M01.03
The admin role: what 'done' looks like
A competency model for construction administration in a specialty contracting shop.
- Use the job-file standard as a definition of done
- Know what you own vs. what you route
- Run the morning and weekly loops without being prompted
Competency model
Professional admin roles are built on competencies, not gut feel. Yours are: document control, commercial awareness, client communication, field logistics support, compliance calendar, and systems hygiene. You will not estimate complex systems in month one. You will not approve substitutions. You will make it impossible for those decisions to get lost.
Own / route / never
| You own | You route | You never |
|---|---|---|
| Logs: RFI, submittal, CO, COI, SDS | Product substitutions, spec interpretations | Guess a chemical or a mil thickness on the phone |
| Job file structure and naming | Price, schedule commitments, extras | Start extra work on a verbal |
| Inbox triage and same-day acknowledgment | Legal strategy, lien filing decisions | Backdate, fabricate, or 'clean up' a document |
| AP matching and coding | Vendor terms negotiation (flag it) | Pay an unmatched invoice 'to be nice' |
| Visitor / site-walk logistics | Means and methods in the field | Walk into a mix zone to 'help' |
The morning loop (every working day, before 9:00)
- 01Crew pulse
Who is where, what is being applied, what is blocking. Capture delays in the job file the same morning.
- 02Inbox and voice
Acknowledge every client/GC message the same morning even if the answer is 'in review.'
- 03Deliveries
What is incoming today. Match to POs. Alert field if a kit is short.
- 04Insurance & notices
Anything expiring in 14 days is today's work, not next month's surprise.
- 05Money
Invoices to send, payments received, extras unsigned. Cash is a daily sport.
Takeaways
- Own the log. Do not own the chemistry.
- Done means dated, named, filed, and findable.
- If you are the only person who understands a folder, the folder has failed.