Your Build Playbook (and Your Own SOP Playbook)
How the eight-phase Build Playbook works, how your own SOP library differs, and what neither page does.
Help Center location: `/help/the-playbook/playbook-page-guide` — category **The Playbook**.
Stored unpublished for administrator review. Editable source: `docs/help/playbook-page-guide.md`.
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OwnerDraw has two pages with "Playbook" in the name, and they do different jobs:
| Page | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| **Build Playbook** | **Build Playbook** in the sidebar | A fixed, 8-phase list of the 60 steps of an owner-built home, with your progress ticked off |
| **Playbook** | **Playbook** in the sidebar | Your own private library of written procedures (SOPs) you type in yourself |
This guide covers both. Neither page moves a date, spends money, or tells anyone else to do anything.
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Part 1 — Build Playbook
What this page does
**Build Playbook** is the "am I doing this in a sensible order?" page. It shows eight phases —
**Land Acquisition, Feasibility & Planning, Plans & Design, Budget & Estimating, Loan & Financing,
Pre-Construction, Construction, Closeout** — holding 60 steps in total. You tick steps off as you
complete them, and the page always tells you the next unticked one.
Two things worth knowing before you rely on it:
- **The steps are the same for everyone.** They do not change with your build type, your foundation
- type, your funding type, or which project is selected in the sidebar. There is no per-project or
- per-build-type version of this list.
- **Your progress belongs to your account, not to a project.** Tick a step while one project is
- selected and it stays ticked when you switch projects. If you are building two houses, this page
- tracks *you*, not each house. Use **Schedule** and **To-Dos** for anything that must be per project.
Start here
1. Open **Build Playbook**.
2. Read **Your Build Journey — Phase _n_ of 8** at the top. The highlighted circle is the phase you
are in; the small number under each circle is *steps complete / steps in that phase*.
3. Read the dark **Your Next Step** banner. That is the first step you have not ticked, anywhere in
the list.
4. Select the step's name to open its side panel and read **About This Step** and **Builder
Guidance** before you start work.
5. When it is genuinely done, select **Mark Complete** in the panel — or tick the circle beside the
step in the phase grid.
Common actions
| I want to | Do this |
|---|---|
| See everything at once | Select **Expand** on the **Build Playbook** strip (phases show as cards of steps) |
| Read guidance for a step | Select the step's **name** — a panel opens on the right |
| Start a step | In the panel, select **Start This Step** (marks it **In Progress**) |
| Finish a step | **Mark Complete** in the panel, or tick the circle on the row |
| Undo a step | Tick the circle again, or **Reset to Not Started** in the panel |
| Jump to a phase | Select a phase chip in the sticky strip at the top |
| Complete the next thing without opening it | **Mark Step Complete** on the **Your Next Step** banner |
What the statuses mean
| Status | Shown as | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| **Not Started** | Empty grey circle | Nothing recorded |
| **In Progress** | Amber part-filled circle, **In Progress** pill | You said you had started it |
| **Completed** | Green tick, struck-through name | You said it was done, with today's date stored |
Ticking the circle cycles **Not Started → In Progress → Completed → Not Started**. Nothing else in
OwnerDraw reads these statuses: they do not change your Project Health score, your Loan Readiness
score on **Bank Ready**, your budget, or your draw requests.
What is in a step's panel
Depending on the step, the panel can show:
- **About This Step** — the step's own description.
- **Builder Guidance** — why it matters, a stop-alert, what to say to a vendor, and things to check,
- where our guidance library covers that step.
- **Building Code Reference** — an IRC section badge where a code reference matches the step name.
- **Related Articles** — up to four matching Knowledge Base articles, opened in a new tab.
If a step has none of that, the panel says so honestly rather than inventing advice.
How this relates to Schedule, To-Dos and QC Checklists
They are separate on purpose. Nothing here syncs automatically:
- Completing a Playbook step does **not** create or complete a **Schedule** task, and moving a
- Schedule date does not tick a Playbook step.
- Completing a step does **not** create a **To-Do**. If a step needs chasing, add it on **To-Dos**
- yourself.
- Completing a step does **not** complete a **QC Checklist** item, and passing a QC checklist does
- not tick a step.
- Ticking steps does not release a payment, satisfy a lender, or stand in for an inspection.
