HVAC Project Management Template: Free PDF Download

In this post, we share a free HVAC project management template that subcontractors and project managers can use to outline and document their project plans. 

The template covers the following areas:

• Project overview

• Project deliverables

• Project plan

• Budget

• Resource allocation

• Risk management plan

• Execution plan

• Monitoring and control

• Closing

Below, we’ll provide a link to download the template and use it in your HVAC business. 

However, keep in mind that while this form is a useful resource, static PDF templates have their limitations. For example:

• Lack of real-time visibility into project status: There is a lag time between phases of the project and when that information is visible to relevant project team members and stakeholders (business owners, general contractors, clients, office staff, etc.). 

• Lack of integration with digital tools: PDFs don’t integrate with the other apps and software tools you use to run your business. You need to manually record project updates into whatever system you use to keep track of project data (Excel spreadsheet, Google Sheet, project management app, etc.). 

• Lack of flexibility and sophistication: Static documents don’t offer the ability to use different types of fields for collecting project information, such as the ability to upload photos and videos, or provide more detailed notes about certain phases of a job.

So, in addition to sharing the free template below, we’ll also walk through how our HVAC contractor software, ServiceTitan, solves these challenges and more.

View and Download Our HVAC Project Management Template

The template includes fields and checklists categorized by the following aspects of the project:

‭Project Overview

• Project Name

• Project Manager

• Client Name

• Project Start Date

• Expected Completion Date

• Project Goals

• Project Scope of Work

  • Installation

  • Maintenance

  • Repair

Project Deliverables

• Team and Stakeholders

• Project Team Members

• HVAC Technicians

• Support Staff

• Client Contact Information  

• Key Stakeholders

Project Plan

• ‭Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): List all major activities and break them down into smaller tasks.

• Schedule: Create a timeline for each task and activity.

Budget

• ‭Estimate costs for labor, materials, equipment, and any subcontracted work.

Resource Allocation

• Assign team members to tasks based on skills and availability.

Risk Management Plan

• Identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.

Execution Plan

• Communication Plan: Define how project information will be communicated to the team, stakeholders, and the client.

• Quality Control Procedures: Outline standards and procedures for ensuring quality of work.

• Safety Protocols: Establish safety guidelines to protect workers and property.

Monitoring and Control

• Progress Tracking: Methods for monitoring project milestones and task completion.

• Budget Management: Track expenses and compare them to the budgeted amounts.

• Change Management: Process for managing changes to the project scope or plan.

Closing

• Client Handover: Procedures for transferring control of the completed project to the client.

• Documentation: Collect and organize all project documents for future reference.

• Project Review: Conduct a meeting to discuss what went well and what could be improved.

• Feedback Collection: Gather feedback from the client and team members.

Appendices

• Appendix A: Project Documents

  • Contracts, permits, plans, and any other relevant documents.

• Appendix B: Meeting Minutes

• Appendix C: Change Requests and Approvals

• Appendix D: Inspection and Testing Reports

As we mentioned above, using this template as a digital or printed-out PDF has limited utility. To get the most value out of this template, you’ll want to upload it into your project management software or whatever system you use to track projects.

In the rest of this post, we’ll walk through what it’s like to manage HVAC projects in ServiceTitan —  where all of the functions covered in our free template can be managed seamlessly and coordinated between the field and office, with updates visible in real-time.

How ServiceTitan Streamlines HVAC Project Management

To demonstrate how our platform can streamline and automate project management for HVAC contractors, we’ll walk through some of our foundational construction management features, including:

• Project dashboard

• Estimates

• Purchase orders

• Job costing

• Progress billing

• Mobile forms and checklists

Manage Projects from the Project Overview Dashboard

When a new project is created in ServiceTitan, a project overview page is automatically generated. From this dashboard, contractors and project managers can: 

1. View all of the basic project information — including project name, job address, contact information, project schedule/project timeline, etc.

2. View and log project tasks. 

3. Access project financials — including project job costing and expense details that update automatically throughout a project.

4. Initiate key actions — such as generating an estimate, purchase order, application for payment, invoice, and more.

5. View team members involved in the project.

6. Access an audit trail including events, notes, and project documentation.

Build Estimates with Accurate Pricing

Project estimates allow you to build detailed construction estimates by adding all of the specific tasks, equipment, and materials that will be needed to do the work. Users have the option to draw from pre-built job estimate templates or build estimates from scratch. 

