I’m excited to be back in Patton’s standing orders. I believe there is so much in military doctrine and theory, especially as it gets updated over the years, that applies to us in construction. Today we go into combat procedure: maps, plans, and reconnaissance.
Short answer: Patton’s combat procedure applies directly to construction. Our maps, meaning the takt plan, zone maps, logistics plans, and models, should send leaders to the place where critical situations are developing. Plans must be simple, flexible, and made by the people who execute them. And you can never have too much reconnaissance: facts, not opinions, from the field every day.
A. Maps: Do You Earn Merit in the Trailer?
Here is what Patton listed in his standing orders under maps: “We are too prone to believe that we acquire merit solely through the study of maps and the safe seclusion of a command post. Maps are necessary in order to see the whole panorama of battle and to permit intelligent planning. Further, a study of the map will indicate where critical situations exist or are apt to develop and so indicate where the commander should be.”
Let me go off the reading and liken it to construction. Our maps are the takt plan, the zone maps, the logistics maps, our 3D models and 4D models showing time, and our one-line diagrams. Any of the visuals we have for the project are a trigger for us to go to the place of work and see what is going to happen in the field.
He continues: “In the higher echelons a layered map of the whole theater to reasonable scale showing roads, railways, streams, and towns is more useful than a large-scale map cluttered up with ground forms and a multiplicity of non-essential information.”
How Does That Translate to a Project?
If I translated every one of these concepts, I would say: we are too prone to believe we acquire merit solely through the study of drawings and information on our computers in the seclusion of our office trailer. Plans, Excel spreadsheets, P6 schedules, and other things are necessary to permit intelligent planning. It is very important to study them to identify critical situations that have developed or are apt to develop, and so indicate where the superintendent or project manager should spend their time: more time on visualization, more time creating deliverables and visuals, and more time with the last planners, the foremen, on the project.
| Patton’s words | On a construction project |
|---|---|
| Maps | Takt plan, zone maps, logistics maps, 3D and 4D models, one-line diagrams |
| The safe seclusion of a command post | The office trailer and the computer |
| Where the commander should be | Where the superintendent or PM spends their time |
| Higher echelons | Team meetings, strategic planning, procurement meetings, the trade partner weekly tactical, foreman meetings |
| A layered map to reasonable scale | Daily, sequential, or rhythmic schedules, zone control maps, and logistics plans tailored for that phase |
| A map cluttered with non-essential information | The overall P6 master schedule and anything non-essential |
Dive in, visualize the situation at hand, and make sure it’s relevant with current data from the field, because you visited the field. In military strategy they talk about maps, and we have the same thing. We must get the maps, the plans, and the visualization out of the superintendent’s head and onto the walls, so we can plan with our foremen and last planners. See Visual Planning in Construction.
B. Plans: Who Should Make Them?
Patton builds on that: “Plans must be simple and flexible. They only form a datum plan from which you build as necessity directs or opportunity offers. They should be made by the people who are going to execute them.”
Right here, Patton is talking about the Last Planner System. Nowhere does he say commanding officers should make plans in a silo at their command post, never visit the field, never involve the people who execute the plans, and keep them rigid. He says plans should be made with the people who will execute them, simple and flexible. They form a datum plan, meaning the basis of the team decision, so out in the field people can make minor corrections or revert to plan B, C, or D when necessary to execute the work and the intent of the work. I love that.
C. Reconnaissance: Can You Have Too Much?
Patton: “You can never have too much reconnaissance. Use every means available before, during, and after battle. Reports must be facts, not opinions, negative as well as positive. Do not believe intercepts blindly; cross-check. Sometimes messages are sent out to be intercepted.”
What I take from this is that we must have as much visualization of actual data from the field as we can. I love that assistant superintendents and foremen do their zone control walks daily, bring that back to the afternoon foreman huddle, and use that reconnaissance to form another plan. I love field walks as superintendents. I love going to your battle perch. I love climbing the crane. I love knowing how many workers and exactly how much production is being done from a data standpoint, and having real-time data so we can plan, adjust, and make sure we’re on the right track, whether we’re on plan A or plan F.
This also rings of Napoleon’s strategy of smaller, more nimble units. Patton was a student of history, and I’m sure this is where it came from. Our plans must be simple and flexible, done with the people who execute the work, based on data, with real-time information constantly.
What Data Do I Want?
- Zone maps constantly updated
- The status of every room
- The status of every roadblock
- Where any constraints are that we have to permanently deal with
- The status of material deliveries
- Status out ahead of any possible roadblocks, using my look-ahead maps
If you put me in a room with trade partners and caring foremen and last planners, with data and visuals, there is nothing we can’t figure out and make flow. For more on the daily walks, read Zone Control: How to Manage the Speed of the Train.
What Else Is Coming on the Podcast?
I’d like your feedback. Should we go through position descriptors for the field and the office? Should I read Elevating Construction Surveyors in its final format on the podcast? I also have content coming on cool things we’ve seen on recent projects and ideas from direct industry feedback. Reach me on LinkedIn, or email jasons@elevateconstructionist.com.
A listener on a new solar project, about 40 episodes in, is implementing the Last Planner System with takt scheduling and work packages based on trade workflow, and asked for a list of our standards for afternoon huddles. We have a searchable spreadsheet of all the podcast episodes, and episodes 701 to 740 are huddle topics ready to go. We always share our meeting format, now updated in Canva with agendas, templates, and signage you can send to your printer. Email me and I’ll get that to you. Read Death by Meeting too.
So here is the challenge. Tomorrow, take your zone map out of the trailer. Walk it, mark the status of every room and roadblock, and bring it to your foreman huddle.
Bottom line: Maps tell you where to be, the people who execute the plan should make it, and you can never have too much reconnaissance.
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.
Patton’s Standing Orders series:
Previous: The Execution of Meetings, Rest, & Command Posts
Next: Orders & Worker Huddles
FAQ
What did Patton say about maps?
We are too prone to believe that we acquire merit solely through the study of maps and the safe seclusion of a command post. Maps are necessary to see the whole panorama and permit intelligent planning, and a study of the map indicates where critical situations exist or are apt to develop, and so where the commander should be.
How does Patton’s view of plans match the Last Planner System?
Patton said plans must be simple and flexible, form a datum plan from which you build as necessity directs or opportunity offers, and be made by the people who are going to execute them. Jason says that’s the Last Planner System: plans made with the foremen, not in a silo at the command post.
What is reconnaissance on a construction project?
Real-time, factual field data: daily zone control walks by assistant superintendents and foremen, superintendent field walks, the battle perch, climbing the crane, worker counts, production data, room status, roadblocks, constraints, and material deliveries.
People Also Read:
Zone Control: How to Manage the Speed of the Train
Training From the Battle Perch: Mentor Your Team From Above
Visual Area Boards
Pull Planning
If you want to learn more we have:
-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)
Discover Jason’s Expertise:
Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.