Project Managing renovation and extension. Need a Construction Project Plan Template

[Gantt]

I mm project managing the renovation and extension of our 4-bed Victorian house. Builders are starting shortly and I need to produce a construction phase / project plan of some sort - something that shows (a) when each task should start and finish and (b) how work interfaces with other things, i.e. electrical first fix before kitchen installed, etc.

Has anyone project managed something like this and what kind of template did you use?

You can use excel for simple planning and keep track of the costs at the same time, rather than using a formal project management tool.

Thanks, yes I'm good with Excel. I'm hoping to find an example template or something to use as a guide / starting point

Yes, just do it in excel. Just write down the tasks in sequential order, put the durations and the start date and set it to calculate the finish date based on the durations.

Are you managing CDM?

Thanks Torganer. It sounds like I'll need a lot of input from our contractor for durations of each task.

I am not responsible for managing the CDM Regs - is that what you meant? Our contractor has budgeted for a health & safety consultant.

You realistically need to sit down with your contractor and go through each trade. Because no harm u haven't a clue unless u work in construction how long its going to take to do each task. And then throw into the mix its an old house.
Plus no one on here knows the full extent of what you are actually doing. It could take a week or 3 weeks to dig and pour a foundation depending. U could be simply adding a few new plug sockets to the room or completely rewiring the entire house.
Make out a list of tasks or trades. Have your start and finish date and speak to the builders.

Have you ever project managed anything in construction before?

Critical path analysis, you have to decide which things have to finish before others can start and which can go ahead in parallel. If you list a breakdown of all the parts of the job on the left of a horizontal bar chart with time as the x axis and fit them all in so that they run sequentially and in parallel (when appropriate) with no conflicts. Add extra days contingency where things might be tricky. Then keep it updated if things get delayed, you should then be able to see the effect of an early delay on everything else and forewarn the trades.

I've project managed a renovation, but not an extension. It's a 10 month project.

You can use online tools like Monday.com which might help you with the dependencies and critical path. Make sure you start with the full scope and break that into sections the break that down further into activities and tasks to ensure you have covered everything (this creates your work breakdown structure). You can find basic templates online which should give you a starting point

Thanks @plumtreebroke can you point me towards a template of the layout you're describing please?

I'm thinking an Excel spreadsheet is going to work best but will my contractor need to access the document, on Sharepoint or similar?

Do you have professional project management experience if you don't have buildings project experience?

Buildings and extensions is a step change from renovations.

I don't - I manage contracts and procurement for a construction firm

Excel is ok for something simple but difficult to show dependencies and lead/lag time/ milestones in excel. A template would be ok as an example but you need to be able to manipulate the data. Does your work not have a planning tool you could use. Isn’t Primavera used in construction? If not might be worth investing in a copy,of Microsoft project?

I'm keen to keep things simple and not have to learn how to use another piece of software (ie MS Projects). I'll look at Primavera

There’s a reason why project managers are a separate discipline and get paid got their skills and knowledge. You can’t download that as a template.

Pay a professional to manage this work because it certainly won’t get done to time, quality or budget if the PM role is in the hands of an amateur.

It might work out cheaper to pay someone to do it for you. There only has to be one unexpected problem and the whole project could fall apart. Tradesmen won't be too happy to be messing about with delays etc .
I admire your confidence 😊

Trust me if you are concerned about learning to use ms project you really don't want to be using primavera!

The architect is on hand for queries and our contractor is very experienced. All trades (all elements of the work) fall under the one contractor. It’s really just a case of making sure timelines are kept to and a tool for me to make sure I order fittings / fixtures at the right times

Excel 365 has a simple Gantt chart template.
No template is going to give you the knowledge/ experience to pm a construction project. It is a bit more than knowing when to order up the fixtures and fittings.

Can’t really send my CPP as it’s my company’s template.
front page - project name and location
contents
distribution list
revision list
project scope with start date and estimated finish date
project team list
communication tactics between companies - how often do you want communication do you want a daily shift report and weekly overview?
method statements - your work package plans that break down each task -site enabling, demobilisation, electrics, mechanical, building etc. (ask the construction company)
and then the health and safety goals but I’m guessing you can ask the health and safety person for this?
fire plan
emergency plan (police number / where’s the closest hospital)
any risks associated with the work will have to be mentioned and how you would manage these risks i.e falling from height, lifting heavy objects etc.
appendix with any house surveys and a risk assessment

And utility information before the health and safety goals with any floor plans that show this in your appendix

If you’re looking for an accurate timeline of when what will be done and what needs ordering you will need a programme not a CPP

This. Also do you mean a project plan or a schedule as they are two very different things

https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg411.htm

I would recommend reading the HSE guide to CDM regs so you at least understand what documents you need in place. At least to appoint you CDM person correctly so they can draw up the construction plan... And hopefully keep everyone safe on site.