Pull Planning in Construction

What exactly is pull planning?

Starting a good pull planning requires someone with experience to take the lead. It's like a team effort where everyone involved in the project works together to get it done. The group of project participants begins with the final product in mind and works backwards, defining intermediate steps along the way. So basically, we make a plan and figure out how to get things done step by step.

Pull planning in the construction industry is a collaborative, reverse-order planning approach.

So, pull planning is like starting with the end in mind instead of going step by step like traditional models. It's all about teamwork, not just relying on one person's expertise (usually the general contractor or project manager).

Sticky notes of different colours and a handwritten project plan together provide a visual representation of this process. So, like, each note is for a different part of the project that you have to do. Make sure you've got a big area to work with and lay out the project timeline with lots of space to add and change things at first. Using color-coded sticky notes is the easiest way for everyone on the team to add their thoughts (and update how long it'll take) and any extra stuff we need to finish the job. This will help you see how to get the job done quicker and more efficiently.

You should also include all significant milestones and tasks in their proper order, and map out the whole process in weeks or some other measurable time frame. Once you've got a solid workflow in place, all team members can easily see what needs to get done before tackling the task at hand. Just by looking at the timeline and notes, everyone working on the project can easily see what stage each task is at and how urgent it is.

By working together, we can pool our knowledge and foresee future issues that can arise. This helps us to save some time and money in project while using fewer resources.

For pull planning, don't just bring in the tradesmen for each part of the project to brainstorm. We need a few important folks on board for this thing to work. Make sure these people are always in on the planning and feedback:

Pull planning in the construction industry is a collaborative, reverse-order planning approach.

So, pull planning is like starting with the end in mind instead of going step by step like traditional models. It's all about teamwork, not just relying on one person's expertise (usually the general contractor or project manager).

Sticky notes of different colours and a handwritten project plan together provide a visual representation of this process. So, like, each note is for a different part of the project that you have to do. Make sure you've got a big area to work with and lay out the project timeline with lots of space to add and change things at first. Using color-coded sticky notes is the easiest way for everyone on the team to add their thoughts (and update how long it'll take) and any extra stuff we need to finish the job. This will help you see how to get the job done quicker and more efficiently.

You should also include all significant milestones and tasks in their proper order, and map out the whole process in weeks or some other measurable time frame. Once you've got a solid workflow in place, all team members can easily see what needs to get done before tackling the task at hand. Just by looking at the timeline and notes, everyone working on the project can easily see what stage each task is at and how urgent it is.

By working together, we can pool our knowledge and foresee future issues that can arise. This helps us to save some time and money in project while using fewer resources.

For pull planning, don't just bring in the tradesmen for each part of the project to brainstorm. We need a few important folks on board for this thing to work. Make sure these people are always in on the planning and feedback:

1. Representative of the owner
2. Project Manager
3. Scheduler
4. Design lead
5. Trade lead from each trade involved
6. General foreman
7. Superintendent
8. Lead safety officer
9. Quality Assurance supervisor

Having all of these individuals present will guarantee that your team is on the same page and working toward a shared goal. It's crucial to remember that if you include anybody other than the team leaders, it will be harder for you to get support.

Best practices for pull planning

Nowadays you don't need to stick to the old school way of using coloured sticky notes for pull planning. There are plenty of digital construction software tools that can handle that for you. Pull scheduling in construction is more than just using sticky notes for visualization, and the method by which this is done is crucial to the project's outcome.

Best practices for pull planning are outlined below.

1. Bring everyone on board with the plan, and rally your team behind it. Involve the stakeholders and members of your team in your project with the expectation that they will all provide critical information and key milestones.
2. Establish achievable goals and stick to them. Determine the key points in the project's lifecycle that must be met in order to guarantee the project's smooth delivery. Once you have your milestones established, you can begin to map out every stage of your project and the workflows inside those phases, including the tasks and activities that will lead to their successful completion.
3. Schedule your daily tasks. Once you have set up your phase plans, schedule all of your tasks.
4. Set up times. Determine how long you want each activity to last.
5. Set your goals for the week. Think about how you can break down your phase-planned activities and duties into manageable weekly work plans.
6. Set up regular daily meetings. Before starting each day of work, the foreman may review the previous day's progress and make sure everything is on track.
7. Organise weekly meetings. The foreman has the opportunity to evaluate the schedule, and he may make revisions to the plans as necessary.
8. Improve the strategy by updating it. A project schedule may be modified more effectively when it is kept up-to-date with the outcomes of both daily and weekly meetings.

Construction Pull Planning: Three Golden Rules

1. Pull

It's Pull planning's first rule. Basically, you just have to do what the customer asks of you. However, in this case, the customer will be a subcontractor working on the building site, such as a drywaller, painter, electrician, plumber, etc. Basically, you will start at the end of the project and work backwards to figure out the order in which everything should be done. This will ensure that the job is completed on time and the subcontractor won't be in the path of other tasks. Or it might be too late, putting the whole project at risk of falling behind schedule.



Identifying the best team leaders for each sub-task is a crucial aspect of the first pull. You need to be sure you have assembled a team that will work together, share ideas, and keep everyone informed about progress. Knowing who to pull and when requires experience and insight. This is why it is common practice to have a seasoned General Contractor oversee the execution of this method.

