The backbone of any builder’s construction process is a work scopes program. Why? Because work scopes gives the builder, a certain amount of control over quality and payments for the work. These are big factors when it comes to keeping construction costs within budget, reducing warranty costs and increasing customer satisfaction.
Work scopes are, well, a lot of work! But, for the reasons stated above, they are worth the effort. If you aren’t already using work scopes as all commercial builders do, you can purchase books with sample work scopes. That’s the way I started. Many work scope programs contain a lot of filler, boilerplate, specs and checklists that bear no resemblance to your reality.
I developed what I call; a SMARTER Work Scopes program for homebuilders. It is different from other programs because:
- Contractors and vendors take part in writing their work scope. This gives them ownership in the final document. The work scope not a stick to beat them into submission, but rather a step in partnership building where the relationship is symbiotic. Each party helps the other to stay on track with the same goal; making a profit.
- Builders have responsibilities too. This section includes details regarding customer selections, project specifications, material deliveries and more. It is designed to set the contractor’s/vendor’s onsite expectations.
- I have eliminated the filler and boilerplate that other programs use. A separate work scope has been created for, Contractors, Suppliers, and Supplier Installers. Each becomes part of a two part work scope system that integrates with your existing insurance/indemnification policy requiremnts.
- This program works. I have used it to develop accountable contractor/vendor partnerships, control construction costs and reduce callbacks and warranty costs.
My basic SMARTER Work Scopes program is a series of detailed MS WordTM templates with program overview and instructions. The templates include: 49 work scopes, covering 300 pages, including more than 50 forms/checklists and over 80 images.
Note: sample is in the form of a PDF flipbook. Actual templates are MS WordTM documents.