Contractor Systems & Operations Diagnostic

What is a contractor systems diagnostic?

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 single-page process map, an owner-bottleneck list, a software stack audit, a RACI for the top five functions, an SOP roadmap, and a written report with prioritized 90-day actions.

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.

Who is this for?

The systems diagnostic is built for:

• Construction businesses doing $500K to $10M in annual revenue with 3 to 30 staff
• Owners who feel like the business runs on their head, their phone, and their truck
• Businesses that have outgrown the “we just figure it out” stage but haven’t yet documented anything
• Owners who can’t take a two-week vacation without the business stalling
• Companies adding their first PM, foreman, or office admin and needing role clarity

This is the right starting engagement if you’re saying any of these out loud:

• “Every decision still runs through me.”
• “I’m the bottleneck on quoting, scheduling, and change orders.”
• “We need SOPs but I don’t know where to start.”
• “My team waits for me on everything.”
• “We have software but nobody uses it consistently.”

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.

What you walk away with

• A single-page process map of how work actually flows through your business — Lead → Quote → Sold → Pre-build → Build → Closeout → Warranty
• An owner-bottleneck list — every step that only happens because you personally do it, ranked by frequency × time spent
• A software stack audit — what you’re using, what overlaps, what’s missing, with keep/cut/add verdicts
• A RACI for the top five functions — estimating, scheduling, purchasing, change orders, warranty — so the team knows who’s Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each
• An SOP roadmap — the five to ten Standard Operating Procedures you need first, ranked by impact
• One starter SOP populated with your inputs — typically the change-order SOP (the highest-leverage gap in most contracting businesses)
• A top-three priority action plan for the next 90 days

You can share the process map and RACI with your team. Most clients photocopy them and put them on the office wall.

What’s included

• Intake review of your org chart, software stack, sample documents, and walkthrough notes
• 90-minute process walkthrough call — recorded, transcribed — where you walk Eddy through how work actually moves (not how it’s supposed to)
• Single-page process map built from the walkthrough
• Owner-bottleneck list with ranking
• Software stack audit with keep/cut/add verdicts
• RACI for the top five functions
• SOP roadmap with priority ranking
• One populated starter SOP (typically Change Order SOP)
• 60-minute findings call, recorded and transcribed
• Written report (~8–12 pages) with prioritized 90-day action plan
• 30-day free check-in call after delivery

What you need to provide

You upload to a private Google Drive folder we provide.

• Org chart, or a one-page list of who does what
• Software stack list — every tool you pay for (estimating, accounting, CRM, scheduling, project management, comms, document storage, takeoff, payroll, payment processing)
• Any existing SOPs, checklists, or templates — even half-finished ones
• One sample recent change order, schedule, and invoice
• Bullet-point walkthrough of how a lead becomes a job, how change orders happen, how a job gets closed out
• Top three things that consistently fall through the cracks
• Top three things you wish you didn’t have to do personally anymore

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.

How it works

Total turnaround: 2–3 weeks from receipt of complete intake to written report. About 2 hours of owner time for intake plus 90 minutes for the walkthrough call.

Pricing and payment terms

Fee: $1,500 CAD, fixed. GST/PST extra where applicable.

Payment: 50% on signing ($750). 50% on delivery of the written report ($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 report.

What this is not

• Software implementation, setup, migration, or training (Buildertrend, Jobber, ServiceTitan, etc.) — referred or scoped separately
• Hiring or recruiting — the diagnostic identifies the role; filling it is yours
• HR or labour-law advice — stays with your HR consultant or employment lawyer
• A finished SOP library — one starter SOP is included; writing the rest is coaching engagement work
• A guarantee that the bottleneck fixes itself — most clients see real movement, but execution depends on what you do with the report