The Insanity of Punch List Processes

The Insanity of Punch Lists

Here’s the deal. The concept of the punch list has been on my mind for a while, and I want to make a statement. Don’t get mad at me yet. Just stay with me. When a project team decides to take an issue and not finish it right there, and instead wait, put it on a list, and manage it through a punch list process, there are at least ten to twenty additional steps that must be taken by the project team.

So You Are Not Defensive

Let me say this first so you are not defensive. There are times when a list is the right tool.

• If you cannot get something done right away, by all means, put it on a list.
• If it is a major defect, by all means, put it on a list.
• If it is a missing piece of equipment or some really large roadblock, by all means, put it on a list.

What I am talking about is the idea of having hundreds and thousands of punch list items, the way the industry has taught us. That is absolutely insane, and it is unlean.

One Process Flow and Zone Control

When we get into the concept of one piece flow, and one process flow within zones, we are going to be set. It is going to change the entire construction industry, because then we have parameters we can follow to finish work as we go. One piece flow and one process flow will always be better than batching things.

This is what I call zone control. A foreman is working in a zone with a superintendent, and every day they punch as they go. That means they finish their work as they go. They get those little odds and ends as they go. They do not leave defects. They grab them with the crew while the crew is there.

The foreman is also looking ahead every day, whether it is rooms, units, areas, or square footage, and asking, is this prepared. That is when we really do well and increase our productivity.

What It Looks Like

The foreman works in the zone, and the superintendent does daily walks. I have guides on this if you want them. Here is how it goes.

The superintendent comes up and says, Foreman, how are you doing, love you, can I have five minutes of your time. They walk through the units or the area the crew is working, and they punch it out right then and there. They get a commitment that the crew will finish before they demobilize from that area and move on to the next zone.

Then the superintendent says, Foreman, can I have five more minutes, or ten, who cares. Can we walk the next areas, the next units out ahead, and make sure they are ready for you. If they are not, I will talk to the next foreman out ahead, or you can, but I want to make sure it is ready and that there are no roadblocks.

If we spent ten to thirty minutes in zone control every day finishing tasks, we would eliminate hundreds or thousands of punch list items. Is it easy? No, it is not easy. It takes an advanced superintendent to do something like that. But I am telling you, it is possible.

What Does Go on a List

If you find something where you say, we are not going to be able to do that while we are here because we are missing something, that is when it goes on a list. Only that item goes on the list, not all the other fifteen or thirty things in the room.

The Insanity of the Process

Now let me walk through the process for a non-essential item, something you could have just finished right there with the crew, but instead you leave it and say you will come back and put it on a list. Let me see if I can rattle these off the top of my head. First, on the project team side.

• You have to go to the walk and identify the location.
• You have to take a picture and write a description of it.
• You have to enter it into your project management software and upload it after the walk.
• It has to be aggregated and sent out to the trade partners, and most of the time the lists need to be filtered.
• It must be emailed, and most of the time it is emailed multiple times to the trade partners.

Then on the trade partner side.

• The trade partner has to receive the email, go through it, understand what is going on, and associate it with a timeline.
• They decide to print the list, or get it on their iPad and sync it to the iPad.
• They decide to go out and walk the area, observe the actual punch list item, and verify that it is theirs.
• Once they verify it is theirs, they decide to go grab a worker and talk to that worker.
• The worker stops what they are doing, grabs their tools, and goes to fix the punch list item.

Then to close it out.

• The worker tells the foreman it is done, and the foreman goes and verifies that it is done.
• The foreman takes a picture, marks the item complete, and syncs it to the computer or marks it off on a physical list.
• That gets sent by email to the superintendent or the field engineer.
• The superintendent receives the email, understands and digests it, and goes to the location to verify the item is done or not done.
• The superintendent signs off the item, syncs it up, and verifies that the item is complete.

Oh my gosh, I am out of breath. I am disgusted at the waste here. It is absolutely ridiculous, and that is if the process is working properly, which I hope it does not, because it is a horrible process.

Stop Doing This

We have to stop doing this. It is absolute insanity. There are ten to twenty additional steps where we do not just finish as we go. So embrace zone control. Only use the punch list when you absolutely must, and let’s remove the insanity of unnecessary punch list items.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

So here is the challenge. Ask a foreman for five minutes. Walk the area they are working, punch it out right then and there, and get a commitment that the crew will finish before they demobilize and move to the next zone.

Jason Schroeder said it plainly: “Only use punch list when you absolutely must.” Let’s remove the insanity of unnecessary punch list items.

On we go.

FAQ

Why does Jason call the punch list process insane?

Because for an item you could have finished right there with the crew, putting it on a punch list adds at least ten to twenty additional steps, from taking a picture and entering it into software to emailing it, having the trade partner verify it, fix it, and the superintendent verify it again.

When is it appropriate to put an item on a punch list?

When you cannot get something done right away, when it is a major defect, or when it is a missing piece of equipment or a really large roadblock. Only that item goes on the list, not everything else in the room.

What is zone control?

A foreman works in a zone with a superintendent, and every day they punch as they go, finishing odds and ends and not leaving defects. The foreman also looks ahead at rooms, units, or areas to confirm they are prepared.

How much time does zone control take?

Ten to thirty minutes a day. The superintendent asks the foreman for five minutes to walk the current area and punch it out, and then another five or ten minutes to walk the next areas to make sure they are ready.