Construction Business Risk Classification Model

How to
Use App
  • Managing your business is all about managing your risk.
  • Identify your risks and classify them in the appropriate quadrant of this graphic.
  • Some of the risks faced in a construction business can be transferred to a third party. Think auto insurance, liability insurance, worker’s compensation insurance, etc. 
  • Other risks can be handled by training employees and subcontractors in proper procedures and systems.
  • Regulatory risks (OSHA, public safety, environmental) should be shared by your subcontractors. Make certain that your subs are properly trained and managed. Track their certifications and insurances.
  • Use Cost-Benefit Analysis to determine the amount of effort and financial resources to be exercised to ameliorate each risk.

The quadrants are :

  • OFTEN, EXPENSIVE – Risk exposures that happen often and have a significant financial impact.  These are the highest priority.
  • NOT OFTEN, EXPENSIVE – These risk exposures do not happen often, but still need to be addressed.  This is your second highest priority.
  • OFTEN, NOT EXPENSIVE – Risk exposures that happen often, but are not a great financial burden. These are the third priority.
  • NOT OFTEN, NOT EXPENSIVE – Risk exposures that happen often, but have little financial impact. These must still be dealt with, but are the lowest priority.
  • Select a default risk or add your own in the green-shaded cells.
  • Copy the selected risk.
  • Paste the risk in the appropriate quadrant
  • Deal with the risks in each quadrant – Highest, Second Highest, Third Highest, Lowest.
File Management
Guidelines

🏅 Create a Business Worth Owning

📶 Integrated step-by-step program using all tools and systems

💡 Two coaching sessions per month

📊 Monthly scorecard to measure the journey

🛠️ Tools: All tools (Chart of Accounts, Cost Codes, BBOS Estimator, Builder Business Model Canvas, SubManager, ClientManager, Policy Handbook, Management Scorecard).

🤝 What we do together:

  • A 180+-day engagement covering financials, estimating, subcontractors, clients, and workforce.
  • Coaching sessions every two weeks to review your real numbers and coach policy implementation.
  • A monthly “Business Health Scorecard” that shows where you are strong and where to strengthen.
  • Focus on building a business system that allows you to:
    • move out of day-to-day management;
    • develop a valuable legacy enterprise; and
    • create a business with significant market value.

💲 Investment: $3,500-$5,000.

🪜 Progression logic:

  • This is the capstone — combining all five prior steps into one system that builds a business worth owning.

🎯Outcome: "Now I control my business, not the other way around."

👷 Manage Your Workforce

👷‍♀️ Put the right people in the right position

📄 Create an Organization Chart and Position Descriptions

📄 Integrate employment policies

🛠️ Tools: OrgChart, Position Descriptions, Company Policy Template

🤝 What we do together:

  • Create a Company organization chart.
  • Create Job Descriptions.
  • Implement employee policy handbook
  • Identify inefficiencies in labor margins.
  • Discover hidden labor costs.

💲 Investment: $1,250-$1,500.

🪜 Progression logic:

  • Labor is usually the last controllable variable — now you are tackling optimization and efficiency.

🎯Outcome: "Now I am in control of the work that must be completed, and my employees understand their positions and accountabilities."

🗣️ Control the Client Relationship

📄 Client log, Change Order system

📄 Notice of Completion, Draw Requests

📄 Communication templates for disputes

🛠️ Tools: ClientManager, Client Contact Log, Initial Specifications, NAHB Residential Construction Guide

🤝 What we do together:

  • Implement a structured client management system.
  • Introduce the Client Contact Log.
  • Provide templates for change order and scope adjustments.
  • Train on reducing disputes and managing client expectations.

💲 Investment: $750-$1,250

🪜 Progression logic:

  • With the business financially stable and risk-protected, control of clients and their expectations ensures smoother operations and fewer profit leaks.

🎯Outcome: "Now I can manage clients and their expectations without projects spinning out of control."

🧯Identify and Manage Risks

🏠 Project Risks:

  • Site Risks – site injuries with no primary insurance coverage.
  • Reputational Risks – You don’t deliver what you promised because your subcontractors were not on the same page.
  • Capacity Risks – You can’t deliver what you promised because you don’t have the organizational structure to support your sales.

🔍 Management Risks:

  • Company Structural Risks – You don’t have the right people in the right positions.
  • Promotional Risks – Your market doesn’t know or care about your products.
  • Competitive Risks – You haven’t differentiated your company, so lowest price is the only way you can compete. 
  • Market Demand Risks – a bad market cycle will cripple or destroy your business.

🛠️ Tools: SubManager, Organizing for Success, Builder Business Model Canvas, Budgeting Forecasts

🤝 What we do together:

  • Implement Terms and Conditions, Scopes of Work, and Inspection Reports for all Subcontractors.
  • Review how you track subcontractor insurance and compliance.
  • Analyze your organizational structure to optimize production capacity.
  • Review your business model.
  • Create “Expected Case”, “Best Case”, and Worst Case” budgeting scenarios.

💲 Investment: $1,000-$1,500

🪜 Progression logic:

  • After financial clarity and profitable estimating, risk management provides the next layer of company stability.

🎯Outcome: "Now I can reduce or transfer risk exposure; identify and appeal to my primary market; and plan for any type of economic environment."

🧮Price with Confidence

🔍 Audit your estimating process

🔎 Review all active projects monthly for budget-to-actual performance

🔍 Debrief every completed project for profitability and work flow

📶 Install a margin-tracking dashboard

🛠️ Tools: BBOS Estimator, Overhead Calculator, Completed Project Profitability Report

🤝 What we do together:

  • Audit your current estimating process.
  • Benchmark your margins against industry and market standards.
  • Optimize estimating margins for maximum profitability.
  • Track true budget-to-actual expenditures.

💲 Investment: $750-$1,250

🪜 Progression logic:

  • Once finances are stable, you can sharpen your pricing to stop leaving money on the table.
  • You’ll know the margin to use to make sure overhead is allocated profitably. 

🎯Outcome: "Now I can bid jobs knowing I'll profit, not just hoping for profit."

💰90-Day Financial Reset

🗄️ Rebuild Chart of Accounts on NAHB Model

🗃️ Rebuild Cost Codes on CSI model

🛠️ Tools: Accounting platform, NAHB Chart of Accounts, CSI Cost Codes, Management Scorecard

🤝 What we do together:

  • Access to your accounting platform is required.
  • Rebuild your Chart of Accounts for project-level profitability.
  • Create and align Cost Codes so estimating, job costing, and reporting all “speak the same language.”
  • One-on-one coaching call every two weeks during the program to interpret your numbers.

💲 Investment: $1,500-$3,000

🪜 Why start here?

  • Without financial clarity, nothing else matters.
  • The reason you are in business is to make a profit. 
  • Do you KNOW if you are doing that?

🎯Outcome: "Now I know if my business is profitable and my business model is sound."

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