Cost Trendline

At Ediphi, we understand that estimators and owners need more than just point-in-time cost snapshots, they need to see how costs have evolved throughout the entire project life cycle. Every time a primary estimate is submitted in Ediphi, a new version is created as an immutable, point-in-time record. Over time, these submissions accumulate across Milestones and tell the full cost story of a project.

Our Cost Trendline brings that story to life. It gives estimators and owners a single, interactive view of how project costs have tracked over time, how they compare against target values, and where the project stands today. This is especially important as projects move through multiple design phases, each with shifting scopes, revised estimates, and evolving expectations.

The Cost Trendline is part of the Project Overview section and brings together three key data layers:

• Estimate Submission History: every submitted estimate plotted as a data point on the trendline
• Project Value: the live primary estimate for the current milestone, shown in real time (aka where your project is at today)
• Target Values: the budgeted cost set for each milestone, visualized as teal bars

With the foundational work in place (Milestones, Estimate Submissions, and Target Values) we are now able to bring it all together and tell the complete cost story of a project life cycle.

In this article

• The Cost Trendline Graph
• Target Values
• Schedule of Values (SOV) Section
• Permissions
• FAQs

The Cost Trendline Graph

The Cost Trendline graph is an interactive chart that lives at the top of your Project Overview page. It displays your project's estimate submission history alongside your current Project Value and milestone Target Values, so you can quickly see how costs are trending at a glance.

Graph Axes

The X-axis displays your project Milestones, ordered chronologically by milestone start date. Milestones are visually grouped by Design Stage (e.g., Schematic Design, Design Development), so you can see which phase each milestone belongs to.

The Y-axis displays cost values. You can toggle between two views:

• $ Total: the grand total of the estimate
• $ GSF: cost per gross square foot

Data Points and the Trendline

The blue line connects data points to show how costs have evolved over time. There are two types of data points:

• Submitted Estimates (solid blue dots): each submitted estimate is shown as a solid blue dot. These represent immutable, point-in-time Versions of exactly what that estimate was at the time you submitted it to the owner and form the backbone of the trendline.
• Project Value (hollow blue dot): the live Primary estimate for the current Milestone, displayed as a hollow dot with a blue outline. This is not a submission; it reflects the estimate exactly as it stands today and updates in real time as changes are made to the estimate.

Target Values (teal bars) are displayed as vertical bars behind the data points, representing the budgeted cost set for each milestone. This allows you to immediately see whether submitted estimates are tracking above or below the planned budget at any point in the project.

Graph Controls and Settings

Use the controls at the top right of the graph to customize your view:

• $ Total / $ GSF toggle: switch between displaying total cost or cost per gross square foot on the Y-axis.
• Settings Menu (≡ icon) — opens a dropdown with additional display and filtering options.

Inside the Settings Menu, you can:

• Show/Hide elements: toggle the visibility of Design Stage labels, Target Values, and/or the Project Estimate (live dot) on the graph.
• All Submissions vs. Last Submitted: choose whether to display every submitted estimate per milestone (all data points), or only the most recent submission per milestone for a simplified view. This setting controls both the number of dots shown and how the trendline is drawn.
• Milestone Range: display All Milestones, or select a Custom date range using two dropdowns.

Manage Submissions

Users Write permissions to Estimates will see an additional Manage Submissions option in the Settings Menu. Selecting it opens a modal that allows you to show or hide specific submissions from the Cost Trendline.

Some important things to know about Submissions:

• The Manage Submissions setting applies to the entire project, not just your personal view.
• Hiding a submission removes it from the graph view but does not delete it; submissions cannot be deleted.
• All other graph toggles and display settings are user-specific.
• Only Primary estimates can be submitted. This ensures the trendline reflects a single, consistent baseline over time rather than multiple parallel estimate tracks.
• Anyone with Write access or above can submit an estimate; you do not need to be a Project Owner.
• All trendline values are Grand Total values that include all markups, above and below the line, as seen from the owner's perspective.
• Submitted estimates are immutable; changes made to the source estimate after submission do not affect historical data points on the trendline. Only the live Project Value dot adjusts in real time.

Target Values

A Target Value represents the budgeted cost for a given Milestone. Setting Target Values is what allows you to track cost performance over time, making it immediately visible whether your estimates are tracking above or below budget.

Setting a Target Value

Target Values are set on the milestone itself. When creating or editing a milestone, you can assign a Target Value using one of three source types:

Once saved, the Target Value immediately populates as a teal bar in the Cost Trendline, even before any estimate Submissions exist for that Milestone.

How Target Values Behave

• A Target Value can be set or updated at any time. If you update a Milestone's Target Value (e.g., from $100M to $120M), the graph will always reflect the most recent value.
  • For lump sum values, you can edit the amount directly.
  • For estimate-based values, the amount is driven by the selected Estimate and Version. To update it, you’ll need to change the Estimate/Version it references rather than editing the value directly.
• Estimate-based Target Values are the most powerful option; they support WBS-level breakout in the SOV section (by UniFormat, MasterFormat, Bid Package, etc.).
• Lump Sum Target Values provide a top-level dollar comparison only and do not support detailed WBS breakout in the SOV chart.
• When creating a new Milestone, the Target Value field will be pre-populated based on the most recent milestone in the project (by start date). You can always modify or clear this before saving.

Schedule of Values (SOV) Section

Below the Cost Trendline graph, you will find the Schedule of Values (SOV) section. This section provides a detailed cost breakdown for whichever estimate or cost model (coming soon) is currently selected in the graph.