Think of Build Playbook as the map, **Schedule** as the calendar, **To-Dos** as your notepad, and
**QC Checklists** as the proof of workmanship.
What do I do next?
| Situation | Do this |
|---|---|
| First time on the page | Read **Your Next Step**, then select the step name and read the guidance |
| You already did several steps outside the app | Expand the phases and tick those steps so the banner points somewhere useful |
| A step is about money | Do the work on **Budget** or **Expenses**, then come back and tick the step |
| A step needs a date | Add it on **Schedule** — the Playbook holds no dates |
| A step needs a permit or inspection | See the Permits and Inspections guide; record the permit number in project settings |
| The banner says **All Steps Complete!** | Move your day-to-day tracking to **Schedule**, **Draw Requests** and **QC Checklists** |
Common questions
**Can I add, rename or delete steps?**
No. The phases and steps are the same for every OwnerDraw customer and are maintained by us. Use
**To-Dos** for your own items, and the **Playbook** (SOP) page for your own written procedures.
**Do I have to do every step?**
No, and nothing marks a step required. Skip what does not apply to your build — the only cost of
skipping is that the **Your Next Step** banner keeps pointing at it.
**Does my lender see this?**
No. Nothing from this page is included in the lender packet or a draw request.
**Why does my progress look wrong after switching projects?**
It is not per project. Progress is stored against your account, so it looks identical on every
project you own.
**Is this the same as the Project Roadmap I saw during setup?**
No. The setup roadmap is part of onboarding a project. Build Playbook is the ongoing 8-phase list.
**Builder note.** Treat this as the client-facing narrative of your build order, not as a
production schedule. Sequencing, lead times and trade dependencies live on **Schedule**, where a
predecessor actually holds a successor back.
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Part 2 — Playbook (your own SOPs)
What this page does
**Playbook** is a private notebook of standard operating procedures: how *you* want a task done.
"Framing inspection checklist", "What I send a new sub on day one", "Concrete pour checklist".
**These are yours alone.** SOPs are stored against your account, not a project. Nobody else — no
partner, no banker, no client, and no vendor — can see them in OwnerDraw, and the app never sends an
SOP to anyone. There is no sharing feature and no vendor attachment.
Start here
1. Open **Playbook** and select **New SOP** (on a phone, the **+** button at the bottom right).
2. Type a **Title** (required).
3. Choose a **Category** — Pre-Construction, Permits & Inspections, Foundations, Framing, Plumbing,
Electrical, HVAC, Insulation, Drywall, Finishing, Safety or General.
4. Optionally choose a **Trade Role** (General Contractor, Plumber, Electrician and so on).
5. Type the procedure into **Content / Instructions**.
6. Optionally add one **Attachment (PDF/Flowchart)**.
7. Save. The SOP appears grouped under its category.
Common actions
| I want to | Do this |
|---|---|
| Add a procedure | **New SOP** |
| Read one | Select its card — a panel opens |
| Change one | Open it, then **Edit** |
| Delete one | Open it, select the bin, then confirm — this cannot be undone |
| Find one | Type in **Search SOPs, checklists, procedures…** (searches title, content and trade) |
| Filter by category | Select a category badge, or **All** to clear it |
| Open an attachment | Open the SOP and select the attachment link |
Common questions
**Can my subs see these?**
No. There is no share button, no email, and no vendor link. If you want a sub to have a procedure,
copy the text into a message or send them the file yourself.
**How many files can I attach?**
One per SOP. Adding another replaces it. Use **Files** for anything larger or project-specific.
**Do SOPs belong to a project?**
No. They follow your account, so they are available on every project.
**Are these the QC checklists I tick during construction?**
No. **QC Checklists** are the project-based pre-work and post-work checks with results and photos.
SOPs are just your written notes.
**Why do only five category badges show?**
The filter row shows the first five; the full list is in the **Category** dropdown when you create
or edit an SOP, and every category you have used appears as a heading in the list.
**Builder note.** The category and trade fields are the useful part. Tag by trade and you can pull
up your own scope-of-work language while you are on the phone with a sub.
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Related help
- **Schedule** — the dated construction plan and its dependencies
- **To-Dos** — your own list of jobs, per project or global
- **QC Checklists** — pre-work and post-work quality checks with optional photos
- **Permits and Inspections** — what OwnerDraw does and does not track