Free Construction Project Management Template
A building project from the general contractor's side, start to handover: estimate, permits and buyout in preconstruction, then site work and foundations, the frame, the envelope, MEP rough-in and interiors, and closeout to the certificate of occupancy. About 36 weeks for a small commercial building, with the inspections and the dry-in date where they really fall.
Only planning the end of the job, from substantial completion to final payment? Use the construction closeout template.
No credit card. Import the spreadsheet as a new project on the Free plan.
The spreadsheet is a 20-task plan with phases, durations and milestones, ready for Excel or Google Sheets. It carries no dates, so set your own start, or paste it into the Gantt chart generator to have the schedule built for you. Want to compare the plans side by side first? Every one of them is on the project plan template page, with the rows shown before you download.
What’s inside
All 20 tasks are below, from the drawing review to handing over the keys, each with its description, duration and priority. The durations suit a small commercial building; scale the frame and the interiors to yours and the sequence still holds.
20
Scheduled tasks
6
Phases
5
Milestones
~36
Weeks end to end
The order a building goes up in
A construction schedule is mostly sequence. Foundations wait on excavation and the underground utilities, the frame waits on the foundations, and nothing inside can be finished until the building is dried in. This template follows that order, and it overlaps work where trades really do overlap: roofing and the exterior walls run together, and MEP rough-in starts while the envelope is still closing in.
Preconstruction is where most of the schedule is won or lost, so it gets five tasks rather than one. The permit is the long pole at 30 days from day 5, which is why buyout of subcontracts and long-lead materials starts on day 20, before the permit is in hand. Equipment with a long lead time ordered after mobilization is the most common reason a building sits waiting for one delivery.
Inspections are tasks with their own dates, not notes on other tasks, because a failed rough-in inspection stops drywall the next morning. The milestones are the dates owners and lenders ask about: notice to proceed, foundations complete, building dried in, substantial completion and handover. For the paperwork side of the finish, the construction closeout template breaks the last phase into the documents, waivers and payments that take the time.
The plan, phase by phase
Preconstruction5 tasks
Review the drawings and specifications
Read the documents for gaps and clashes before pricing, and send questions to the design team in one batch.
Build the estimate and the budget
Quantities, trade prices and contingency, turned into the budget the project is managed against.
Obtain the permits
Building permit and any site, utility or right-of-way permits, with plan-review comments answered quickly.
Buy out the subcontracts and long-lead materials
Subcontracts signed and long-lead items such as steel, switchgear and rooftop units ordered before mobilization.
Write the site logistics and safety plan
Access, laydown, cranes, deliveries and the site safety plan, agreed before the first crew arrives.
Site Work and Foundations3 tasks
Mobilize and prepare the site
Fencing, site office, temporary power and water, erosion control and survey layout.
Excavate and lay the underground utilities
Excavation to grade, then water, sewer, storm and electrical runs laid and inspected before backfill.
Pour the footings and foundations
Formwork, reinforcement inspected, concrete placed and cured, and the slab ready for the frame.
Structure2 tasks
Erect the structural frame
Steel, concrete or timber frame erected, plumbed and connected, with special inspections recorded as it goes.
Install the floor and roof decks
Decking installed and fixed so the trades above and the roofers can start.
Building Envelope2 tasks
Install the roofing
Insulation and membrane installed and tested, so the building can be kept dry.
Close in the exterior walls and windows
Sheathing, air barrier, cladding, windows and doors, until the building is weathertight.
MEP and Interiors4 tasks
Rough in mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Ductwork, piping, conduit and wiring run through the open walls and ceilings, coordinated between trades.
Pass the rough-in inspections
Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and framing inspections passed before any wall is closed.
Hang drywall and finish the interiors
Drywall, ceilings, paint, flooring and doors, finished floor by floor behind the inspections.
Install fixtures and equipment
Light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, HVAC equipment and any owner equipment, set and connected.
Closeout4 tasks
Commission the building systems
HVAC, life safety, electrical and controls tested and balanced against the design intent.
Walk the punch list to zero
Walk the building with the owner and architect, list every item, and verify each one on site as it closes.
Pass the final inspection and get the certificate of occupancy
Final building, fire and life safety inspections passed and the certificate of occupancy issued.
Hand over the documents and the keys
Manuals, warranties, record drawings and keys handed to the owner, with training on the building systems.
Milestones
Five milestones: notice to proceed, foundations complete, building dried in, substantial completion and handover. Dried in is the one to protect: until it is reached, weather can still move every date after it.
Notice to proceed
Day 40 of the plan
Foundations complete
Day 85 of the plan
Building dried in
Day 160 of the plan
Substantial completion
Day 240 of the plan
Handover
Day 250 of the plan
Frequently asked
Is this a construction schedule template for Excel?
It is a CSV file, which Excel opens directly and Google Sheets imports: one row per task with its phase, duration in days, priority and notes, and the five milestones as zero-day rows. It has no dates until you choose a start, so it works for any project start.
Who is it written for?
For the general contractor's project manager or superintendent on a small commercial building. An owner's representative will recognise every step and can use it to follow the contractor's schedule. For residential work, shorten the structure and MEP durations and the order still holds.
How does it fit with the construction closeout template?
This one runs the whole job and covers closeout in four tasks. The construction closeout template starts at the construction documents and breaks the end of the job into submittals, the punch list, O&M manuals, record drawings, lien waivers and final payment. Use this one to plan the build, and that one when closeout needs its own plan.
Can I track it with my subcontractors?
In the spreadsheet, by sharing the file. In Onplana, import the file as a project on the Free plan, link the dependencies so a late pour moves the frame, and invite the people who need to see it. The pricing page shows how many members and guests each plan includes.
Start with the plan already built
Import the Construction Project spreadsheet into a free Onplana project and your phases, tasks, and milestones are scheduled from the start date you pick. No credit card, no time limit.