Preparing for success:

A strategic
planning template
for construction
companies

By Breakthrough Academy
and distributed by Buildertrend
Meet
Breakthrough
Academy
Breakthrough Academy was started to After 12 months, Breakthrough
help construction professionals evolve Academy members averaged:

from doers of all things to well-balanced

leaders and implementers of smart systems.
Since their start, they’ve established some 25%
increase in revenue
of the industry’s best standard operating
procedures, hiring frameworks and project
management resources.
69%
increase in net profit
Just like Buildertrend, Breakthrough
Academy’s aim is to help contractors bring
structure to their entire businesses.
8+ FEWER
HOURS
worked per week
What’s In the construction industry – where projects
are complex, expensive and time-consuming –

inside
strategic planning becomes even more crucial
to ensure projects are executed efficiently and
within budget.

Step 1: Here are just a few ways strategic planning

Define your company values
can help your business:
Step 2:
Understand your purpose
Long-term vision
Step 3:
Visualize your five-year plan
Resource allocation
Step 4:
Establish your annual goals
Risk management
Step 5:
List your initiatives
Competitive advantage
Step 6:
Calculate your critical annual
numbers Adapting to change
Step 7:
Specify your quarterly goals Financial management
Step 8:
Determine your theme
This strategic planning template is a tool to
Step 9:
Celebrate help builders, remodelers, contractors and
other professionals in the construction industry
Strategic plan example
determine short- and long-term visions for their
Strategic plan template businesses. It’s a structured framework to help
pinpoint objectives, tactics and goals required
to achieve success.

You’ll find a completed example included at the

end as well as a template for you to draft your
own strategic plan.
How to get started

STEP 1

Define your company values

Your company values should outline the standards • If your values are already outlined, work
that’ll influence your decision making. They act as them into your strategic plan
a guide for your business – whether you’re a new • If your values aren’t outlined, take time to
start-up or enterprise-level corporation. Having come up with two to four standards that
company values in place will help in every facet of define your company
your business, from recruiting to job management.

STEP 2

Understand your purpose

Defining your purpose is another crucial step to • Reflect on your company values
ensuring long-term success for your business. It’s • Consider what inspires you and your
all about establishing your why. This is a time to team to come to work every day
think back to why you started your company.
• Craft an inspiring, memorable and
actionable mission statement

STEP 3

Visualize your five-year plan

Take time to imagine what the future of your Include key measurements of success like:
business could look like. Do you want to scale
• Goal achievement
to eight figures? Do you want to expand to new
markets? What does success look like for you? • Key performance indicators
• Financial performance
• Project performance
• Employee engagement and performance
 STEP 4

Establish your annual goals

When outlining your goals for the year, you should follow the
S.M.A.R.T goal method. The more specific these are, the better.

Specific Attainable Time-bound

Goals should be clear, precise Goals should be realistic Goals should have a defined
and well-defined. They and achievable within timeframe or deadline.
should answer the questions: your resources, time and Setting a deadline creates a
What exactly do you want constraints. They should sense of urgency and helps
to accomplish? Why is it stretch the individual or prioritize efforts. It provides
important? Who is involved? team to perform better but a clear target for completion
Where will it happen? What should not be impossible or and aids in managing time
are the requirements and beyond reach. Consider the effectively.
constraints? skills, resources and support
needed to achieve each goal.
Measurable
Goals should be quantifiable Relevant
and include criteria for Goals should be aligned with
measuring progress and the broader objectives and
success. Establish specific mission of your company.
indicators or metrics that They should be meaningful
will help track and evaluate and contribute to the overall
whether the goal is being success or direction you wish
achieved. This allows for to go. Ensure that pursuing
tracking progress and these goals makes sense
determining when the goal given current circumstances
has been reached. and organizational priorities.

Example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal

“Increase quarterly sales by X% within the next year by
implementing a new marketing strategy focused on social media
advertising. This will be measured by tracking revenue generated
from online platforms against the previous period’s sales figures.”

By following the S.M.A.R.T. framework, goals become more focused,

achievable and measurable. This increases the likelihood of
successful completion and provides a clear roadmap for progress.
 STEP 5 STEP 7

List your initiatives Specify your quarterly goals

These are the projects and upgrades that This is where you’ll break down your annual plan
need to be in motion to sustain growth. Do into quarterly goals. These should include the
you have the right elements in place to ensure elements that matter most in a specific quarter.
there’s enough time and money available to get
Examples for home builders with a busy
through to the next year. Think about people
summer season:
and processes that can make this happen and
boost profitability over time. • January-March: Recruiting, developing
the team and lining up jobs
• April-June: Training, production and
increasing sales
STEP 6 • July-September: Production, productivity
and profitability of jobs
Calculate your critical
• October-December: Systems, process
annual numbers building and vacation time
Metrics like these are meant to be a pulse
for the year. This means if you achieve these
numbers, you’ve managed to set the next year
up for success.

