TradeWeave · ServiceTitan Role Workflows

Project Manager / Coordinator

Runs work too big and too long for the single-visit job model. Everything traces back to one discipline: keeping the budget, the contract value, and reality in sync as the project moves through scope changes and partial billing.

Project Plan Budget vs. Actual RFIs / Submittals Change Orders WIP Report

The single most consequential early decision is Core vs. Phased project mode, and it can't change mid-project without corrupting the financials — Core tracks cost by type (Labor, Materials, Equipment), Phased tracks by project phase with Progress Billing. Everything downstream — RFIs, change orders, WIP reconciliation, closeout — depends on that foundation being set correctly and consistently from day one.

Day in the life

The four-stage flow

From mobilizing the project through managing scope changes, monitoring financials continuously, and closing out.

1

Set up and mobilize the project

Project PlanDaily Logs
  • Always build the budget from the Sold estimate, never from scratch — starting fresh risks silently missing sold line items.
  • Set Project Labels and defaults before work starts, or items land as "Uncategorized" on every Budget vs. Actual report.
  • Issue mobilization POs and start Daily Logs from Day 1 — POs register as Committed Costs immediately; Daily Logs establish a legal baseline from the start.
  • Review the sold estimate against Budget vs. Actual before mobilizing — catching a scope gap now is cheaper than a change order later.
Never switch mid-project Core tracks cost by type; Phased tracks by phase with Progress Billing. Using Core logic on a Phased project double-books revenue.
2

Manage scope changes through RFIs and Change Orders

RFIsSubmittalsChange Orders
  • RFIs tag Schedule Impact and Cost Impact (Yes/No/Maybe) — that's what makes triage possible later. Submit early.
  • Enforce: major-equipment POs only issue after the Submittal shows Response Received or Closed.
  • Creating a COR directly from the RFI that prompted it preserves an audit trail of why the scope changed.
At-Risk Work A Change Order Request doesn't touch the budget until approved. Work performed before approval is At-Risk Work — the business is financing it with no guaranteed reimbursement. Always create and approve the COR before starting extra work.
3

Monitor financials continuously

WIP ReportBudget vs. Actual
  • Run the WIP Report monthly, before any period closes. Billed > Earned = overbilled (a liability); Earned > Billed = financing the client (a cash-flow drain).
  • Committed Costs on unfilled POs only show if that setting is enabled — without it, real exposure stays invisible until the bill lands.
  • Retainage must map to a Retainage Receivable asset account, not general AR, or it will never reconcile.
4

Close out and hand over

Punch ListDocuments
  • Resolve every punch list item first — for commercial work, collect lien waivers before releasing retainage.
  • Reconcile WIP one more time before closing — skipping this is exactly what masks a liability or cash drain permanently once the period locks.
  • Assemble the turnover package (O&M manuals, warranty certs, as-builts, serial numbers) in Documents — serials start the warranty clock.
Release retainage last, not early Only release final retainage after all work is accepted and punch list items are resolved — releasing early gives up leverage if something surfaces afterward.

Reference

Pitfalls & performance

Common pitfalls

SymptomFix
Revenue double-bookedNever mix Core and Phased on one project
Items always "Uncategorized"Set Project Labels before work starts
Extra work done, no guaranteed paymentAlways approve the COR before starting
Wrong equipment orderedEnforce Submittal approval before major POs
Retainage never reconcilesMap to Retainage Receivable, not general AR
Overbilling discovered too lateRun WIP monthly, not just at close

KPIs to watch

MetricWhere
WIP variance (Earned vs. Billed)WIP Active Projects report
Budget vs. Actual by cost categoryProject > Financials
Change order volume/valueReports > "Change Order"
Retainage released vs. heldBudget vs. Actual
Project profit margin (post-close)Project report, closed filter

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