Cash Flow Tip 11 - Managing Change Orders

Managing Change Orders from initiating event through execution, billing, and receipt of payment.

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A well managed change order process will have a hugely positive impact on customer satisfaction, profitability, and cash flow. A poorly managed process will negatively impact all three and will sometimes impact cash for years if it goes into a claim situation.

Cash Flow: Tip 11 Change Order Management - Identification-to-Payment
  • Map out the change management process, including the specific people who are directly and indirectly involved on each project. The diagram shown is a simple one - expand it in more detail like you did for cash flow. These two processes are interrelated.  
  • Ensure that your contract supports a fair change management process and that everyone on your project team knows what the requirements are.
  • Build relationships at all levels to support the change management process.
  • Make sure your Schedule-of-Values (SOV) can easily integrate change orders from the time they are identified, just so everyone remains on the same page.  
  • Where possible, try to minimize T&M changes because you can’t get them approved and paid ahead of executing the work. Where they are necessary, focus on rapid pricing turnaround and getting them in billings ASAP.  
  • Remember that great negotiating skills will make a huge difference with change management.

Cash Flow Tip 11 - Managing Change Orders
Great cash flow is a key driver of valuation and successful successions. Running out of cash is is the #1 reason contractors fail. Improving cash flow improves your Return on Equity. Protect yourself and never let cash flow be the limitation to your profitable growth....

Cash Flow Tip 11 - Managing Change Orders
Great cash flow is a key driver of valuation and successful successions. Running out of cash is is the #1 reason contractors fail. Improving cash flow improves your Return on Equity. Protect yourself and never let cash flow be the limitation to your profitable growth....

Competition - What Do You Really Know?
Contractors typically pay too much or too little attention to their competition. The best contractors strike the right balance spending most of their time focused on customers while being deliberate in knowing their competition.
Tracking Change Progress (The Funnel): Basic Status Categories
Managing changes effectively means that you need clear visibility across all projects. While the workflow will vary by project, the key progress milestones in your internal process will remain fixed.
Underlying Causes of Changes on Projects
Start improving your change management skills by creating some categories of the underlying causes of changes your company experiences.