A new year means new opportunities to improve performance and reach higher levels of success. As we enter 2023, it’s time for a fresh start. It’s time to eradicate excuses and poor performance and start compelling events to conform to the plan. It’s time to change the status quo and recognize the power of checklist implementation in your operational practices. 

The use of checklists in your daily operations provides the structure and discipline required to achieve double-digit profits and sustainable growth. Keep reading for a deep dive into all the benefits you stand to gain when you incorporate this simple process into your organization.

Improve Quality

Checklists provide your trades with clear milestones to ensure that each task is performed in accordance with the scope of work. When you clearly document your expectations in a way that is accessible to every person involved in the project, it’s much more likely that these expectations will be met and/or exceeded.

Eradicate Call Backs and Improve Cycle Time

Checklists ensure that each task is done correctly the first time. They ensure that your trades have a clear map of what is expected of them. Without checklists to lay out these expectations, tasks are often left incomplete which causes return trips and delays. 

With the implementation of checklists, trades are able to more efficiently complete tasks correctly the first time around, and superintendents are able to identify unfinished work before the buyer sees the home. Checklists improve customer satisfaction and reduce punch list items and buyer walkthrough requests. 

Improve the Customer Experience 

Checklists allow for a clear line of communication between your team and the buyer. When you demonstrate through documentation that you have already taken into account the unfinished work the buyer may see during their walkthrough, it puts them at ease and helps them understand that you have their best interests in mind. This organizational tool creates transparency, which in turn builds buyer trust. 

Increase Profit

Every day on a job counts. Once you account for cost of operation, compensation, and interest, one day on the job can cost $6,000 or more. In order to mitigate expenses, it is absolutely vital to stay on task and tighten cycle time. The implementation of checklists leads to more reliable production schedules, reduced costs, and an increase in profits. 

In addition to reducing the loss from extra days on a project, checklists also improve customer satisfaction, which in turn results in a higher referral rate. Not only are your profits improved in the present, but they are also secured for the future. 

Identify Problem Areas and Devise a Plan for Improvement 

Checklists can act as clear documentation of patterns within your organizational processes. At the conclusion of a build, this documentation allows you to identify areas for improvement. What’s being missed the most? What is a frequent area of frustration with your buyers? What item is on a punch list every time you approach closing? 

When you’re able to identify patterns, you can more easily pinpoint what precisely is causing the largest percentage of issues, including variances. From there, you’re able to more effectively generate a definitive plan for improvement on future projects. 

Eliminate Excuses

When you use detailed checklists, the completion of tasks becomes black and white; either the task is done or it’s not. Checklists spell out expectations in a way that doesn’t allow for a gray area. Not only does this tool hold trades accountable, it also provides a greater sense of pride, urgency, and drive to complete tasks correctly the first time. 

By simply implementing checklists into your daily processes, you will have access to multiple avenues of improved performance and growth. This simple switch will improve efficiency, profit, and customer satisfaction.

In alignment with our mission to help builders reach higher levels of success, Shinn Consulting is proud to partner with FTQ360, a leader in quality management software. To learn more about the Shinn quality process using checklists powered by FTQ360, contact us at 303-972-7666 or info@shinnconsulting.com.