Construction Operations – First-Principles Prompt

Type of Contractor

General ContractorHome BuilderSubcontractor

What do you specialize in?

What is the fundamental outcome we’re designing for?

Eliminate rework and errorsImprove visibility across teams and departmentsShorten project cycle times (from intake → closeout)Improve predictability of cost and scheduleReduce bottlenecks in procurement and logisticsImprove subcontractor accountability and coordinationIncrease data accuracy and single source of truthEnhance safety and compliance

What part of operations are we actually tackling?

Project Intake & QualificationPreconstruction (Estimating, Design, Permitting)Procurement & Supply ChainField Execution & Production PlanningFinancial Management & ReportingSafety & Quality AssuranceCloseout & HandoffsPortfolio / Executive Oversight

What information must come in?

RFIs, Submittals, and DrawingsMaterial Requests / POsResource availability (crew, equipment, suppliers)Schedule baseline & updatesBudget / Forecast dataSite conditions & daily logsExternal approvals (permits, inspections, sign-offs)Customer or stakeholder requirements

What do we expect the system to produce?

Status dashboards (project, division, portfolio)Forecast vs. actual performance (schedule & cost)Risk alerts (delays, overruns, scope creep)Subcontractor scorecardsKPI reports (safety, quality, productivity)Centralized logs (RFIs, change orders, daily reports)Automated reminders / notificationsDecision-ready insights for leadership

Prompt

I work for a and we specialize in .The fundamental outcome we’re designing for is

The system must be designed for a with the goal of improving . This role needs structured processes and clear outputs so that decision-making is proactive rather than reactive.

The core inputs into the system will be These inputs must flow into a central source of truth where data can be standardized, validated, and acted upon in real time.

The desired outputs are enabling leadership and field teams to maintain visibility, flag risks early, and align resources to priorities.

To solve from the ground up, what “irreducible truths” must we accept?

Every role should land on a view tailored to their priorities — PMs see tasks and risks, executives see portfolio metrics, and field teams see mobile task lists. Keep daily actions within 2–3 clicks, with guided flows for compliance tasks and flexible flows for iterative work. Prioritize information (risks → resources → costs), keep designs consistent, and let users customize their view. Always design around real habits, connect to existing systems, give clear feedback, and build modular so the app can scale. All items should be clickable, and there should be a navigation bar that allows user to navigate different views.