Construction project plan template

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.

What is a construction project plan template?

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. 

What are the benefits of a digital construction project plan template?

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tool means you don’t have to mess around with Microsoft Excel templates or paper documents, which can quickly become out of date.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: 

• See all the steps required to complete a project in one central place. 

• Get real-time information about the status and deadline of each construction task. 

• Set and adjust deadlines to accurately estimate your construction timeline.

• List your tasks in a digital to-do list, or easily switch to a more visual format (like a Gantt chart timeline or Kanban board) without any extra work. 

• Assign and delegate tasks to other people on your team. 

• Communicate and coordinate with stakeholders and project team members in one central location. 

• Attach relevant files to tasks—like blueprints, specs, or pricing documents.

• Access and update your project plan at job sites using Asana’s mobile app.   

What to include in your construction project plan template

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: 

1. Initiation: Work with the client to identify their needs and show how your team will meet them. 

2. Pre-construction: Assemble your team and finalize planning details like your project budget, roadmap, and communication plan. 

3. Project execution: When you, your team, and any subcontractors actually build the project. 

4. Commissioning: Conduct a final walkthrough and present the finished building to your client. 

5. Occupancy and warranty: The client actually moves into the building. You may still be responsible for the project depending on your contract. 

6. Close-out: Hold a project post-mortem meeting and officially tie up any loose ends. 

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.

Integrated features

• Timeline View. Timeline View is a Gantt-style project view that displays all of your tasks in a horizontal bar chart. Not only can you see each task’s start and end date, but you can also see dependencies between tasks. With Timeline View, you can easily track how the pieces of your plan fit together. Plus, when you can see all of your work in one place, it’s easy to identify and address dependency conflicts before they start, so you can hit all of your goals on schedule.

• Dependencies. Mark a task as waiting on another task with task dependencies. Know when your work is blocking someone else’s work, so you can prioritize accordingly. Teams with collaborative workflows can easily see what tasks they’re waiting on from others, and know when to get started on their portion of work. When the first task is completed, the assignee will be notified that they can get started on their dependent task. Or, if the task your work is dependent on is rescheduled, Asana will notify you—letting you know if you need to adjust your dependent due date as well.

• Custom fields. Custom fields are the best way to tag, sort, and filter work. Create unique custom fields for any information you need to track—from priority and status to email or phone number. Use custom fields to sort and schedule your to-dos so you know what to work on first. Plus, share custom fields across tasks and projects to ensure consistency across your organization.

• Mobile. Asana is available on iOS and Android, making it easy for you to check your to-dos on the go. Review any new inbox notifications, send messages, and access project tasks so you’re always up to date on project information.  

Recommended apps

• Gmail. With the Asana for Gmail integration, you can create Asana tasks directly from your Gmail inbox. Any tasks you create from Gmail will automatically include the context from your email, so you never miss a beat. Need to refer to an Asana task while composing an email? Instead of opening Asana, use the Asana for Gmail add-on to simply search for that task directly from your Gmail inbox. 

• Outlook. As action items come in via email, like reviewing work from your agency or a request for design assets from a partner, you can now create tasks for them in Asana right from Outlook. You can then assign the new task to yourself or a teammate, set a due date, and add it to a project so it’s connected to other relevant work.

• Slack. Turn ideas, work requests, and action items from Slack into trackable tasks and comments in Asana. Go from quick questions and action items to tasks with assignees and due dates. Easily capture work so requests and to-dos don’t get lost in Slack.

• Google Workplace. Attach files directly to tasks in Asana with the Google Workplace file chooser, which is built into the Asana task pane. Easily attach any My Drive file with just a few clicks.

Other types of construction project management templates, plus how to create them

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: 

Construction schedule template

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. 

Construction budget template

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. 

Construction punch list template

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: 

• An item number, to help team members communicate about which punch list item they’re referring to. 

• The name of the item or task.

• A general description of the task.

• The task assignee.

• Start and end dates for the task, to identify when it should be completed.

• The task status.

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