Projects

The project record gives every deficiency a place to belong. A Project Manager identifies the site, the owning organization, the project contact and the person responsible for the project. Work packages then carry the actual scope. This distinction matters when one site has several trades or closeout areas: the project remains the common reference while each package has its own manager, dates and contract value.

A project can start as Prospect and become Active when work begins. The Project Manager should agree what a project code identifies before importing or creating records. A name alone is a weak matching key when several sites share a customer or location label.

• Project ownership. The project owner is a named team member; the owning organization groups the work under the business unit.
• Scoped packages. Each work package belongs to a project, so the site team can keep trade scope and delivery measures separate.
• Operating status. The active project list keeps current work visible, while prospects can be reviewed before site work starts.

Decide whether one project means one physical site, one contract, or one phase at a site. Pick a convention for the project code and record the primary contact in the same way across the portfolio. Agree who can move a project from Prospect to Active and who can close it after all package and payment follow-up is complete. The project owner should be a current team member, and the owning organization should be selected before packages are created.

For a renovation with two trade packages, create one project and give each package its own subject and manager. This keeps the reported deficiencies under the right site while allowing the project manager to see the work for each trade separately. A third package can be added later without recoding the original project.

Open an active site and follow one work package to a punch item. Check that the site contact, project owner and organization are clear to the superintendent. Then open the package and confirm that the manager can tell which crew member owns the item and which task carries the closeout date. If that route is confusing, correct the project or package assignment before asking the inspector to review sign-off.

A prospect is a useful second check. It should appear in the prospect list with its intended owner, but the team should not mistake it for current site work. When it becomes Active, the relevant packages should be reviewed for dates and scope.

• Active Projects — Current sites with the responsible owner and organization beside the project name.
• Project Prospects — Sites being assessed before work packages are opened for delivery.

Start with site issue to sign-off, then review package delivery and the data model.