Last Planner in Construction | Stop Using the Wrong Visuals (Visual Management Fix)

Stop Using the Wrong Visuals: Visual Management Fix for Last Planner

Here’s something that’s going to challenge most Last Planner implementations: the visuals you’re using are wrong. And I’m going to say this with all the respect I have for my contemporaries and consultants in the industry. What we’re doing as a one-point-zero was great. But it’s time for Last Planner to move into two-point-zero, three-point-zero, four-point-zero. And the biggest problem is the visuals in the conference room. Because you can’t manage what you can’t measure. And you can’t measure what you can’t see. And people will talk about what they see.

So, if you want to have better conversations, you’ve got to have better visuals.

The Pain of the Typical Conference Room Setup

Typically, in a conference room, what we will see is that on the walls, somebody will have their CPM schedule up here on the left. They might have a list of submittals or a procurement log. I’ll just call that supply, which isn’t bad. Then they’ll have a parking lot, which I actually don’t mind, so I’ll just put PL for parking lot. Then they have a list up here, which is just constraints. And what will typically happen next is they’ll have a big old area which will be the weekly work plan with stickies on the front of the wall. Maybe you have two screens. And then you’ll see over here to the right you’ll have your big pull planning board.

This is what will happen. Now let me talk about this and let me introduce this a couple different ways.

Here’s what’s wrong with this setup. First, you can’t use CPM as a visual production plan. Second, lumping everything into “constraints” creates confusion and overwhelms the trades. Third, the weekly work plan on the wall with stickies is detrimental for most projects. And fourth, the pull plan on the wall locks information in one location where people can’t see it. Let me explain why each of these is a problem.

Why CPM on the Wall Doesn’t Work

Number one, we should not be using CPM. I don’t want to see that on the wall. That is not a visual production plan. You need to be using Takt if you want to be effective. You don’t have to. You can do whatever you want.

Here’s why CPM doesn’t work as a visual. CPM shows tasks and dependencies. But it doesn’t show flow. It doesn’t show zones. It doesn’t show the train of trades moving through the building. And people talk about what they see. So if you put CPM on the wall, the team talks about tasks and dependencies instead of flow and handoffs. That’s the wrong conversation.

Takt planning shows the train of trades flowing zone to zone. It shows handoffs. It shows rhythm. It shows where the crew is today and where they’ll be tomorrow. And when people see that, they talk about flow. That’s the right conversation.

Why Lumping Constraints and Roadblocks Together Overwhelms the Team

Constraints is myopic. It will loop too many items into one list and you will not know how to deal with it. Let me explain this for constraints and roadblocks. Everybody thinks a constraint is a roadblock. So, everybody tries to remove it and they don’t understand that it’s a system design component. And so, we don’t have the language unless you check out our work. We don’t have the language to know how to deal with it. It overwhelms the trades and you don’t get your problem solved.

We’ve got to split this up to where it’s constraints and roadblocks.

Here’s what happens when you lump them together. The team creates a list of fifty items. Half are systemic issues that first planners need to optimize. Half are temporary blockers that last planners need to remove. But they’re all called “constraints.” So nobody knows who owns what. Nobody knows what needs optimization versus removal. And the list overwhelms everyone. The meeting becomes a status update instead of problem-solving.

When you separate constraints from roadblocks, clarity emerges. Constraints go to first planners for system design. Roadblocks go to last planners for removal. And the team knows exactly what to focus on.

Why the Weekly Work Plan on the Wall Is Detrimental

The weekly work plan on the wall is nice for advertising, marketing, and showing off. I’m not making fun, but this is one of the most detrimental things when it comes to Last Planner visuals. And let me tell you why. These boards are designed for small projects, very, very small projects where you’re very, very near the work. Like if you’re doing a little six-thousand-square-foot or less renovation, you could probably get away with the weekly work plans on the wall.

Here’s the thing: the stickies are falling off. It only has thirty rows, and so you don’t have enough space. And then it’s locked in the office. And most projects nowadays are mega projects. We have multiple functional areas. These are very large. You cannot fit the weekly work plan on there. You cannot rely on stickies. It takes too much time to do stickies and now you’ve locked it in the office and you’ve hobbled the field.

You should not have the weekly work plan on the wall. The weekly work plan should be digital.

Here’s why this matters. Mega projects have hundreds of activities per week across multiple functional areas. You can’t fit that on a board with thirty rows. And even if you could, the stickies fall off. The handwriting is illegible. And the board is locked in the trailer. The foremen in the field can’t see it. So, they don’t use it. And the weekly work plan becomes decoration instead of a working tool.

Digital weekly work plans solve this. They scale. They’re accessible from the field. They update in real time. And they integrate with lookahead planning and pull planning. That’s how the weekly work plan should work.

