Last Planner® System Training That Finally Holds in the Field
The Last Planner® System is a great system—it has just been placed in the wrong environment. We help your team pair Last Planner® with Takt Planning and Takt Steering & Control so collaboration, commitments, and flow actually work on live projects, including those above $40M.
- Design a production system that foremen and superintendents can trust
- Run pull plans, look-aheads, weekly work plans, and day plans that align with reality
- Track PPC and modern flow metrics (Perfect Handoff %, Buffer Ratio, Roadblock Removal Average) instead of just hoping the week works
- Replace firefighting with stable, predictable flow supported by your people and your schedule
Why Your Last Planner®
System Feels Fragile
What you see on the job:
- Foremen frustrated and skeptical about another “Lean meeting”
- Superintendents feeling like they’re carrying the whole system alone
- Weekly meetings that feel repetitive and reactive
- Promises breaking, trust eroding, and roadblocks overwhelming the plan
- Flow collapsing under its own weight no matter how many sticky notes are on the board
The real root cause:
- LPS is being run on top of CPM schedules that were never designed for flow
- Milestones are mathematically generated, not flow-based
- Phases and zones are batched in ways trades cannot actually build
- Weekly plans are being created from scratch instead of filtered from a real production system
Last Planner® + Takt + Takt Steering & Control = A Complete System
We pair your Last Planner® System with:
- Takt Planning* – to design zones, takt time, trains of trades, and buffers based on real throughput, not software.
- Takt Steering & Control (TS+C)* – to provide the operating system that levels workflow, defines zones, designs trains of trades, aligns supply chain logistics, and integrates visual meeting systems.
Together, this becomes the Integrated Production Control System™
- Takt = the design of the production system
- Last Planner® = the control of the production system
What We Help Your Team Do 100%
Pull Planning (Phase Planning)
- Collaborative phase planning sessions where trades pull from flow-based takt milestones, not CPM guesses.
- Clear trade-to-trade handoffs and a “train of trades” sequence mapped by zone.
Look-Ahead / Make-Ready Planning
- A structured six-week look-ahead window where only sound, ready work enters the weekly plan.
- Identification of materials, information, access, inspections, and permits before they become tomorrow’s crisis.
Weekly Work Planning
- Weekly work plans that are filtered from the pull plan and Takt plan, not rebuilt from scratch each Friday.
- Foremen commit to realistic, flow-aligned work that is truly ready—these are promises, not wishes.
Daily Huddles & Day Planning
- Transform your daily huddle by moving it to the afternoon-before, protecting the highest-value morning production hours.
- Foremen walk into each morning already aligned on where to go, what’s ready, and what support is needed so crews can start in full flow.
PPC and Modern Flow Metrics
- Percent Plan Complete (PPC): promise reliability at the task level
- Perfect Handoff Percentage: did the next trade receive their area on time, in the right condition?
- Remaining Buffer Ratio: how fast are you burning through your planned buffers?
- Roadblock Removal Average: how many days before the work start are roadblocks being removed?
Constraints vs. Roadblocks
- Constraints – permanent or systemic limits inside the production system (zones, takt time, throughput, physical limits).
- Roadblocks – temporary, removable barriers like missing materials, failed inspections, or late permits.
Takt Planning & Work Structuring
- Design correct zones, takt time, and trains of trades well before execution.
- Use first run studies and throughput analysis to base durations on real production, not guesswork.
- Structure work for flow across zones so Last Planner® no longer has to fight a bad plan.
Daily Zone Control Walks & Field Behaviors
- Implement Daily Zone Control Walks to verify readiness, support handoffs, and surface roadblocks early.
- Train your superintendents and foremen to “finish as you go and prepare ahead,” not punch everything at the end.
The Complete Meeting & Information System
- Strategic Planning & Procurement Meeting
- Trade Partner Weekly Tactical (Look-Ahead + Weekly Work Plan)
- Foreman Daily Huddle (afternoon-before)
- Daily Worker Huddles & Crew Prep
- Daily Team Huddle (First Planners)
- Daily Zone Control Walks
How Our Last Planner®
Engagement Works
01.
Assess & Align
- Review current schedules, LPS practices, and project conditions
- Align leadership on goals, roles (First Planners vs Last Planners®), and expectations
02.
Design for Flow
- Build or refine Takt plans, zone structures, trains of trades, and buffer strategy
- Define constraints vs roadblocks and set up the metric dashboard
03.
Launch Last Planner® the Right Way
- Facilitate initial pull planning, look-ahead, weekly work planning, and daily huddles
- Introduce afternoon-before huddles and zone control walks in the field
04.
Coach & Stabilize
- Stand in the meetings and walk the job with you
- Coach superintendents, foremen, and project engineers on behaviors, flow thinking, and roadblock removal
05.
Standardize & Scale
- Capture what works into standard playbooks and visuals
- Prepare your team to replicate the system on future projects (your own Integrated Production Control System™).
Who Our Last Planner®
Support Is Built For
General Contractors & CMs
- Running mid–large projects who want predictable flow instead of constant firefighting.
Owners & Developers
- Looking for reliable delivery, fewer surprises, and healthier project cultures.
Trade Partners & Specialty Contractors
- Who want their foremen respected, their time protected, and their work flowing.
What Changes on
Your Project
What You Get When
We Work Together
- Onsite or virtual Last Planner® System training* for leaders, supers, foremen, and project engineers.
- Facilitated pull planning sessions and Trade Partner Weekly Tactical meetings on your live project.
- A custom Takt Plan & Integrated Production Control System™ for your key phases.
- Visual boards and templates for look-ahead planning, PPC, Perfect Handoff %, Remaining Buffer Ratio, and Roadblock Removal Average.
- Coaching and playbooks your team can use on future projects without us.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but you’ll be fighting uphill. The Last Planner® System was never meant to operate on top of CPM logic or poorly structured phases. Pairing LPS with Takt gives you flow-based milestones, real zones, and buffers so the system can finally work as intended
We answer everything by asking, “what would respect people?” What would respect our employees, our customers, society, and ourselves. We do not do things that disrespects people.
Yes. We regularly join teams on-site to facilitate sessions, coach leaders, and walk the field so the system is grounded in real conditions—not just theory.
Absolutely. We start with a pilot project, build your playbook, and then support you in scaling a standard Integrated Production Control System™ across your portfolio.