First Planner System®
The First Planner System is the upstream planning process where leadership defines how a project will be executed by establishing clear sequencing, structure, and strategy before construction begins. By creating a realistic and buildable plan, it reduces uncertainty, prevents downstream issues, and enables field teams to execute work efficiently and predictably.
First Planner System®
External Factors
Power to see the Paradigm
Mindsets & Paradigms
Goals of the system
Structure of the system
Rules of the system
Design & Precon
Project Proposal
Build the design team
Enable design
Builder Planning
Start strong
Production System
Team
Build the project team
Team Balance
Individual Balance
Plan
The Production Plan
Lean in Contracts
Manage Risks
Supply
chain
Procure Resources
Prefab
Logistics
Culture
Win over the Workface
Clean, Safe & Organized Project
Onboarding & Orientation
Trade Partner
Preparation Process
Buyout
Pre-Mobilization
Pre-Con Meetings
Safety
Quality
First in Place
Follow-Up Inspection
Final Inspection
What is the First
Planner System®?
The First Planner System® is a Lean pre-construction planning system that helps executives, project managers, and superintendents design project flow before work begins. It replaces rushing and guesswork with structured, flow-based planning—improving predictability, reducing rework, and setting up the field for reliable execution.
External Factors
Focuses on identifying and managing outside influences early—such as approvals, regulations, site conditions, utilities, and stakeholder requirements—so the team can reduce risk, avoid avoidable delays, and remove barriers before they affect execution.
Design & Precon
Involves aligning design, scope, constructability, sequencing, budget, procurement, and coordination before work reaches the field, helping the team create a realistic plan, reduce rework and conflicts, and set up smoother execution.
TP3
It focuses on getting trade partners fully ready before and during execution by aligning scope, sequence, manpower, materials, tools, information, and handoffs so each crew can perform work reliably at the planned pace. This helps reduce variability and delays while supporting safe operations, meeting quality expectations, staying ready for inspections, and following a plan, build, finish-as-you-go approach.
Check out the system
on Miro Board
What Changes on
Your Project
01
1 Problems are solved earlier (not in the field)
Issues like design gaps, missing scope, or permitting delays get addressed in advance instead of showing up during construction.
02
2 The plan becomes clear and buildable
The project has defined sequencing, zones, and strategy—teams are no longer guessing how work should flow.
03
3 Less chaos and rework
04
4 Procurement and logistics stabilize
Long-lead items, materials, and resources are planned ahead, avoiding last-minute scrambling.
05
5 Execution becomes more predictable
Field teams can focus on delivering work instead of fixing the plan, leading to smoother flow and more reliable progress.
What You Get When
We Work Together
- Align design with the construction sequence and takt-based flow, ensuring the project is structured for continuous movement, coordinated execution, and a smooth transition from planning into production.
- Facilitated pull planning sessions and Trade Partner Weekly Tactical meetings on your live project.
- A custom Takt Plan & Integrated Production Control System™ for your key phases.
- Procurement is planned and aligned with the production plan, so materials, equipment, and resources arrive on time to support continuous flow and prevent delays.
- Coaching and playbooks your team can use on future projects without us.
How leantakt
supports the system
01.
DEFINE & EXECUTE
- Define the project’s scope, sequence, and strategy early so the team starts with clarity and moves into construction without guesswork.
02.
REDUCE & PROTECT
- Address permits, design gaps, procurement, and constraints early to reduce delays, costly changes, and avoidable disruption.
03.
FLOW & DELIVER
- Structure work for flow, not chaos, so the project progresses predictably and milestones are more reliable.
04.
CONTROL & SAVE
- Coordinate early to minimize rework, inefficiencies, and waste, helping protect the project budget.
05.
ALIGN & SIMPLIFY
- Align teams from the start, create clear communication, and reduce stress and firefighting across the project.
06.
BUILD & PROTECT
- Help the field build it right the first time, maintain safety, meet quality expectations, and stay ready for inspections through a plan, build, finish-as-you-go approach.
Our Resources
Elevating Construction Senior Supers Book2
Elevating Construction Senior
Superintendents: Book 2
This book is all about rushing, pushing, and segregating workers. Era 2 is the era of administration where we have paperwork that monitors paperwork, managers that manage other managers, and reports that report on other reports.
Onsite Consulting for
Project Planning
field Operations
- Project Plan
- Supply chain management
- Build a Strong project Culture
- Internal Training
- Building Teams
- Team Balance & Health
- Planning & Scheduling
- Quality as Management
- Lean Construction Implementation
Consulting Topics
- Proposal Phase
- Adapt & enable design
- Plan with builders
- Prepare & start strong
- Safety Best Practices
- Running a Project
- Lean in the Field
- Takt Production System ®
- Last Planner System ®
FAQ
The First Planner System® is Elevate Construction’s Lean pre-construction planning system that helps teams design project flow before work begins, replacing rushing and guesswork with structured, reliable planning.
ents and public works.
It addresses the full pre-construction picture—external factors, design and preconstruction, the production system, team, plan, supply chain, culture, and trade-partner preparation.
Executives, project managers, and superintendents who plan projects and want predictable, flow-based execution from day one.
Ideally during preconstruction, before field work starts—though teams can adopt it mid-project to bring structure and flow to their planning.
Instead of reactive, CPM-driven scheduling, it uses structured, flow-based pre-construction planning that improves predictability, reduces rework, and prepares trade partners early.
Better predictability, fewer surprises in the field, smoother trade coordination, and a production system that’s ready to run before construction begins.