Definition
A closeout snapshot is the immutable record of a job at the moment it closes. It captures quoted vs actual costs by category (material, labour, finishing), time per production stage, blockers logged and resolved, and final margin variance. The snapshot is what closes the operating loop and feeds the next quote.
Example
Worked exampleJob J-1812 quoted at 38.4% margin. Closeout snapshot shows actual margin of 36.8% — a 1.6 pt variance, driven by R 1,400 oak overrun (2.1 lin.m more than quoted). Insight feeds: oak wastage increased from 18% to 18.4% in the next quote template.
Why it matters
Most shops never run a closeout review. Variance accumulates silently. Margin drifts. The shops that run weekly closeout reviews see variance trend down to under 3%. Without it, every job is a fresh chance to repeat the same pricing mistake.