Default View

When you first load the Project Overview, the SOV section automatically displays data for the Primary estimate in the current Milestone; the same estimate that drives the Project Value (live dot) in the trendline.

Selecting a Specific Submission

Click any dot on the Cost Trendline to load that submission's data into the SOV section below. This allows you to explore the detailed cost breakdown for any historical submission across any Milestone.

Overview Cards

At the top of the SOV section, three summary cards are displayed for the selected estimate:

• Target Value: the Target Value set for the Milestone where the selected estimate lives.
• Grand Total: the total cost of the selected estimate, with an indicator showing whether it is over or under the Target Value.
• Cost / GSF: the cost per gross square foot for the selected estimate, also compared against the Target Value.

SOV Chart (Bar Graph)

The SOV Chart visualizes costs broken down by your selected WBS grouping. Here is how it works:

• X-axis: WBS categories (e.g., Bid Package, MasterFormat, UniFormat), ordered by their default sequence. Project and Company-level sort fields enabled will work as Grouping options.
• Y-axis: cost values. Toggle between $ Total and $ GSF using the control at the top right of the chart.
• Blue bars: actual estimate values for each WBS category.
• Teal bars: the Target Value for each WBS category. These only appear when an Estimate-based Target Value has been set for the milestone.

Use the WBS dropdown to switch between different breakdown views (Bid Package, MasterFormat, UniFormat, etc.).

SOV Table

Below the SOV Chart, a detailed table displays all line items grouped by the selected WBS field. The table includes:

• A Total column showing the combined value across all Use Groups.
• A Delta column showing the difference between the Total and the Target Value.
• Individual columns for each Use Group in the selected estimate.
• A Markups Total row summarizing all below the line markups included in the estimate (above-the-line markups are automatically added to the WBS displayed in the SOV).
• A Grand Total row at the bottom reflecting the total cost including all markups.

Permissions

Permissions for Cost Trendline are tied to each user's role and estimate access level on the project. Here is a breakdown of what each role can do:

FAQs

Why is my Cost Trendline empty?

The Cost Trendline requires at least one Milestone and one submitted estimate assigned to that Milestone. If you have not yet created Milestones or submitted any estimates, you will see an empty state prompting you to get started. Without Milestones, users will see a prompt to create an estimate and assign it to a Milestone.

What is the difference between the solid blue dot and the hollow blue dot?

Solid blue dots represent submitted estimates; historical, immutable point-in-time snapshots. These live inside of your Version History for that estimate. The hollow blue dot (with a blue outline) represents the Project Value (aka your current, most up to date working estimate), which is the live primary estimate for the current Milestone. It updates in real time as the estimate changes and is not a submission.

How many times can I submit an estimate per milestone?

There is no limit. You can submit an estimate as many times as needed within a Milestone; each submission creates a new data point on the Cost Trendline. Use the All Submissions vs. Last Submitted toggle to control how many data points are displayed at once.

Can I delete a submitted estimate?

No. Submissions are permanent records and cannot be deleted. However, a Project Owner can hide specific submissions from the graph view using the Manage Submissions option in the Settings Menu. Hiding a submission removes it from the visual display without deleting the underlying data.

Why can only Primary estimates be submitted?

Restricting submissions to primary estimates ensures the Cost Trendline reflects a single, consistent baseline over time rather than multiple parallel estimate tracks. This keeps the trendline readable and meaningful as a cost story.

Does editing my estimate after submission change the trendline?

No. Once an estimate is submitted, that Version is locked as an immutable snapshot. Any edits made to the source estimate afterward are only reflected in the live Project Value dot; not in any previously submitted data points on the trendline.

What happens if I update a milestone's Target Value after submissions already exist?

The Cost Trendline will immediately reflect the updated Target Value. The graph always shows the most recent Target Value; it does not retain a history of previous target values.

Why does my new Milestone's Target Value look pre-filled?

When creating a new milestone, Ediphi pre-populates the Target Value field based on the most recent milestone in the project (by start date). This is a convenience feature to save time. You can always modify or clear the pre-filled value before saving.

Can I see the Cost Trendline if I only have read-only access to the project?

Yes. Read-only users can view the Cost Trendline and interact with graph toggles and display settings. The only action they cannot take is Manage Submissions, which is reserved for Project Owners and Global Admins.

What does it mean when a user has no estimate permissions?

Users without estimate read permissions will see the Project Overview page but will not have access to the Cost Trendline or any cost data. They are limited to general project-level information only.

I set my Target Value as an estimate but it has me selecting a previous or a new Version, why?

When using an estimate-based Target Value, you’re asked to select a Version because Target Values are tied to a specific snapshot of the estimate. This ensures the Target Value remains stable over time. If the underlying estimate is later updated, the Target Value will not change unless you explicitly select a different Version.

When you create a Target Value, the platform either creates a new Version or uses an existing one (if selected), and that Version will appear in the estimate’s version history.

Do I have to use Target Values?

No. Target Values are optional for each milestone. However, setting a Target Value can be helpful for comparing against actual costs and understanding how your project is trending over time.

I set a Lump Sum Target Value but I'm not seeing WBS breakout in the SOV chart. Why?

WBS breakout in the SOV chart only appears when an estimate-based Target Value has been set for the Milestone where the selected estimate lives. Lump Sum Target Values only provide a top-level dollar comparison and do not support WBS-level breakout. Additionally, only WBS types that have been enabled for your project will appear in the SOV chart dropdown.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!