Tasks, materials, and equipment can all be tagged with color-coded project labels to organize the project details and make everything easy to visualize. In addition, pricing and markups for each line item are automatically calculated based on the most up-to-date prices in your pricebook. 

Once an estimate is completed, it can be printed, emailed, or exported in PDF format and sent to the client. If changes are made to approved project plans, estimates can be updated and/or additional estimates can be created as needed throughout the project.

Initiate Requisitions and Purchase Orders

When an estimate is sold, all of the details you’ve set up in the estimate are automatically integrated into the rest of the project management workflow. For example, you can initiate a requisition of equipment and materials within your sold estimate.

Let’s say at the beginning of a project, you want to start the process of ordering your permits and materials — you can select those items within your estimate, which will lead you through a workflow to create the purchase orders you’ll need. 

In the purchase order workflow, line items are automatically populated from your estimate. You can simply select your procurement sources and shipping locations for each material to complete your order details. 

Then, you can save that order to create a transaction and send those purchase orders to your vendors — without ever leaving ServiceTitan. 

Automate Project Financials and Job Costing

As you progress through a job — creating purchase orders, logging labor hours, processing change orders, receiving progress payments, and so on — ServiceTitan leverages automation to provide up-to-date project financials and job costing.

Instead of constantly needing to update a series of spreadsheets every time labor costs and material costs are incurred, this is done automatically for you in real-time, based on work that’s completed and entered into the system. 

If we continue with our example from above, and you’ve made your initial purchase order of permits and materials, your project summary table is updated to reflect those expenses:

Furthermore, you can view a more detailed breakdown of your project budget versus actual costs.

This will automatically update as you accumulate expenses from materials, equipment, and labor hours. It will display your margins in dollar and percent form to help you track job costs and profitability throughout your project. 

You can also access a table breaking down your expenses in further detail:

You can click on any line item and see the exact source of that expense (e.g., which technician logged those hours, or which purchase orders and vendors a given set of materials came from). This allows you to easily check your numbers and feel confident in your data.

When it comes time to send applications for payment and invoices at each stage of progress billing, this can also be easily accomplished from the project overview dashboard.

Automate Progress Billing and Invoicing

The initial estimate you created also informs and populates your continuation sheet in your application for payment:

No more reinventing the wheel for every asset that needs to be created throughout your project. When sending a payment application, you can easily generate one by selecting the billing period and the percent of each line item you want to bill for.

Then, you can generate a PDF payment application with the details automatically filled out, and send it off to your client for review. The detail of the continuation sheet makes for a bill that’s much easier to defend in the event of pushback from construction companies or general contractors. As a result, subcontractors can get paid faster and avoid cash flow issues.

When applications are accepted, it’s just as easy to generate an invoice for that progress payment. And, when payments come in, you can update your accounts receivable through our Viewpoint, Sage, QuickBooks, and CSV accounting integrations. 

Leverage Custom Forms and Checklists from the Job Site

ServiceTitan allows HVAC businesses to create versatile, customized forms including any type of checklist needed for a specific project. For example, safety checklists, site check-in forms, readiness for inspection reports, change-order notification forms, or requests for additional materials forms.

To use project forms, companies can upload ones they already have, create forms from scratch, or choose from pre-built templates. Project managers and HVAC technicians can then access those checklists in the field via our mobile app.

There are over 10 different formats that can be leveraged for each checklist item — including text, numbers, checkboxes, dropdowns, stoplight buttons, photo and video uploads, and more. Signatures can also be added if you require someone on-site to sign off on a particular form. 

By capturing these details in our cloud-based system, ServiceTitan reduces any chance of misplacing important details related to a project. 

Ensure Checklists Are Used Every Time

Within the form settings, business owners can select the option to require project managers or crew members to fill out specific forms for certain job phases. 

For example, if rough-in has been finished, project managers can be required to complete a rough-in inspection checklist before they’re able to move on to the next phase of that project.

This fosters accountability through automation — reducing stress on owners and executives — while ensuring SOPs are followed for every job. 

Get a Personalized Demo of ServiceTitan Construction Software

What we’ve covered above is just a sampling of the features that ServiceTitan offers for facilitating construction project management. We also offer features for reporting, time tracking, inventory management, and more.