Project success 101- IPCS – Trade preparation

In this blog, I’m going to talk about how you can prepare trade partners to be successful in what we call the integrated production control system. This approach will specifically enable you to ensure that your trades are well-prepared from a quality and safety standpoint, setting them up for success. So if you want to see how this process works, you’ve come to the right place.

Key Elements of the Integrated Production Control System

The integrated production control system is a lean approach to running your project. This methodology is crucial for effectively managing construction processes, and I encourage you not to brush it off as something unfamiliar. 

This is the way to run projects! I want to anchor you back to previous discussions where foremen and workers are doing their jobs effectively, completing their work packages in a tact wagon—essentially, working within a designated zone and timeframe.

For this to happen successfully, they need the right team, a clear plan, sufficient resources from the supply chain, and a supportive culture or environment. I’ve discussed these elements in previous blogs, ensuring that the foreman has everything needed to execute the project successfully.

 But you might wonder, “What about safety and quality?” Well, I’m glad you asked! We need to prepare our trade partners through what I call the Trade Partner Preparation Process, or TP3.

The Trade Partner Preparation Process

The preparation process consists of a simple pattern: plan, build, and finish. Here’s how it works:

What to Do in the Pre-Construction Meeting

Let’s say you have an installation date for the trade partner. To ensure they’re fully prepared, you’ll want to plan ahead. Approximately three weeks before installation, you’ll hold a pre-construction meeting. 

This meeting is where you, along with the trade partner’s superintendent and foreman, will review specifications, plans, and submittals, ensuring everyone is aligned on expectations for the installation.

During this meeting, it’s essential to provide the foreman with a visual quality checklist, which can be displayed on a board. The goal of the pre-construction meeting is to ensure that everyone is on the same page, leaving with clear expectations for the installation process.

How to Prepare Trades in the Pre-Mobilization Meeting

Next, within two weeks of executing the contract, you’ll conduct a pre-mobilization meeting. This could take the form of an email, phone call, or a more formal meeting if the project warrants it. After completing the buyout process and having the executed contract, communicate with the trade partner about your expectations before they mobilize to the site. 

This includes timelines for submittals, quality and safety checklists, quality manuals, safety processes, emergency contact numbers, and insurance documentation.

The key here is setting clear expectations that enable trades to show up prepared and orient their foreman and superintendent appropriately.

When to Do Inspections During the Building Phase

Once the preparations are set and the team is assembled, the work begins. Throughout this phase, you’ll want to incorporate a practice known as “first in place” inspections. This involves checking the first installation to ensure that it meets the visual quality checklist expectations.

Continuous monitoring through follow-up inspections is crucial. This means regularly checking the work being done to ensure everything is in line with quality and safety expectations.

 Finally, when the project nears completion, a final inspection should confirm that all work is up to standards and that any change orders have been reconciled.

Overview of the Plan-Build-Finish Method

In essence, project engineers, field engineers, project managers, and superintendents should view their roles as more than just scheduling or managing RFIs. They need to embrace the plan-build-finish methodology.

 This involves thoroughly planning out the project, ensuring that all processes are documented and easy for the crew to follow, and validating that construction is progressing according to the established plans.

The finishing phase involves maintaining quality expectations until the trade partner completes their work. It’s a continuous cycle of planning, building, and finishing that defines successful project management.

How to Ensure Quality & Safety in a Construction Project

During these meetings, you will discuss critical aspects such as your production plan, costs, quality, and safety expectations. Quality and safety should be at the forefront of these discussions, as they establish the baseline for what is expected from each trade partner.

It’s essential that quality checklists are not merely afterthoughts but are integrated into the project planning process.

As the project progresses, maintain a focus on quality and safety during all inspections and ensure that everything is executed in a high-quality manner.

This approach—what I refer to as the Trade Partner Preparation Process—provides a structured method to prepare trade partners for success.

 Our team is ready to assist contractors in setting up these systems, offering support in project management and operational manual creation.