom Homebuilder

Ranae Peterson • September 3, 2025

Introduction: Gaining Clarity to Drive Profitability

REEF Builders, a premier custom homebuilder based in Cape Cod, MA, has built a strong reputation for delivering beautiful, high-quality homes tailored to each client’s vision. But behind the scenes, they faced a recurring challenge common in custom construction: lack of visibility into time and labor performance across historical builds. Without a clear understanding of how labor hours were allocated, or which projects were draining resources, they found it difficult to accurately estimate costs and optimize operations for future jobs.

The impact was twofold. On one hand, budgeting for new projects was inconsistent and often reactive. On the other, excessive labor spending on past builds had gone unnoticed, eating into margins and weakening overall profitability. Leadership at REEF knew that continued success would require data-driven insights, not just assumptions. REEF partnered with Brewster Consulting Group to bring structure, transparency, and scalability to their labor management practices.

The Problem: Hidden Costs and Blurred Operational Insight

While REEF Builders had always maintained detailed project records, the data wasn’t being actively analyzed in a way that supported decision-making. Project managers lacked accessible benchmarks for labor hours, and there were no clear metrics to compare workforce efficiency across builds of different sizes or complexities. Over time, this ambiguity had led to inflated labor costs on select projects and a general lack of accountability around labor forecasting.

The absence of centralized analytics meant that labor inefficiencies often went unnoticed until profit margins were affected, and the company couldn’t easily determine which projects were underperforming from a labor perspective. It also made it difficult to have meaningful conversations with clients and subcontractors about labor expectations and billing.

In short, REEF needed to see what was really happening on the ground, and fast.

The Solution: Illuminating Labor Trends with Scalable Analytics

Brewster Consulting Group designed and implemented a structured, multi-week engagement focused on uncovering operational blind spots and building an analytics model that could grow with REEF’s business.

Deep-Dive Analysis of Historical Projects

We started by conducting a full audit of labor and time-tracking data from dozens of completed projects. This included aligning inputs such as total labor hours, square footage, project costs, construction type, and build timelines. Our team cleaned, organized, and standardized this data to ensure accuracy and comparability across different project scopes.

Scalable Metrics for Operational Benchmarking

With a normalized data set in place, we developed scalable analytics that allowed REEF to measure labor performance per square foot, per dollar spent, and per milestone. These metrics became the foundation for budgeting future projects with greater precision and identifying where labor resources were over- or under-allocated.

Strategic Labor Oversight

The analysis revealed several past projects where labor hours far exceeded what was typical for similarly sized builds—highlighting areas where profits had been compromised. These findings triggered new internal discussions about project planning, scheduling, and subcontractor accountability, and informed new protocols for cost management and client billing.

Executive-Facing Dashboards

We packaged the findings into custom dashboards and reporting tools tailored for use by both operations teams and company leadership. These visuals made it easy to see trends, identify anomalies, and track labor performance in real time—providing a new level of control and oversight.

Key Deliverables and Outcomes

Brewster Consulting’s engagement provided REEF with a comprehensive labor management toolkit that delivered immediate and long-term value:

Improved operational visibility: For the first time, leadership had detailed insight into how labor hours were actually being spent across different project types and sizes.

Customized analytics by project scale: Tailored metrics allowed the company to evaluate labor efficiency by square footage, total cost, and other variables that reflected real-world complexity.

Early warning indicators: The solution identified past projects where labor overages reduced profitability, prompting new oversight strategies for future work.

Data-backed planning: With accurate historical benchmarks, REEF could now create more accurate labor forecasts, allocate resources more effectively, and improve their overall project budgeting process.

Improved margin control: By understanding labor performance trends, the company could proactively manage costs and prevent future overages—leading to healthier margins and stronger project profitability.

Testimonial: A New Level of Operational Intelligence

“Brewster Consulting’s work on analyzing our workforce hours per project has given us unprecedented insight into what our real costs incurred are for projects. We’ve never had this level of insight into our operations, and I thank Brewster Consulting for their timely analysis and the value they’ve brought to our business operations.”

