Why You Actually Need the First Planner System in Preconstruction

Welcome, everyone. In this blog, I’m continuing the “Why Cake” section from Elevating Preconstruction Planning, where I explain why the First Planner System is essential in preconstruction.

The “Window of Doom”

Every project has problems, whether we like it or not. Planning is how we prevent them before they become expensive disasters.

One concept I love from How Big Things Get Done is the idea of neutralizing the “window of doom.”

Here’s how it works:

• Every project will encounter a certain number of problems.
• If you skip planning, you’ll discover those problems in the field where they cost time, money, and morale.
• This keeps the project’s “window” open longer, leaving more opportunities for black swan events and severe risks.

When you find problems during construction, you bleed time and cash. But if you find them in preconstruction, the worst-case scenario is erasing a whiteboard or reprinting PDFs.

The Reality Check from 16,000 Projects

Data from over 16,000 projects worldwide shows:

• Only 47.9% finished on budget.
• Only 8.5% finished on budget and on time.
• Just 0.5% finished on budget, on time, and as planned.

Over half ran 65% over budget, and 90% missed their deadlines—by an average of 58 days. The message is clear:

Projects don’t go wrong, they start wrong.

Four Dangerous Fallacies in Construction

From my own experience and How Big Things Get Done, here are the fallacies we must eliminate:

1. The Need for Speed – Rushing kills preparation, lowers quality, and reduces safety. The only way to move fast safely is to create flow.
2. Pushing Makes Haste – Forcing milestones early creates chaos, poor decisions, blame, and lower productivity.
3. The Commitment Fallacy – Starting without proper planning doesn’t motivate—it just scales the mess.
4. Strategic Misrepresentation – Misrepresenting scope or conditions to shift risk is unethical and sets the project up to fail.

The “Idiotic Ideas” List

I’ve heard them all:

• “We just need to get started somewhere.”
• “Cut corners wherever you can.”
• “Ignore safety to meet the deadline.”
• “Overtime will fix it.”

If you hear these, hold the line. Don’t sacrifice planning, safety, or quality for the illusion of speed.

Push vs. Flow: The Arizona Study

I tracked projects in Arizona over several years. Here’s what I found:

• CPM + Pushing – Plans were 20% too aggressive, with overruns of 5–15% (or more).
• Takt Planning – Projects consistently finished 1–5% early, financially whole, and without burning out the team.

The difference? Planning enough time and refusing to push past safe limits.

What Pixar Can Teach Us About Construction

Pixar films go through up to nine iterations before final production. Why? Because rework on paper is cheap, rework in production is costly.

We need to treat construction the same way:

• Plan, iterate, and test ideas before breaking ground.
• Start with conceptual design and develop a maximum virtual product.
• Get buy-in from both first and last planners.

My Non-Negotiables Before Construction Starts

Before Notice to Proceed, I expect:

• Takt plans and zone maps
• Procurement logs
• Logistics plans
• Trailer and signage designs
• Org/accountability charts
• Risk and opportunity register
• Established budget
• An experienced team ready to execute

It’s unethical to hold a team accountable for a project they didn’t plan.

Key Takeaway

Most project disasters are baked in before the first shovel hits the ground. Plan deeply in pre-construction to find problems on paper, where fixing them costs nothing.