Elevating Construction Foremen Part 25: Pre-Staging, Handoffs, and Layout

As I travel around the United States, I see a lot of projects for the first time. One thing keeps recurring: workers on treasure hunts between start time and 9 a.m., looking for materials, waiting on a forklift, calling for a crane pick. Meanwhile, the crew is waiting. That is the most productive part of the day, and it’s gone.

This is Part 25 of my walk-through of my book Elevating Construction Foremen. If you are just joining, start with Part 1. This part covers crew leader and superintendent communication: pre-staging materials, preparing the next task, communicating handoffs, layout, training workers, and logistics.

Short answer: Crew leaders remove roadblocks out ahead by doing six things well: pre-stage materials, prepare the next zone before the current one is done, agree on handoffs, double-check layout, train the crew in every buffer, and plan logistics visually. Each one takes you one more step toward creating flow in the field.

Why Should Crew Leaders Pre-Stage Materials?

If materials are incorrect, staged improperly, hard to move, packaged improperly, or not ready to mobilize to the place of work, your operation slows down considerably. If you don’t prepare ahead to stage, you will be reorganizing materials, shaking them out, or waiting on hoisting. You could realize too late that you don’t have what you need, or not the right amounts for the next zone, and be waiting for a forklift or a pick at the busiest time of the project.

Morning treasure hunts should not happen, for two reasons. They are waste that hurts enjoyment, safety, and productivity. And the most productive time for a crew is the morning when people are fresh. Materials should be there, ready to go, and in the right condition so workers can begin right away. More in Staging Materials: The Small Habit That Separates Flow From Friction.

Why Prepare the Next Task Before You Finish This One?

This seems like common sense, but I want to say it simply: preparation for the area ahead should not be done after the current area. While the crew is in a flow, the crew leader begins preparing the next area before the work in the current zone is finished. This is the largest mindset shift we are looking for, to get crew leaders to stop thinking just in the moment and start thinking ahead of the moment, from reactionary people to proactive leaders.

Prepare every material aspect of the work before it starts in that zone, before the tendency kicks in to just move there, start work, or get distracted being busy. We need to slow down, calm down, and stop and prepare before doing anything. Every crew leader should plan the time to do this and do it well.

What Does a Good Handoff Look Like?

In an ideal world, crew leaders in adjacent zones talk to each other and agree on handoffs. A handoff in construction is handing the zone off to another trade, and it should be transferred in this state:

1. Clean.
2. Safe.
3. Organized.
4. Demobilized.
5. Work completed with no defects.
6. Inspections done.
7. Area punched out.
8. Layout refreshed.
9. The substrate or work is acceptable for the next trade.

This aligns with the Lean idea of customers. The owner is a customer, but so is the trade, crew leader, and crew behind us. If crew leaders saw it that way, handoffs would stop being a “well, hope that works out for you” conversation and become “is this what you need in this zone? Do you feel cared for?” We won’t just plan the next area. We will plan our current area for the crew behind us, and handoffs become agreements made in meetings and in the field. See How To Implement Perfect Handoffs In Construction.

Why Must Layout Be Double-Checked?

Survey and layout seem like common sense too, but they are often ignored and have a large impact on flow. Great layout doesn’t just show up by hiring a surveyor. If a surveyor radially stakes a point using a four-foot prism pole, I can guarantee with a high level of certainty that the point will not be any closer than three-quarters of an inch to its accurate location. Nothing can substitute for good layout, good field engineering, or a layout professional you trust.

Layout mistakes should not be blamed on the surveyor. The responsibility falls primarily on the general contractor, but I would not do any work until I was sure it was in the right place. Layout is never done properly the first time. It is only right when it is double-checked with proper methodologies. Think about the cost of double-checking versus the cost of a misplaced anchor bolt and the ironworkers cursing your name. For more, read Construction Layout and Control by Wes Crawford, or see Construction Surveying & Layout, Feat. Professor Crawford.

When Should Crew Leaders Train Workers?

Training is typically the last thing thought of. Our industry assumes everyone knows what they are doing or can just figure it out. What some of us old-timers don’t remember is that we had mentors and trainers coming up. We did a lot of figuring things out, but it was paired with a considerable amount of training. My hope is that in every takt time or duration buffer, the crew leader takes the time to train the crew. At a minimum, reflect: we just finished this zone, what do we want to do better in the next? I recommend at least 20 to 40 minutes of training per work package or takt wagon.

How Should Crew Leaders Plan Logistics?

By logistics, I mean worker access, material access, material staging, hoisting, operational movements, adjacent work, the position of tools and equipment, and the storage of replenishable inventories. Production is sometimes not as much about doing the work as it is about getting access to the work. Plan your logistics on a map, a whiteboard, or paper. I’m not particular, as long as it is visual and planned. Loop it into your crew reflections, and better ways to access, supply, and stage the work will show up. More in Lean Logistics Explained.

So here is the challenge. Tomorrow morning, time how long your crew spends finding and staging materials before the first real work starts. Then fix it the afternoon before, and walk your next handoff with the crew leader behind you using the nine-point list.

Bottom line: Think ahead of the moment, and treat the crew behind you like your customer.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

On we go.

Elevating Construction Foremen series:
Previous: Part 24: Managing Production: Bottlenecks, Cycle Times, Zones, Labor Productivity, and Variation
Next: Part 26: Creating Stability: Clean Sites, Healthy Teams, Delays, Start Dates, and Meetings

FAQ

Why should crew leaders pre-stage materials?

Because the most productive time for a crew is the morning, when people are fresh. Materials should be there, ready, and in the right condition so the crew starts right away instead of going on treasure hunts or waiting on a forklift or crane pick.

What condition should a zone be in at handoff?

Clean, safe, organized, and demobilized, with the work complete and free of defects, inspections done, the area punched out, layout refreshed, and the substrate acceptable for the next trade.

How much training should a crew get per zone?

I recommend at least 20 to 40 minutes of training per work package or takt wagon, using the buffer. At a minimum, reflect: we just finished this zone, what do we want to do better in the next?

People Also Read:
Foreman Series: Zone Handoffs
Response to a Question about Pre-staging
What Does A Field Engineer Do With Survey And Layout?
How To Mark Logistics & Zone Maps