When you’re building something (literally) from the ground up, there are a lot of moving pieces to consider. Learn how to create a construction project plan template in Asana to keep all your projects organized and on track.
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Construction projects are some of the most complex and demanding initiatives out there. There are many different components to piece together—like sourcing materials, creating a schedule, and actually building and executing your project. But just because construction is complicated doesn’t mean it has to feel chaotic. With a construction project plan template, you can streamline your construction process and keep every deliverable on track.
A construction project plan template is a reusable guide that outlines each step in your construction process. It gives your team a clear roadmap to follow, so you don’t have to start the planning process from scratch for each new build. And since everything is laid out in your template, you can easily plan your project timeline and ensure your team doesn’t miss any critical steps in the construction process.
Project management software isn’t just for desk jobs—it’s for any team that needs to plan and coordinate work. And with something as complex as construction, it helps to have a flexible tool that lets you adapt when timelines, resources, or priorities change. Creating your template in a digital tool means you don’t have to mess around with Microsoft Excel templates or paper documents, which can quickly become out of date. Instead, a digital template lets you move and assign tasks on-the-go and collaborate with team members in real-time.
With a digital construction project plan template, you can:
A construction project plan template lays out your project deliverables in one place, so you can see the deadline, assignee, and status of each task. With this type of template, it’s helpful to create different sections for each phase of the construction project management process, then add all the tasks you need to complete for each phase. In general, the six phases of construction projects are:
Once you’ve created your sections, add columns to track the status of each deliverable—like whether it’s “not started,” “in progress,” or “completed.” You can also create milestones to identify key turning points in the construction process—like completing a building’s foundation or exterior.
Like any project, construction initiatives have different components to organize—like your project budget, project schedule, or project deliverables. Here are some other templates you can create to keep each of these key pieces organized:
A construction schedule template is basically the same thing as your project plan—a list of your deliverables and when they’re due. You can include your schedule in your project plan, but a separate construction schedule template can be useful if you need to be super granular about when tasks should start and end. For example, your schedule might specify that a plumber needs to install bathroom fixtures between 9am-12pm, before an electrician can install wiring in the afternoon.
When creating your project schedule template, add times and date ranges to each task to specify exactly when they should be completed. To keep things on track, you can also flag dependencies—tasks that can’t be started until the previous one is completed.
A construction budget template (also called a budget estimate template) helps you plan and track how much you’re spending over the course of a project. Keeping your budget organized helps you accurately estimate costs for clients, prevent overspending, and improve your resource management.
To create a construction budget template, break down all your project deliverables into sub-dependencies, then estimate the cost of each. For example, if one deliverable is to repaint the interiors of a house, sub-dependencies could include buying paint, laying groundcloths, and taping moldings. If you’re a visual person, try creating a work breakdown structure (WBS)—a diagram that breaks down work into multiple levels, starting with your main objective at the top and branching out into deliverables and sub-dependencies below.
To keep things organized, add columns to track the cost of each budget item, when it’s due, and whether it’s been approved by your client.
A construction punch list template lists all the tasks that need to be completed before your construction project is finished. Essentially, it’s a checklist your team can use during their final walkthrough, to ensure your finished project meets requirements. To create a construction punch list template, create columns for:
If you regularly plan and manage construction projects, a construction project plan template can help. It provides a reusable structure and project management plan, so you don’t have to start your planning process from scratch each time. As a result, you can focus on more important project details and ensure you aren’t missing any critical steps in the construction process.
Every team is different, and the type of template you use depends on what works best for your specific needs. That said, creating a construction project plan template is often the best approach—since it can also serve as your construction schedule.
If managing one construction project is hard, keeping track of multiple initiatives at once can be downright frustrating. But with the right setup, you can keep all your projects organized—even if you’re working on them at the same time. All you have to do is copy your construction project plan template for each new initiative. Then, store those project plans in an Asana Portfolio. Portfolios give you a high-level overview of how all your projects are progressing, so you always have a bird’s-eye view of what’s going on.