Most likely, you have been familiar with using the Critical Path Method (CPM) for scheduling your construction projects. After all, it is one of the most common, and traditional, construction planning techniques. A construction project needs to be scheduled, and the CPM method does make sense in theory at the start of many construction projects. Nevertheless, in practice, it’s not always the best fit and process for a project. Mainly, this is due to the fact that it revolves around one person deciding the schedule for the whole team and project. Even for the most seasoned project managers, it’s difficult to be the primary stakeholder designating all scheduling–and often it doesn’t provide the results project need.
But an alternative planning method is gaining mainstream popularity in the construction industry; pull planning. The rising substitute to CPM that emerged from lean construction principles has been yielding solid results for many construction projects. One primary reason for pull planning’s success is that it prioritizes input from the entire team. As a result, this benefits the project by giving each team member’s expertise on what’s needed and how long each step will take.
While the method can help the project run smoother, it can take groundwork to lay out in the beginning. In our blog, we dive into a thorough overview of the concept and provide you with a step-by-step guide to getting started with the method on your next project.
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As mentioned, the Last Planner System (LPS) has a foundation in lean construction principles. Before we get into the specifics of LPS, it's important to understand the fundamentals of lean. Lean construction is a management philosophy designed to maximize value and minimize waste throughout construction projects. The approach places a strong emphasis continuous improvement, respect for people as a key resource, and a focus on optimizing processes. By applying lean construction principles to the planning process, teams can streamline workflows, reduce unnecessary workflows and processes, and create a culture where continual optimization is highly valued.
When it comes to planning on lean construction projects, team members aim to identify and eliminate waste, improve communication, and ensure that every task adds value to the project. By integrating lean principles into the planning process, construction teams can deliver projects more efficiently and effectively.
Pull planning works as a scheduling tool for the Last Planner System (LPS), which is based on a collaborative approach to managing a project. Pull planning requires active collaboration, detailed communication, and ongoing updates for all team members. As mentioned, collaboration is the primary driver of the method, often achieved through a pull planning meeting where the team coordinates timelines and activities. It shifts the process from focusing on an individual level to focus on the team, including trade partners who are involved early in planning and task assignment. Implementing LPS helps secure buy-in from everyone at the start of a project, leading to a better understanding of project goals and challenges.
In LPS, the “last planners” are the ones completing the work in the planning stage of the project. By doing this, LPS makes it easier to determine problems and helps the project run smoothly and stick to planned deadlines. The general contractor and construction project manager act as facilitators of the pull planning meeting, guiding the process and ensuring all stakeholders are bought in and aligned.
Planning in this way is most commonly used in tandem with lean construction, and lean pull planning is an advanced method that integrates lean principles to even further reduce waste and improve collaboration and flexibility.
How does the method make a construction project work smarter and simpler? It starts with the project milestones, such as the completion date and works backward from the steps that efficiently lead to those milestones. By working backward, teams prioritize the most critical tasks and figure out how different tasks are connected toward the final goals. Instead of working blindly, you plan precisely where you’re trying to go and how to get there. The pull plan created serves as a guide for the project, helping maintain team-wide alignment and the project moving forward.
You put a focus on tasks–clearly defining and sequencing them. On top of planning each step, you determine the method for requesting and receiving an action.
The three rules of pull planning underpin this process, guiding effective collaboration, adaptability, and clear sequencing of tasks:
The planning method boosts your construction productivity in the following ways:
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Generally, the planning method is created with the use of colorful sticky notes. A sticky note serves as a visual cue to organize and categorize tasks during planning sessions, making it easier for teams to clarify the process and improve understanding. While this method may seem simple or even old-fashioned (where’s the technology?), tools are available to help manage the project digitally. In theory, though, the visuals of the sticky notes help you see every aspect of the project and allow you to adjust the tasks to create the right plan. Plus, there’s much more to the method than sticky notes, and the planning process should be carried out in a certain way to be successful.
The following steps are part of the pull planning process:
When managing the process digitally, construction planning software can be used for project visualization and resource management. Digital tools also assist in documenting and converting the pull planning process into a schedule, further streamlining project management and improving efficiency.
Evaluating the success of pull planning is essential for continuous improvement and ensuring that current and future construction projects meet their goals. Project managers can use a variety of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of the planning process, including adherence to the project timeline, budget performance, and the quality of project outcomes. Additionally, metrics such as team member engagement, communication, and collaboration provide valuable feedback into how well the team is working together.
At the end of the day, a successful pull planning session should result in a clear understanding of the project’s goals, scope, and schedule, with all team members fully committed to achieving the needed project outcomes. Regular tracking and reviews of these metrics ensures that project managers identify areas for improvement and make better decisions and optimizations to the planning process.
Pull planning is an effective tool that has the potential to be game changing in a construction production process. It provides a worthy alternative to CPM that can improve project efficiency, helping keep it on track and cut down on waste. Nonetheless, it’s only one step. Using the method paired with lean construction as well as collaborative construction technology will help teams to reap the benefits of the technique truly.
