A punch list is a set of action items created after the final inspection of your project deliverables, and right before project closeout. Most common in the construction business, punch lists can be used in all kinds of projects to tally up final project outcome with the original project specifications.
A punch list doesn’t include the major (or substantial) work of a project, but a round-up of smaller tasks or minor touch-ups that must be completed before you officially hand things over. By spotting any last-minute discrepancies between the terms of a contract and the final outcome, it serves an essential tool for quality assurance & control.
Thankfully, a premade Punch List Template (like ours) gives you a standard framework to do all that and more. Use our template to kickstart the collaborative process of keeping your team on track during the final project stages by sharing the right information with the right people at the right time!
Now, let’s explore the key features of our Punch List Template in a bit more detail…
Why Construction Managers Still Use Punch Lists?
Construction managers have used punch lists for years. They are mostly used during the last stages of construction but there’s no hard and fast rule to that. Punch lists can be used at any point of a project’s lifecycle to avoid any last-minute delays or holdups stalling a project.
The idea is to physically walk through the final build to see if there are any small touch-ups or repairs needed. By fashioning a clear & direct channel of communication between the main contractor, subcontractors and of course, the owner – a punch list helps you achieve the original vision that everyone agreed on.
But gone are the days of punching actual holes – or for that matter, making lists on paper! You can now use a premade spreadsheet (like ours) to create a digital punch list where your team can access all the information they need in real time!
Glossary
Site Walkthrough
An in-person inspection of a construction site, typically done to assess the progress of a project, identify potential issues, and ensure everything is on track. Usually done by project managers, contractors, subcontractors, architects & engineers involved in a project.
Zero punch list
A punch list with no outstanding punch items left to address.
Rolling punch list
An ongoing version of a punch list used throughout the construction process to identify any outstanding tasks or issues.
Key Features
- List view showing all your punch list items and their details at once for quicker analysis & easy referencing
- Color-coded & customizable drop-downs for Task Status and Priority
- Space for Additional Comments to cover anything outside the perimeters of our default categories
- Built-in calendar feature to show start and end dates
- Data widgets to streamline project approval systems
Unlock effortless collaboration by giving your team visibility into who’s doing what, and by when!
Now let’s explore our template in a little more detail:
Punch No./Item Number
Start by creating an itemized list of each final touch or repairing issue you came across during the walkthrough. Now, number each item in your list for easier reference in internal communications. This is particularly important when there are similar tasks that need to be done.
Item Description
Now, get down to the specifics of each task. Add a clear but brief description of what needs to be done. One best practice is to start task names with a verb so your team knows exactly what action to take.
Add any photos or drawings (if needed) to more clearly describe a problem, such as images of ‘broken tiles’ or ‘dysfunctional cabinets’.
Location
In construction, location refers to the specific area of a project site where the task, and hence the issue, is located. For example, the “Master Bedroom,” “Basement” or “Kitchen.”
For non-construction projects, location can refer to any part of the project you’re working on, or what phase of the project the task is in.
Priority Level
Not all items on your punch list will be equally important from the vantage point of a client, so it’s important to mark priority items and make sure that the most critical problems are tackled first.
For example, cleaning up a pile of unused tiles or bricks is a low-priority task needing no specialist intervention. On the other hand, if one of your wires is exposed, fixing that will naturally be high on your priority list.
In our template, we use three default categories to indicate the level of priority you can assign to each task: High, Medium and Low. To personalize these categories, you can use the configuration sheet provided, and adapt them to your own projects needs & requirements.
Responsible Party
This is the most actionable part of our template. By assigning each punched item to a designated person, you make sure there is someone accountable for getting the job done, and there is no confusion about who is working on what. When one of your sponsors has queries about a specific task, this person is responsible for furnishing that information to them in a timely manner.
As the focal point of contact, this person also reports to someone higher up in the management of the project (in most cases, the project manager or main contractor). It is important to assign tasks to the right people depending on the nature of the task. For example, an electrician should work on wiring issues, a light technician should work on any lighting errors, and so on.
Deadline/Completion Date
Deadlines are like the compass of project management, pushing your team to work harder, smarter and faster. Use this section to add a specific date when you expect a punch list task to be completed. Alternatively, you can specify dates when the work is actually finished. Either way, the basic idea is to ensure timely project completion so you can avoid any legal penalties & fines stipulated in the contract for late project delivery.
Status
Now, if you want to keep things moving through the pipeline and avoid delays, you have to regularly update the status of each item on your punch list. In our template, we use the four most common & simple statuses: Not Started, In Progress, Completed, and Under Review. That said, status updates vary from job site to job site. If you want to use more detailed statuses to indicate a task’s position in your workflow, feel free to reconfigure our default menu using the configuration sheet provided.
Approval
Sometimes you don’t just need to complete a task—you also need to make sure that a certain product or deliverable has been approved by the right people. In construction work, there are multiple layers of quality assurance and safety checks involved, so this step is crucial.
Each item on your list will need to be approved by different people. In our template, we identify three key stakeholders whose approval may be needed:
- Project Owner (the person who owns the building and will usually have the final say)
- Inspector (this may be a quality assurance inspector, main contractor or the site manager)
- Engineer
By streamlining the process of getting approvals, these data widgets ensure accountability in your project while encouraging everyone to do their due diligence in order to avoid any legal liability, financial loss, or delays in the future.
Who Is Our Template For?
- Project or site managers
- Contractors
- Construction managers
- Quality assurance inspectors
- Clients or project owners
- Engineers
- Architects
- Other project stakeholders
Punch lists are also known as:
- Deficiency list
- Punch out list
- Snag lists
- Close out list
- Corrections list
- Final walkthrough list
Wrap Up
From large commercial projects to smaller residential ones, a punch list is great documentation for any kind of building project. Due to the intense need for quality assurance and safety inspection in construction work, it’s imperative that construction management professionals use a coherent and organized tool to resolve issues like incomplete work, defects, or items that don’t meet the project’s specifications or standards, and may be a source of discontent or even hazard for your client in the future.
Remember, what you choose to share in your punch list will change based on your project management style as well as the nature, size or complexity of the project itself. Either way, it is mostly the project manager or the site manager who spearheads the process of creating the list, checking off each item after necessary input or approvals from the client, architects, and subcontractors working on a project.
Use our free, premade Punch List Template to avoid confusion or misinformation that can delay the project, and be on your way to successful project closeouts every time!