Numbers could include: TIP

• Revenue You can also use this time to establish quarterly
rocks. These are the broken-down objectives
• Gross profit margin
within your main initiatives. You shouldn’t work
• Net profit margin on all initiatives at once. It’s better to choose
• Backlog the most relevant focus items per quarter that
• Cash flow will set the next quarter up for success.

These numbers provide insights into the You may also want to determine your quarterly
financial health, operational efficiency, critical number. This is a number that focuses
project management capabilities and overall on more short-term performance indicators to
performance of a construction company. They ensure you’re on track to meet your larger goals.
can aid in decision-making, strategic planning
and performance evaluation.
 STEP 8 STEP 9

Determine your theme Celebrate

This will help define what the main focus is for The road of an entrepreneur can be hard. Building
your company in the upcoming year. celebration into your strategic plan allows you
and your team to get aligned on goals and work
Examples:
together to establish a plan while also having fun
• Better before bigger along the way.
• Invest in our people
This is also a great time to reflect on the previous
• Maximize profitability year. Looking ahead, it may seem like things aren’t
happening fast enough. However, when you take
the opportunity to look back, you’ll often see just
how much you’ve accomplished.
 Strategic planning template (example)
Company name: Your name:
Danny Kerr
BT Builders Date:
12/5/2023

Values 2024 annual goals Q1 quarter goals Theme

Break ground on McPherson

Quality over quantity Revenue: $4,100,000
Project

Complete the Smith Custom and

Embrace the journey Gross profit: $1,025,000 (25%)
Miller Reno
Stay in rhythm
Secure another $1,000,000
Be real Net profit: $287,000 (7%) in contract for Q4 production
calendar

Fill up our sales pipeline to hit

Integrity Hire two new laborers
$5,000,000 in 2024

Keep average work week to 50

Goals – 5 years out hours or less
Celebration

$10 million revenue at 12% net

Take family on two week Back Country Lodge get away
profit consistently trending every
vacation to Mexico for management team
12 month cycle
I will work 20 hrs/wk and spend
the rest of the time with my
family and community

Purpose 2024 initiatives Q1 rocks

Write standard operating

Promote Keith to Production procedure for Production
To create a legacy for my family Manager and begin training Manager role and officially
to carry into the future after I am process announce promotion to Keith
gone. To conrtibute greatly to and the team
charitable causes at home and
abroad. Optimize Buildertrend for our Have Buildertrend do a training
sales process and our project on project management
management needs functionality with our PM team
Make selection on best fit
Onboard new project manager after completing 10 interviews.
Applicants currently rolling in
Meet with three graphic
Finish rebuilding Sales Collateral
designers to discuss project
for more visual presentations
needs and scope. Request in-
leading to higher sales rate
depth proposals from all three
Revamp our recruiting funnel Work with Lisa in HR to start
to generate higher volume of rewriting job ads to convert
“A” candidates better
Sponsor and complete Habitat Meet with HFH to begin design
for Humanity build for a family in build process taking into
need in our community consideration family’s needs

Quarterly critical
Annual critical numbers
number

Revenue $4,100,000

$1,000,000 in sales

Net profit at 7%

TM
Adapted from Harnish, V. (2002). Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. Virginia: Gazelles
 Strategic planning template
Company name: Your name:

Date:

Values 2024 annual goals Q1 quarter goals Theme

Goals – 5 years out Celebration

Purpose 2024 initiatives Q1 rocks

Quarterly critical
Annual critical numbers
number

TM
Adapted from Harnish, V. (2002). Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. Virginia: Gazelles
Put your strategic
plan into action with
Buildertrend
Once you use Breakthrough Academy’s strategic planning
template, Buildertrend can help put your initiatives into motion.

It can be stressful thinking about Buildertrend’s extensive list of features

how you’re going to put your and all-in-one construction software
plans into action. Buildertrend’s makes construction businesses
project management software has more efficient from initial sale to final
everything you need for marketing, walkthrough.
project planning, job management
Your template for strategic planning
and financial tracking – all in one
combined with Buildertrend’s
convenient platform. So you can lead
construction management software
your construction company into
will ultimately ensure company
the future with confidence.
success. Builders who have a vision for
No matter a company’s size, the their businesses, set clear objectives
right software can make a world of and follow through with efficient
difference in daily operations and processes are guaranteed to thrive in
the overall success of the business. an industry that’s always evolving.

Need support?
P: 1-888-415-7139
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