30 MINUTES A WEEK PREVENTS EVERY JOB-CLOSE SURPRISE.
A weekly job review is a 20–30 minute structured conversation between the PM and owner (or CFO) that covers: production rate vs estimate this week, cost-to-complete vs budget by phase, open change orders and their status, and any billing or collections actions needed. When it runs every week without exception, there are almost no job-close surprises. When it doesn't run, every problem waits until month-end reporting to surface — often too late to do anything about it.
Most subcontractors review jobs monthly at best — when the accounting closes and the job cost report comes out. By then, a labor overrun that started in week 2 is already 3 weeks old. A missed change order trigger from week 1 is now past the submission deadline. The weekly review doesn't replace monthly accounting. It gives you a chance to act on information while work is still in progress.
EXACTLY WHAT TO COVER IN 30 MINUTES.
When: Every Monday morning, 7:00–7:30am. Every active job. Every PM. Attendance is not optional. The cadence is the system — missing it once is how it becomes monthly.
PRODUCTION RATE THIS WEEK
What was the installed quantity this week vs the estimate's daily production assumption? If the bid assumed 350 LF of conduit per day and the crew ran 280, the PM explains why and what changes next week. This takes 3 minutes per phase. It's the earliest possible warning on labor overruns — earlier than any accounting system can provide. When production is on track, this is a 30-second confirmation. When it's off, it's the most important 10-minute conversation of the week.
COST-TO-COMPLETE BY PHASE
Not the overall job budget — by phase. "We're 68% spent on rough-in and 72% complete" is fine. "We're 85% spent on rough-in and 65% complete" is a problem. Phase-level cost-to-complete is where the early warning lives. Reviewing the overall job total hides phase-level overruns that are real and building. This review requires the job cost system to be current as of last week's timecard entry — which is why weekly bookkeeping is a prerequisite, not optional. The review takes 5 to 10 minutes per active job depending on how many phases are open.
OPEN CHANGE ORDERS AND STATUS
For every open change order: when was the verbal direction given, when was the written request submitted, what's the current GC response, and what's the deadline for escalation? Change orders have a short billing window — typically 30 days from verbal direction under most subcontract forms. A CO trigger from week 1 that hasn't been submitted by week 4 is likely outside the claim window. Weekly CO status review prevents this. It also keeps the PM accountable for submission timing — the single most common place change order revenue disappears. 5 minutes per active job.
BILLING AND COLLECTIONS STATUS
Is the pay application submitted for this billing period? Is last month's invoice paid? If not, when was the last follow-up and what's the next action? Collections on current jobs are part of the weekly review — not a separate monthly process. A GC who is 15 days late on a $180,000 invoice needs a phone call this week, not a form letter next month. The PM owns the GC relationship; the PM makes the call. This takes 3 to 5 minutes per job.
THE RIGHT PEOPLE, THE RIGHT OUTPUT.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ONLY LOOK ONCE A MONTH.
Change Order Windows Close
A verbal direction in week 1 reviewed in the monthly meeting at week 5 is 35 days old. Most subcontracts require written notice within 21 to 30 days. Monthly review means change order opportunities discovered late are already past the filing deadline.
Labor Overruns Compound Unchecked
A crew running 20% over production rate for 4 weeks before the monthly review means 4 weeks of compounding overrun with no intervention. On a $600K labor job, 4 weeks of 20% overrun is $24K–$46K in excess cost that a weekly review catches in week 1.
Collections Lag Compounds Into Cash Problems
An invoice 15 days late that nobody follows up on because collections is a monthly review item becomes 45 days late by the next meeting. On $200K outstanding, that's 30 extra days of funding from the LOC — at the exact time the next job's mobilization costs are hitting.
FREQUENTLY ASKED.
Former PM and master electrician. The weekly job review was standard practice on every GC he worked with — and almost nonexistent on the sub side. CFOS builds the infrastructure that makes it possible and the cadence that makes it stick.