A focused, fixed-fee audit of how work moves through your construction business — and where it bottlenecks on the owner.
A contractor systems diagnostic is a focused, fixed-fee analytical engagement that audits how work flows through a construction business — from lead intake to final closeout — and identifies the steps that bottleneck on the owner. The deliverable is a written summary with prioritized 90-day actions, plus reusable tools or templates where feasible — typically a process map, RACI draft, or SOP roadmap.
The diagnostic does not assume anything is documented. Most small contractors run on tribal knowledge — the owner knows how everything works because the owner does everything. The diagnostic surfaces that, makes it visible to the team, and prioritizes the first three SOPs and the first delegation moves.
This engagement is not software implementation, hiring, recruiting, HR consulting, or labour-law advice. It identifies the gaps; filling them lives in coaching engagements or separate scopes.
The systems diagnostic is built for:
This is the right starting engagement if you’re saying any of these out loud:
If you’re more concerned about profit specifically, see the Profit & Accounting Diagnostic. If you’re more concerned about lead flow, see the Sales & Pipeline Diagnostic.
Typical outputs — what gets delivered depends on what the data and interviews support:
If a process map or RACI draft is part of what gets delivered, it’s yours to share with your team — most clients put them on the office wall.
You upload to a private Google Drive folder we provide.
If you have no documentation of any of this, that is itself the finding. We run the 90-minute walkthrough call as primary input and build the process map from your verbal description.
| Step | What happens | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Free 20-minute fit call | Day 0 |
| 2 | Agreement signed; 50% deposit ($750) | Day 0–2 |
| 3 | Drive folder shared; you upload pre-work | Days 2–7 |
| 4 | 90-minute process walkthrough call — recorded | Day 7–10 |
| 5 | Analysis: workflow review, owner-bottleneck observations, software stack review, role-clarity findings | Days 10–17 |
| 6 | 60-minute findings call | Day 17–21 |
| 7 | Written summary delivered; final 50% due | Within 10 business days of findings call |
Total turnaround: 2–3 weeks from receipt of complete intake to written summary. About 2 hours of owner time for intake plus 90 minutes for the walkthrough call.
Fee: $1,500 CAD, fixed. GST/PST extra where applicable.
Payment: 50% on signing ($750). 50% on delivery of the written summary ($750).
Refund policy: Full refund if the engagement isn’t a fit after intake review. No refunds once analysis begins.
Credit toward coaching: 50% of the diagnostic fee credited toward a coaching package if you engage Tumbleweed Consulting for coaching within 30 days of receiving the written summary.
A process map is a single-page visual flowchart showing how work moves through a construction business stage by stage — typically Lead, Quote, Sold, Pre-build, Build, Closeout, Warranty. Each stage shows who owns it, what gets handed off, and whether the owner is a bottleneck. It’s the foundation document for any operational improvement initiative.
RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed. It’s a table that maps each business function to the people involved, with exactly one Accountable person per function. Construction businesses without a RACI usually have two problems: either nobody is accountable for a function (it happens by accident), or multiple people each think they’re accountable (creating jobsite friction).
$1,500 CAD, fixed-fee. Comparable diagnostics from operations consultants range from $1,500 to $4,000 across North America.
Yes. The absence of documentation is itself the finding. The 90-minute walkthrough call captures the system verbally, and findings are based on interview evidence rather than documentary proof. About 30% of clients arrive with no formal documentation.
No. The diagnostic typically delivers an SOP roadmap — ranked by impact — so you know which SOPs to write first. Writing the SOPs themselves is coaching engagement work. (A populated starter SOP is included in the Full Contractor Health Check.)
No. The diagnostic recommends keep/cut/add changes to your existing software stack. Implementation of new software is a separate scope.
Yes. Where a process map or RACI draft is part of what gets delivered, both are designed to be shared with the team. Encouraged.
35+ years in construction, project management, and First Nations economic development across BC. BOABC Certified Building Inspector. Building Science consultant. Founder and operator of five companies. Former Director of Public Works and CAO for multiple First Nations bands. Continues to take contract PM work in Metro Vancouver, which means systems recommendations are calibrated to what actually works in BC’s current construction market — not generic theory.
Read the full story →Tell me what’s going on in the business. I’ll tell you honestly whether a diagnostic, coaching, or neither is the right next move.
Book a Free 20-Minute Fit CallTumbleweed Consulting · Eddy Davis · Langley, BC · 250-938-7388 · [email protected]