How to Sequence Multifamily Projects for Flow (Fresh Eyes Meeting Strategy)

How to Sequence Multifamily Projects for Flow (Fresh Eyes Meeting Strategy)

Here’s something that will transform how you approach multifamily sequencing: start with the clubhouse first, then the show suites, then move into production buildings. This allows finish crews to flow from the clubhouse into the show suites, establishing your quality standard and mockup before hitting production rhythm. And the way you validate this sequencing? Fresh eyes meetings where you bring in experienced builders to catch the golden unicorn tasks that don’t fall into standard schedules.

Let me walk you through how this works.

The Pain of Sequencing Without Flow

Starting out with the overall perspective, then we’ll dive into the details. In our production plan, we have the bidding and buyout. And it looks like that will all happen May 7th to like June 17th. This is deferred submittals. And then this is actually the trade partner preparation process. This is where we do pre-mobilization meeting, precon meetings, the like.

And then we have our site work, structure, exterior, and interiors. This just kind of gives you an overview. That way when I hop into the actual production plan, it will make sense. So I’m just going to slowly scroll down and say, you know, this is pretty normal. We have our permitting, trade partner preparation process, our submittals, deferred submittals, and then timelines.

And so I just want to come right on down here and just show you high level the overall strategy. We don’t have tothe sequences have been pretty well vetted. So strategy number one is start on the site. The idea would be to get to building one certified pad as fast as we can. Right now, we’re wanting to target with our trades to see if we can get there by July 17th and at least start on building pad one. And then basically what happens is building two, building three, building four would come online behind utilities.

Here’s the problem most teams face. They sequence based on what’s easiest for site logistics without thinking about flow. They put the show suites in the last building because it’s convenient. They don’t coordinate the clubhouse with production rhythm. And they don’t validate the sequence with fresh eyes before they commit. That creates coordination chaos, delays, and broken flow.

The Clubhouse-First Strategy for Flow

One thing that we’ve found is it tends to work out really well if you can get the community building in ahead of kind of everything else because it allows the finish crews to flow from the community building into the show suite and then they can complete the show suites while they’re completing the community building and then they go away for a while and then come back to do their regular production work.

So it doesn’t matter to me in any way, shape, or form whether it goes before or after really as long as the show suites are available early enough for leasing. The way that we’ve been able to solve that is just by doing the community building first. You could do it concurrently and probably get the same flow.

Yeah, I like what you’re saying. So you would basically be like they would come in clubhouse, they move right into the show suites wherever they end up being and then you hit everybody off on a nice rhythm and you run them through the buildings. And those show suites become your quality standard, your mockup essentially for everything moving forward. So it’s done, you know, arguably generally a month or two before they actually get to the main production piece.

Here’s why this works. When you do the clubhouse first:

Benefit One: Finish Crews Flow Naturally

Finish crews start in the clubhouse, move to show suites, establish rhythm and quality standards, then flow into production buildings. No stopping and starting. No breaking rhythm.

Benefit Two: Show Suites Become Your Mockup

The show suites establish your quality standard before production starts. Every trade sees what “done right” looks like. And you work out the kinks before hitting full production.

Benefit Three: Early Leasing Access

The leasing team operates out of the clubhouse. Show suites are ready for leasing while production continues. No delay in revenue generation.

Benefit Four: Site Work Coordination

While the clubhouse is going in, you’re doing all the underground deeps and shallows, sewers, water lines, power, all that. The clubhouse could be going in at that time. That gives you time to get all the utilities in, jamming with the fire hydrant thing. If you have any difficulty getting the fire hydrants in, there is a hydrant close to these two buildings. So it buys you more time for the wood framing.

The sequencing works. You access the clubhouse from one direction. That gives you time to get utilities in around the production buildings. And you maintain flow.

The Golden Unicorn Problem (Why Fresh Eyes Meetings Matter)

I just had a quick comment. I call them the rainbow unicorn tasks that are specific. So using our templated schedule, there’s a challenge of identifying those little bits of scope that don’t fall into the same routine in our schedule. But it sounds like you’ve addressed it because you touched base on the post-tensioning cables in the slabs. And that’s one of those activities that doesn’t typically fall into one of our buildings or one of our schedules.

So I just want to make sure that the precon team is identifying those golden unicorn or those rainbow unicorn items that don’t fall into a typical standard schedule and that they’re accounting for those. And it sounds like you guys have.

Yeah, but I’m writing it down. So we’ll do full drawing review and add details. Now, if you had made that comment a week before, you would have caught us that we need more detailing on the finished site work. And so we are going to look at those things. Just so you know, we’ve done a preliminary high-level get-us-out-of-trouble review. I’ll be doing a 30-minute drawing review every day for the next three months. And so we’ll do exactly what you’re saying.

Here’s what golden unicorns are:

• Post-tensioning cables in slabs doesn’t fall into standard slab-on-grade schedules
• Fire line coordination with building framing requires fire hydrants before framing starts
• Elevator long lead seven though this project doesn’t have elevators, most do
• Electrical distribution and switch gear shop drawings, utility coordination, long lead times
• Finished site work details drainage, parking, surface treatments that aren’t in standard templates
• Parking requirements for early building openings need surface parking ready when first building opens

These are the tasks that templated schedules miss. And fresh eyes meetings catch them before they become problems.