— Matt Teague, President at REEF Builders

Conclusion: Visibility is the Key to Profitability

For companies like REEF Builders, success lies not only in craftsmanship, but in controlling the unseen costs of custom construction. Brewster Consulting Group’s data-driven approach helped REEF take control of one of its largest cost centers, labor, by transforming historical records into actionable insights. With scalable analytics, tailored reporting, and a clearer picture of where labor dollars go, REEF is now equipped to plan, build, and grow with confidence.

What was once hidden beneath the surface is now a powerful asset in REEF’s strategic decision-making; ensuring each project starts and ends with clarity and control.

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Turning Data into Direction: Why Small Businesses Need Fractional Analytics

By Ranae Peterson • October 9, 2025

Many small businesses are laser-focused on growth, sales, and staying afloat. In that constant hustle, one of the most valuable assets, data , often gets overlooked. Even when businesses “look at the numbers,” that doesn’t always mean they’re collecting the right data, tracking the right KPIs, or translating those insights into actionable strategies. Fractional analytics bridges that gap. It allows small businesses to access experienced data analysts or analytics teams on a part-time or project basis, essentially bringing enterprise-level data expertise without the full-time cost. Think of it as analytics-as-a-service for small business owners who need clarity and insight but can’t justify a full analytics department. The Reality: Why Data Gets Overlooked While most business leaders know data is “important,” it can be hard to see its impact until it’s visualized through dashboards, real-time reporting, or guided by a professional who knows how to turn information into action. Without these tools and expertise, business decisions often rely on gut instinct instead of insight, leading to inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and in some cases, failure. Statistics show that: About 20% of small businesses don’t survive their first year. Nearly 50% fail within five years. Around 65% close within ten years. While the reasons vary, from financial mismanagement to poor planning, many of these challenges stem from a lack of data visibility or poor data management . In other words, the root cause often isn’t just financial; it’s analytical . Real World Analogy Imagine running a restaurant without ever checking what inventory levels, most frequent orders, or best margin products. You might think you’re doing well because the restaurant is busy, but when you do the books, you’re not actually making any money. Now, imagine having a fractional analytics consultant helping you organize and visualize your data. They don’t need to be in the kitchen every day, but when they are, they bring order to chaos, tracking inventory and margin by menu item, predicting staffing needs, and saving costs by cutting waste. That’s what fractional analytics does for your business data. It helps you understand what’s really happening across operations, finance, and customer service so you can make smarter, faster decisions. Common Operational Challenges Solved by Fractional Analytics Here are a few common pain points small businesses face that fractional analytics services can address: Inefficient reporting and manual data entry. Lack of clear KPIs or performance tracking. Inconsistent financial forecasting. Missed revenue opportunities due to incomplete data. Poor inventory or resource management. Lack of clarity around customer behavior and profitability. Benefits of Fractional Analytics for Small Businesses Engaging a fractional analytics provider offers far more than just numbers and dashboards. It’s about empowering smarter decisions without breaking the bank. Cost efficiency: Avoid the high salary and benefits of full-time analytics hire. Speed to impact: Gain immediate access to expertise, no lengthy onboarding or training required. Scalability: Bring in analytics support when you need it and scale it up as you grow. Better decision-making: Replace guesswork with data-driven insights and actionable KPIs. Time savings: Spend less time in spreadsheets and more time growing your business. Long-term cost reduction: Identify duplicate payments, missed invoices, and inefficiencies that quietly drain profit. Fractional analytics also enhances cash flow management and enables business leaders to spot opportunities for optimization, often resulting in measurable growth and sustainability. Why It’s a Make-or-Break Decision Choosing whether to work with a fractional analytics consultant could be the difference between surviving and thriving. Many business owners don’t realize that outsourced analytics is even an option, one that offers flexibility, affordability, and strategic insight without high overhead. The truth is, small business leaders don’t have to do it all alone, nor do they need to rush into hiring a full-time team. Fractional analytics gives them the best of both worlds: the expertise of a senior data strategist and the flexibility of a part-time engagement. Final Thoughts In today’s competitive market, data-driven decision making isn’t optional; it’s essential. Small businesses that embrace fractional analytics gain clarity, confidence, and control over their operations. By investing in the right insights today, they set up the foundation for sustainable growth tomorrow. If your business is ready to move from guessing to growing, now’s the time to explore what fractional analytics services can do for you.