Days of Work in Backlog
It estimates how many days of work you already sold before needing the next contract win.
Formal definition
Days of work in backlog equals signed backlog contract value divided by average monthly revenue.
Why it matters
GCs with thin backlog lay off field staff or miss overhead recovery; bonding companies watch backlog coverage.
Where you see it
- Construction CRM pipelines
- Surety bond applications
- CFMA financial surveys
- Project executive dashboards
- Commercial GC board meetings
Worked example
- Backlog value:
- Average monthly revenue: $200,000.
- Days of backlog = (
- Interpretation: Roughly six months of work under contract at current pace.
How Business metrics calculates it
Backlog of sold work expressed in days as entered or computed.
The range we use for status labels
On Business metrics, the status band for this KPI is roughly 60 to 999. Higher values are generally healthier in this band. Your niche can sit outside it honestly — the label is a prompt to read the coaching, not a certificate.
Where people fool themselves
Backlog days using sold jobs you cannot staff is a vanity pipeline. Capacity-constrained backlog is a scheduling problem, not a win.
Run it on your own numbers: the Construction calculator.