Here’s why fresh eyes meetings work:

• Experienced builders who’ve done similar projects spot the golden unicorns immediately
• They ask questions like “What about fire line coordination?” before you mobilize
• They validate sequencing decisions before you commit resources
• They catch schedule durations that don’t match reality (like slab-on-grade taking too long)
• They share reference class data from other projects to validate timelines

Fresh eyes meetings are preventative problem-solving. You bring in people who’ve been there before. They spot the problems. You fix them before they cost time and money.

The Reference Class Forecasting Method

Here’s what we can do. This is actually cool and we’re going to walk the walk. We can do a reference class on the foundation. Reference class forecast. This is exactly why we’re here. If it ends up being this duration, then we know we’re accurate.

Here’s how reference class forecasting works:

Step One: Identify the Task with Uncertain Duration

In this case, slab-on-grade with post-tensioning. The schedule shows about two months. That feels long. But we’re not sure because we haven’t done post-tensioned slabs before.

Step Two: Gather Data from Similar Projects

We have data from some other North American United States projects that have not exactly the same but similar. So we’ll do a compare. We can look at what the current timeline is for under-slab and slab-on-grade and add maybe some time for the sanitary because it’s now underground as well instead of hanging from the arcade ceiling.

Step Three: Adjust for Project-Specific Differences

This project has post-tensioning. Previous projects had suspended slabs with arcades. Post-tensioning might be faster. But underground sanitary might be slower. Reference class helps us calibrate.

Step Four: Validate with Trade Partners

We have a concrete contractor right now that with an LOI would start working on all the coordination and could verify this with us. If not and we don’t have an LOI, I could probably go through the sequence with them. So every trade that’s got a component to these slabs will review and tweak and have them buying into their time.

Reference class forecasting removes guesswork. You use actual data from similar projects. You adjust for differences. You validate with trades. And you get accurate durations.

The Two-Day Takt Time Decision

Just so you know, most of our trades are like we have them on a two-day Takt time doing four units every two days. Some of the trades, not all of them, are hitting five units every day on some of these developments. So they’re not freaking out and we’ve been able to take care of most of their requests through design.

Here’s why two-day Takt time works for multifamily:

Zone Size: Right now we have about 4,000-square-foot zone sizes on a two-day Takt time and the exteriors are about 2,500 square feet on the perimeter. That’s sized for crews to complete in two days with full kit.

Trade Buy-In: Every trade we’ve already worked through the trades, all of our bottleneck trades, and confirmed a two-day Takt time would work for them. They’ve done it before. They know they can hit it.

Design Accommodation: We’ve been able to take care of most of their requests through design. The system is designed for the crew to install in rhythm. That’s key.

Buffers Built In: Right now we’re thinking if we have everything done right that we could do this in 15.5 months. If something happens that we don’t see, 16.5. But we’re going to even try to do better than that. And that would still leave us a couple four weeks at the end buffer if we hit these two targets.

Two-day Takt time creates predictable rhythm. Crews flow zone to zone. Every two days, the train moves. And you finish on time without burning people out. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Project Teams

Here’s what I want you to do this week. If you’re planning a multifamily project, sequence the clubhouse first. Let finish crews flow from clubhouse to show suites to production buildings. That establishes quality standards and maintains rhythm.

And run a fresh eyes meeting. Bring in experienced builders who’ve done similar projects. Ask them to spot the golden unicorns the tasks that don’t fall into standard schedules. Post-tensioning. Fire line coordination. Electrical distribution. Parking for early openings. Catch them before mobilization.

And use reference class forecasting for uncertain durations. Don’t guess. Gather data from similar projects. Adjust for differences. Validate with trades. Get accurate timelines.

As we say at Elevate, sequence multifamily projects for flow: clubhouse first, then show suites, then production buildings. Fresh eyes meetings catch golden unicorns. Reference class forecasting removes guesswork. That’s how you finish on time without burning people out.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should the clubhouse go first in multifamily sequencing?

Because it allows finish crews to flow from clubhouse to show suites to production buildings, establishing quality standards and rhythm before hitting full production. Show suites become your mockup.

What are golden unicorn tasks?

Tasks that don’t fall into standard templated schedules like post-tensioning, fire line coordination, electrical distribution, or parking requirements for early openings. Fresh eyes meetings catch them before they become problems.

How does reference class forecasting work?

Gather data from similar projects, adjust for project-specific differences, validate with trades. It removes guesswork and gives you accurate durations based on actual data instead of estimates.

Why two-day Takt time for multifamily?

Because zones are sized for crews to complete in two days with full kit, trades have confirmed they can hit it, and design accommodates their workflow. It creates predictable rhythm without burning people out.

What’s a fresh eyes meeting?

Bring in experienced builders who’ve done similar projects. They spot golden unicorns, validate sequencing, catch schedule durations that don’t match reality, and share reference class data. Preventative problem-solving before mobilization.