Hey everyone, we’ve been using Houzz Pro as the backbone of our project management for a few years now and we have had so much success with it we’ve made a course teaching others to do the same. Here is a link to a free download of our workflow map if you’re interested in an overview of which features we use at which phases of each project. Thanks!
The most useful part of any workflow map is showing where decisions and money can fall through the cracks. For design studios, the handoffs matter as much as the phases: inquiry to proposal, proposal to contract, selections to purchasing, purchasing to install, and change decisions back into the budget.
I would make sure each phase has a financial checkpoint, not just a task checklist. For example: before proposal, confirm scope and assumptions. Before purchasing, confirm approved selections and current vendor pricing. Before install, confirm what has been ordered, what is backordered, and what has changed from the original budget. Before closeout, reconcile allowances, change orders, open invoices, and final client balance.
The workflow should also identify the owner of each update. If everyone can update the budget but nobody is responsible for it, the budget will drift. Same with client decisions and vendor quotes.
For high-end design work, the client experience improves when the back office is organized. A polished dashboard is nice, but the real trust comes from accurate scope, current pricing, documented approvals, and no surprise costs at the end. Congrats on your course.
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