Why the Pull Plan on the Wall Locks Information

The other thing is the pull plan on the wall. It doesn’t bother me if you do a physical pull plan and you take it and you transcribe it and make it digital. But if you leave the pull plan right here on the wall and say that’s where it’s going to stay or put the pull plans in the field, you’re going to have the same problem. Illegible stickies that are falling down in an incorrect sequence batched that’s locked in one location where the people can’t see it and it doesn’t end up where it’s supposed to be.

A pull plan is supposed to become a located weekly work plan. You will focus on what you see here. So if you have these on the wall, your team is focused on sequence. They’re focused on the weekly work plan. And they’re focused only on unknowable constraints which are not separated out. So, you have confusion and you’re not handling what you need to handle.

Here’s the solution. Do the physical pull planning session. Transcribe it to digital. And distribute it as a located weekly work plan. That way, the sequence is locked in. The plan is accessible. And it ends up where it’s supposed to be: in the hands of the foremen who need to execute it.

What the Conference Room Should Actually Look Like

Now let me bring this home. What do I want people in the office to mainly focus on? I want them to focus on identify, discuss, and solve roadblocks. Your constraints should already be a part of the system design if you’ve done it right. And if you want to IDS roadblocks, then you’re going to have to redesign your conference room to where it looks like this.

This has been proven out. And I’ll tell you what, it’s so frustrating because as much as we say we’re Lean practitioners, Lean people will just stay fixed and stubborn and stagnant and they’re married to this old setup and they won’t adjust.

Here’s what you’ve got to have:

• Team board on the left: This is where you organize the project delivery team for balance. This is step number one in your meeting system create balance with the project delivery team.
• Visual maps in the middle: 3D axonometric expanded views that show the building. Trades mark red magnets on these maps to show roadblocks. That’s the agenda for your meetings. You’re not talking about “I’m on level three zone four and I’ve got five people.” You’re talking about handoffs, interfaces, problems, change points. This is step number two identify, discuss, and solve roadblocks.
• Two screens in the front: Your lookahead plan, your production plan, your weekly work plan, and your day plan are digital and displayed here. Your pull plans are digital and displayed here.
• Whiteboard on the right: Open space where you can do brainstorming.
• Advanced: Scrum board on the right: If the foreman can’t solve a roadblock, it gets transferred to the scrum board for the project delivery team to solve.

This is the way to do it. And if you want to be really effective, that’s the setup.

The Key Things to Stop Doing

We have got to stop doing these key things to be very specific:

• Get rid of the CPM filter use Takt instead
• Separate constraints and roadblocks don’t lump them together
• Your weekly work plan does not belong on physical stickies on the wall make it digital
• I do not believe in any way, shape, or form that a physical sticky pull plan is the best way to do it because you have bad handwriting, the stickies are falling apart or falling off, it’s not easy to track zone by zone it’s better to do it on a digital board
• Get rid of old maps that talk about Lean in the wrong way get updated posters, guides, and agendas

What I need you to have is your team balance boards, your visual maps where you mark red magnets with roadblocks, your digital boards where you keep your lookaheads, weekly work plans, and your pull plan, and then your open space where you can do brainstorming. 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 Last Planner Teams

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Walk into your conference room. Look at the walls. Are you using CPM as a visual? Get rid of it and use Takt. Are you lumping constraints and roadblocks together? Separate them. Is your weekly work plan on physical stickies on the wall? Make it digital. Is your pull plan locked on the wall? Transcribe it to digital and distribute it.

And then redesign the room. Team board on the left. Visual maps in the middle. Digital screens in the front. Whiteboard on the right. That’s Last Planner two-point-zero. That’s how you focus on what matters: identify, discuss, and solve roadblocks. As we say at Elevate, you can’t manage what you can’t measure. And you can’t measure what you can’t see. Use the right visuals. Focus on roadblocks. Flow the project.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I use CPM as a visual production plan?

Because CPM shows tasks and dependencies, not flow. People talk about what they see. If you put CPM on the wall, the team talks about tasks instead of flow. Use Takt planning to show the train of trades flowing zone to zone. That creates the right conversation.

Why should I separate constraints and roadblocks instead of lumping them together?

Because constraints are system design components that first planners optimize. Roadblocks are temporary blockers that last planners remove. When you lump them together, nobody knows who owns what or what needs optimization versus removal. Separate them for clarity.

Why is the weekly work plan on the wall detrimental?

Because stickies fall off, you run out of space, handwriting is illegible, and the board is locked in the trailer. Mega projects can’t fit on a board with thirty rows. Make the weekly work plan digital so it scales, updates in real time, and is accessible from the field.

What should the conference room focus on?

Identify, discuss, and solve roadblocks. Constraints should already be part of the system design. Use visual maps with red magnets to mark roadblocks. That’s the agenda. Focus on handoffs, interfaces, problems, and change points. That’s where the team creates value.

Where can I get the templates for team boards and visual maps?

In the description of the video or blog post. We give them away for free. You don’t have to buy them from us. If you want to know why, read The 10 Improvements to the Last Planner System. And if you want daily coaching, reach out for the WhatsApp chat.