What are we doing with Field Boards?

Rethinking Field Boards

Lately I have been reflecting on a question that comes up over and over again: What are we really doing with our field boards? These tools are supposed to help us communicate, plan, and execute better in construction, but when I look around the industry, I do not see us getting it right.

Before diving in, I want to share a story that reminded me of how universal these lessons are. Recently, someone sent me a reflection after reading The Art of the Builder. Though the book was written for field leaders, this person working in learning and development found powerful parallels for onboarding and training. He talked about simplifying information into manageable pieces, starting with the end in mind, using real-world scenarios, and always checking for understanding.

That feedback struck me because it highlights a core truth: whether in construction or in training, clarity and communication matter more than anything. Too much information is overwhelming. Vague instructions lead to wasted effort. Stories and context make learning stick. And unless we verify understanding, we are just talking to ourselves.

Which brings me back to field boards. Right now, I see four big problems.

First, the industry at large. Our visuals for the Last Planner System and takt planning are nowhere near where they need to be. Even with great thinkers and resources out there, most boards are clunky, inconsistent, or disconnected from the real flow of work. We are not asking the most important questions: What do people need to see, where do they need to see it, and how should that information flow?

Second, even at Elevate, we have work to do. Our takt steering and control boards are powerful, but they are too complex. They cover roadblock identification, planning, scaling to areas and crews, but the concepts are difficult to grasp quickly. If people cannot implement them easily, then we have missed the mark. It is like Apple’s design philosophy: true brilliance lies in simplicity. If I were doing my job perfectly, I would be working harder to simplify our boards until they were as intuitive as an iPhone.

Third, the misuse of “constraint boards.” This one really gets me going. Across the industry, people are lumping everything, true constraints and actual roadblocks, onto one board and calling them all constraints. That is wrong, and it is holding us back. Constraints are fixed realities of the building: hoist availability, leave-outs, staging areas, sequencing limits. Roadblocks are temporary barriers in the way of flow. Mixing the two muddies the water and prevents good planning. Eli Goldratt used “constraints” in The Goal because he was talking about stationary manufacturing lines. Construction is different, our zones and takt trains move. We must distinguish between constraints and roadblocks, or we will never plan accurately.

Fourth, the way boards trap information in trailers. Too often, I see look-aheads and weekly work plans printed on the wall in the office, sometimes with 30 or more line items for massive projects. Not only is that unmanageable, it is invisible to the crews who actually need the information. Planning is only valuable if it reaches the field. That is why these tools need to be digital, linked with QR codes, and accessible to everyone on site. The purpose of boards is to scale information to the people doing the work, not to decorate a trailer.

So what is the right way forward? A field board setup should create flow, not clutter. Picture this: a team board in the conference room for coordination, zone maps and logistics plans upfront with magnets and markers for daily roadblock tracking, and electronic look-aheads and weekly work plans displayed on screens and shared via QR codes. Add internal team scrum boards and whiteboards for sketching, and you have a system that actually supports crews rather than burying them in static paperwork.

I know this might sound like a critique-heavy rant, but my intent is to help us move forward. Boards are not about being trendy or selling templates, they are about enabling people to see what they need, when they need it, so they can do their best work.

Key Takeaway:
Field boards should serve the field, not the trailer. That means simplifying visuals, separating roadblocks from constraints, and making information accessible through digital, connected systems that truly support flow.