The Essential Guide to Understanding Construction Task Management

At the end of a construction project, a client remembers two things: the end result and how you made them feel throughout the process. You can build a beautiful custom home or remodel an old kitchen to magazine-worthy heights, but if a client feels that your project management style put them through the wringer — they may never want to work with you again. The solution? A solid construction task management plan.

Construction task management for homebuilders and contractor

Construction task management for homebuilders and contractors is about dealing with the devilish details of building a custom home or completing a remodeling project. Yes, every project is similar — but not exactly the same. For example, the flooring, cabinets, and fixtures your client selects are unique to each home. Making sure your client makes key decisions in time is another set of tasks that you’ll need to track. In a larger project, you must also keep track of the person responsible for completing a particular task. Every project manager has dealt with the stress of handling the myriad of details required to make a construction project successful.

Why Construction Task Management Matters

Construction task management ensures that you will deliver an end result that makes your client happy. A huge side benefit is that the work you put into managing project details reduces stress — for you and your client. Construction task management is a key component of time management. As a business owner you know one maxim is always true: time is money.

How to Implement Construction Task Management

There are several ways to manage tasks. Paper and pen, a spreadsheet, or task management software. Even if you’re a one-person show, pen and paper has way too many pitfalls. Comprehensive construction project task management is too complex for a paper checklist. A spreadsheet is definitely an improvement. However, most people typically set up their spreadsheet as an electronic list of tasks. Helpful, but not the best solution for construction task management. The amount of information needed to properly track each task may become too unwieldy to handle with a spreadsheet.*

However, if you just love using spreadsheets, we have a Construction Punch List Template for Google Sheets that you can download for free, and a video below with even more helpful tips.

Construction Task Management Information

For each phase of a construction project, there are several tasks. What information is needed to properly manage each task? There is, of course, the task itself. What date does the task begin? When must it be completed? Who will handle the task? How critical of a task is it? In other words, what tasks are dependent upon its completion? There may be several steps involved in order to complete the task. This is why construction management software for custom home builders or remodelers is so useful.

Construction Management Software for Task Managers

Here’s how construction management software is helpful in construction task management. You can:

• Group tasks by construction project phase.
• Define your team and assign tasks to them.
• Visually see each task and its timeline.
• Track each task’s owner.
• Link tasks together.
• Set reminders for each task.
• Associate notes, documents, and photos with each task.

Construction Management Software for Custom Home Builders

Let’s talk about how construction task management works within a residential construction management software program for home builders. As we lay out the process, think about how you have handled project management in general and construction task management in particular in the past. Would construction management software have been helpful to you?

Scenario: Client requests change in cabinet configuration.

Without task management software: The client calls or emails you about the change. You update your spreadsheet and send an email with the cost of the change and new timeline. You wait for a call or email from the client approving the change.

Risks: The client does not approve the change in a timely manner. Or you forget to communicate the change to the general contractor.

With task management software: The client uses their project dashboard to request the change. Everyone on the project is notified of the request. Your conversation about the change is communicated and captured in one place. The approval task is assigned to the client. The task to follow up with the client is assigned to a project team member. The approval, along with the revised budget and timeline, are communicated to the client and the project team.

Construction Management Software for Custom Home Builders

Now let’s discuss how construction task management works in construction management software for remodelers. Think back to a time when you dealt with a similar situation and how you handled it. Would construction management software have resulted in a better outcome?

Scenario: Client requests an upgraded appliance package.

Without task management software: The client calls or emails you about the change. You update your spreadsheet and send an email with the cost of the upgraded appliance package to the client. You advise that it will delay the project by a week in order to get the requested appliances. You wait for a call or email from the client approving the change.

Risks: The client does not approve the change in a timely manner. Or the designer does not think that the selected appliances will work with the agreed upon color scheme.

With task management software: The client uses their project dashboard to request the upgraded appliance package. The designer can review pictures of the requested appliances that the client uploaded through their project dashboard. Their conversations about the change are communicated and captured in one place. The approval task is assigned to the client. The task to follow up with the client is assigned to a project team member. The approval, along with the revised budget and timeline, are communicated to the client and the project team.

The Best Construction Management Software

The best construction management software for task management has the following attributes:

The right size. You’re not building the Taj Mahal. You need a construction task management software program that’s the right size for your project. Bigger than a spreadsheet, but small enough for you to manage.

Easy to use. You want robust features in your construction task management software that won’t take a degree in software engineering to use.

Free to try. You want to give the task management software a trial run before you commit to spending your hard-earned dollars on it.

Low cost. You don’t want to spend the proverbial arm and a leg to use the task management software program.

High ROI. The best construction management software should result in cost savings. Let’s go crazy and say that it should also result in more business.

Great customer service. You want to know that help is there when you need it. Fast and knowledgeable help from real humans who know who you are — not just some random support person that knows nothing about your business.

Why BuildBook is the Best

Here’s why BuildBook is the best residential construction management software for custom home builders and contractors: it was created by business owners just like you. We know your business because we’ve actually run construction projects. Lots of ’em. We created BuildBook because the day we lost $7K was the last straw. We knew we needed help with construction task management. We needed a way to successfully manage all those devilish details. BuildBook is the result. Turns out our clients — custom home builders and contractors just like you — are successfully using it too. You can check it out for free today.

Originally published at https://buildbook.co on August 18, 2021.