Construction handover Gantt chart: snagging to final certificate
An editable construction handover Gantt chart: snagging, commissioning, as-built drawings and O&M manuals, training, practical completion and a defects period, with dependencies and milestones.
What the construction handover gantt chart: snagging to final certificate process is
The end of a construction project is where schedules usually go quiet and dates start to slip. The main trades have left, the remaining work is a list of small items, and three streams that look independent are not: snagging, commissioning and the handover documents. Practical completion needs the first two. The handover needs the third. A single date for "handover" hides which stream is holding it.
This template has four phases: Snagging, Commissioning, Documents and training, and Handover and defects. "Pre-completion inspection" and "Compile snagging list" overlap, because the list is written as the inspection goes: the second task is start-to-start with the first, one working day in. "Contractor rectifies snags" and "Re-inspect rectified snags" follow. Beside them, "Agree commissioning plan" leads to "Pre-commissioning checks", "Commission and balance systems", "Witness tests and performance proving" and the "Commissioning complete" milestone.
The documents run in a third stream. "Collect as-built drawings" and "Draft O&M manuals" can start before commissioning ends, but "Add commissioning records to manuals" waits for both the draft and "Commissioning complete". "Train facilities staff" starts once commissioning is complete and finishes one working day after the records are added, which is a finish-to-finish link. The "Practical completion" milestone waits for "Re-inspect rectified snags" and "Commissioning complete"; "Handover to the operator" waits for practical completion and for the training.
"Defects period" is 120 working days in this example and is waiting time, not work. It starts at "Practical completion", so it runs on after the handover has been done. "End-of-period defects inspection", "Rectify defects found" and the "Final certificate" milestone follow it. All durations are illustrative. The real length of the defects period, and what practical completion means, are set by your contract, not by this chart.
This is a planning aid, not a contract programme. It does not certify that anything is complete, safe or accepted, and it has no cost or retention tracking. For the build phase before this one, see /templates/construction-gantt-chart; for the commissioning process itself, see /templates/electrical-system-commissioning-sop and /templates/instrument-installation-and-commissioning-sop. For the sequence of steps at handover see /templates/vessel-repair-handover-sop and, for closing a project, /templates/project-closure-process.
What this flowchart covers
In this template
- Four phases, Snagging, Commissioning, Documents and training, and Handover and defects, with 19 tasks and three milestones: "Commissioning complete", "Practical completion" and "Final certificate".
- Snagging that overlaps the inspection: "Compile snagging list" starts one working day after "Pre-completion inspection" starts, and is followed by "Contractor rectifies snags" (10 working days) and "Re-inspect rectified snags".
- Commissioning as its own chain: "Agree commissioning plan", "Pre-commissioning checks", "Commission and balance systems" (10 working days) and "Witness tests and performance proving".
- Documents tied to commissioning: "Add commissioning records to manuals" waits for "Draft O&M manuals" and "Commissioning complete", and "Train facilities staff" finishes one working day after it.
- A defects period kept as a wait: "Defects period" (120 working days, illustrative) starts at "Practical completion", then "End-of-period defects inspection", "Rectify defects found" and "Final certificate".
When to use this template
- A building is nearing completion and the client, contractor and operator each need to see what stands between them and practical completion.
- You manage snagging, commissioning and the O&M handover and want to see which of the three sets the handover date.
- You need to show a client when the defects period would end, and what has to happen at the end of it.
- You are a facilities team receiving a building and want to plan training and manuals against the commissioning dates.
The plan, task by task
Every task in the chart with its length in working days and what it waits for. A dependency is a step number; SS is start-to-start, FF is finish-to-finish, and +n is a lag in working days.
| # | Task | Group | Working days | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pre-completion inspection | Snagging | 3 | |
| 2 | Compile snagging list | Snagging | 2 | 1SS+1 |
| 3 | Contractor rectifies snags | Snagging | 10 | 2 |
| 4 | Re-inspect rectified snags | Snagging | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | Agree commissioning plan | Commissioning | 2 | |
| 6 | Pre-commissioning checks | Commissioning | 4 | 5 |
| 7 | Commission and balance systems | Commissioning | 10 | 6 |
| 8 | Witness tests and performance proving | Commissioning | 3 | 7 |
| 9 | Commissioning complete | Commissioning | Milestone | 8 |
| 10 | Collect as-built drawings | Documents and training | 8 | |
| 11 | Draft O&M manuals | Documents and training | 10 | 10 |
| 12 | Add commissioning records to manuals | Documents and training | 3 | 9, 11 |
| 13 | Train facilities staff | Documents and training | 4 | 9, 12FF+1 |
| 14 | Practical completion | Handover and defects | Milestone | 4, 9 |
| 15 | Handover to the operator | Handover and defects | 2 | 13, 14 |
| 16 | Defects period | Handover and defects | 120 | 14 |
| 17 | End-of-period defects inspection | Handover and defects | 3 | 16 |
| 18 | Rectify defects found | Handover and defects | 5 | 17 |
| 19 | Final certificate | Handover and defects | Milestone | 18 |
How it works
Start snagging at the inspection
Keep "Compile snagging list" as a separate task that starts one working day after "Pre-completion inspection". Set the length of "Contractor rectifies snags" from the size of the list, and add a second round if you expect one.
Plan commissioning as its own chain
Put your systems in the order your commissioning plan gives them and replace the single "Commission and balance systems" task with one task per system if they run in sequence or overlap.
Tie the documents to commissioning
The manuals can be drafted early, but the records cannot be added until commissioning is complete. Keep that dependency, and check that the training happens after the systems work.
Make practical completion depend on both streams
Leave "Practical completion" waiting for the re-inspection and for "Commissioning complete". Add any other condition your contract names as another task or milestone.
Set the defects period from your contract
Change the duration of "Defects period" to the length in your contract, counted in working days, and add notes on who may report defects and how.
Share it and keep progress current
Add the responsible people, record progress as items close, and share the chart with the client and the operator. Export a PDF when a snapshot is needed for the handover file.
Frequently asked questions
Does this chart define practical completion?
No. Practical completion, and the conditions for it, are defined by the contract and, in places, by local rules. The chart shows when your own conditions are expected to be met, nothing more.
Why is the defects period a task and not a deadline?
It is a period of time that has to pass, so it is planned as a task with a length. Because it follows practical completion and nothing waits for it except the end-of-period inspection, it is easy to see when the final certificate could be due.
Can I use this for a fit-out or a refurbishment?
Yes, as a pattern. Rename the tasks and shorten the commissioning chain. For the main works use /templates/construction-gantt-chart, and for a general plan /templates/project-gantt-chart.
Can I add each snag to the chart?
You can, but a long snagging list is better kept as a table in the task notes or in your own system. Keep the chart to the rounds of rectification and re-inspection, and paste the list into a separate sheet if you need to track items.
What happens if commissioning runs late?
Change its duration and the later tasks move: the records, the training, practical completion and the defects period. Switch on the critical path to see which chain sets the date. QueryChart does not keep a baseline, so export a PDF before you change the plan if you want the earlier version.
