The Non-Negotiables Of Pull Planning For Seamless Projects

The Non-Negotiables for Pull Planning: How to Optimize Your Projects

In this blog, I’ll Walk you through the exact process you need to follow to optimize your phase planning and achieve seamless projects. Unlike some of the other blogs I’ve shared, this one compiles all the non-negotiable aspects of pull planning in one place. Let’s dive in!

How to Create a Pull Plan

A pull plan is essential for any project to define sequences and achieve alignment among trade partners. When we talk about a pull plan, it’s easy to visualize a physical or virtual board where sequences are mapped out through a backward pass and then verified with a forward pass.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up a pull plan:

Conditions of Satisfaction and Homework:

• Clearly define expectations and ensure all participants are prepared.
• Trade partners should arrive with activities in mind, ready to collaborate.

Define Milestones:

• Identify start and end milestones for your phase.
• Clearly communicate these to all stakeholders to ensure alignment.

Assign Sticky Colors:

• Use distinct colors for each trade to maintain clarity and ownership.

Set the Sticky Format:

• Ensure everyone knows what information (e.g., duration, crew count, activity) each sticky should contain.

Establish Rules for the Pull Plan:

• Outline functional rules like “no sandbagging,” “work backwards first,” or “declare your own sticky.”

The Two Non-Negotiables of Pull Planning:

Predecessor Needs:

• Each sticky must clearly list its needs or constraints, with checkboxes to track dependencies.
• As needs are addressed, corresponding stickies are added, ensuring sequential clarity.

Forward and Backward Passes:

• A backward pass ensures trade partner needs are addressed.
• A forward pass optimizes the overall sequence and checks for concurrent activities.
• Together, these passes create a balanced, collaborative plan.

Breaking Down Large Areas:

One common mistake is attempting to pull plan for a large area all at once. Instead:

• Use the Takt Calculator at LeanTakt.com to determine appropriate zones.
• Pull plan for one representative zone and replicate this sequence for other zones.
• Compare sequences across zones to ensure buffer times and alignment with milestones.

Identifying Bottlenecks and Optimizing Speed: To further enhance your pull plan:

Identify your bottleneck trade and explore solutions with them.

• Discuss design, prefabrication, logistics, or planning adjustments.
• Focus on optimizing their fastest speed without pushing or overwhelming them.

Conduct a stacking comparison to align the fastest possible durations of all trades. This reveals bottlenecks and helps you adjust durations effectively.

The Key to Faster Phases: There are two primary ways to accelerate a phase:

Zoning: Breaking work into smaller zones shortens the overall phase.

Bottleneck Optimization: Addressing bottlenecks through thoughtful design and planning reduces delays.