Pull planning might seem strange at first, particularly if there is free time during which another subcontractor could be working. But if you stick to this guideline, you'll discover that the process is streamlined and the outcome is just what you hoped for.

2. Collaboration

Collaborating is the second rule. In order for each member of the project team to know their role and what must be done, pull planning necessitates the greatest teamwork of any construction technique. Since everyone will be able to share their ideas at any time, the whole group will know what the next steps are.



Collaboration in construction, specifically in relation to pull planning, is centered around the development of a pull planning schedule at the beginning of the project. It is crucial to ensure that any added notes are highly detailed and descriptive. In order for everyone in the room to understand the notes placed into the pull planning schedule, it is important to be descriptive and provide detailed information. For instance, a note stating "Install cabinets" can have various interpretations. However, once the cabinet installer provides the group with specific information about the cabinets' installation schedule, they will promptly determine whether the cabinets are intended for the kitchen, bathroom, basement, or any other room.

This will ensure that all workers are aware of the areas that are off-limits during the cabinet installation. It will prevent any confusion or interference caused by others attempting to perform different tasks in those areas. The group can also inform the cabinet person if they need to postpone the installation process for a day or two because there is still work being completed in that area. This will ensure that your project runs smoothly and that subcontractors do not interfere with each other's work.

Continuing collaboration on a regular basis is also highly important. The lead, typically the general foreman, should update the pull planning schedule at least once a week. Additionally, the team should come together every other week to review and revise the plan as a whole. This will ensure that everyone is informed about the schedule and any delays that may have occurred.

3. Commitment

The third rule in pull planning is commitment, which is considered the most crucial rule among the three. This rule ensures that no one ever moves another person's note, under the assumption that it is less important than the one they want to prioritize. It is important for everyone to reach a consensus and refrain from altering or modifying another person's sticky notes.

It is understandable that everyone prioritizes completing their work first, but achieving this goal is often challenging in the construction industry. It is important for everyone to adhere to the established guidelines to avoid the need for redoing any work as the project moves forward. Every individual participating in the project is expected to adhere to the pull planning schedule and fulfill their assigned tasks at the designated time.

Another way that can significantly delay the timeline of the project is by moving notes. Instead, it is evident that collaborating, coordinating tasks, and engaging in discussions about prioritizing job completion can greatly enhance the progress of the entire project.

Why you have to use pull planning instead of push planning ?

Pull planning is quickly being recognized as one of, if not the most effective and fruitful, project management strategies used in the modern construction industry. Studies have shown that using pull planning results in a considerable boost in both the safety of employees and the quality of the project when the appropriate stakeholders are involved in open collaboration.

This approach reduces the likelihood that work will need to be redone as a result of errors, lowers the total risk, and cuts down costs by eliminating the need to keep personnel on standby as they await the start of their assigned job.

You don't have to wait for your current project to be done in order to begin adopting pull planning into your organization, which is one of the nicest things about this kind of project management. During the course of the project's execution, the procedure may be initiated at any moment. When it comes to pull planning, however, the sooner it is put into action, the better.

Benefits of Pull planning software

On-site pull planning software lets you digitize sticky notes and access them on your mobile device. Reduce waste to boost field productivity and project completion. Pull planning software can:

1. Enhance collaboration. A pull planning software enables you to utilize the schedule method effectively, enhancing communication within the application and fostering collaboration among your entire team.
2. Ensure transparency in team communication. Real-time pull planning software enables effective communication among team members, ensuring that everyone understands their respective roles and responsibilities. They are fully aware of what they should focus on in order to resolve problems quickly.
3. Improve efficiency and streamline workflows. By making lean pull planning easily accessible to all team members, they can minimize errors and improve the efficiency of their work.
4. Maximize your efficiency. Every member of your team possesses a clear understanding of the milestones and the necessary steps required to accomplish them. Having a comprehensive understanding of your individual responsibilities, along with an open data ecosystem, is crucial for optimizing your workflows and ensuring that your project progresses smoothly without any issues.

Conclusion

Pull planning is a highly effective method for ensuring that your construction project progresses smoothly and is completed within the designated timeframe. The method revolves around two core principles: leadership and communication.

Some individuals may not initially appreciate pull planning when they first begin using it. In particular, if they fail to do it correctly. By following these three rules, you will discover that pull planning is a valuable investment of your time. This is especially true if you can consistently complete your projects on schedule, or even ahead of time occasionally.

If you have not yet utilized pull planning for your projects, we highly recommend reaching out to professionals in the industry to seek their insights and learn from their experiences. You will discover that incorporating it into your current and future projects is easier than you may think. The results will surely leave you wondering why you didn't act sooner.

The primary objective of pull planning is to foster a collaborative team environment, emphasizing collective effort rather than individual contributions. By doing this, you will establish a highly efficient team that excels in effective communication and collaborates seamlessly to identify and resolve potential issues. By addressing any issues as they arise, we can effectively plan for and prevent them from occurring again in the future. This implies that each project will progressively increase in efficiency.