What Is The Last Planner System Weekly Work Plan?

What Is the Last Planner System Weekly Work Plan?

Welcome! In this blog, I’ll walk you through what a Weekly Work Plan really looks like when formatted correctly. I’ll also explain how to develop one, how to use it effectively, and why it’s such a powerful tool for making commitments, focusing on handoffs, and tracking Percent Plan Complete (PPC).

You’re going to see actual examples that bring this concept to life—let’s dive in!

The Weekly Work Plan in the Last Planner System:

In this blog, I’ll be sharing insights directly from our book Takt Steering and Control. We’ll break down exactly what a Weekly Work Plan is, how it works, and how to use it to improve your projects. If that’s something you’re into, keep reading.

I’ve got pages 140 and 141 from the book right in front of me, and we’ll use them to guide this walkthrough.

So, What Is a Weekly Work Plan?

At its core, the Weekly Work Plan is a commitment-based planning tool. It takes the next week’s activities—pulled from the Look-Ahead Plan—and puts them into a visual, actionable format. Thanks to High Street Ventures, we’re using their format here as a great example.

The main purpose? To identify handoffs, enable commitment planning, and track daily production in every zone by every person.

Key Features of a Weekly Work Plan:

• Visual Layout: Time is listed across the top, zones down the side.
• Daily Production Visibility: You can walk the field with the plan in hand.
• Handoff Management: Track when trades move from one zone to another.
• Roadblock Identification: Mark and solve them collaboratively.
• Legend and Zone Maps: Provide clarity and orientation for all team members.
• Activity-Based Line Items: Each activity is listed on its own line for tracking and accountability.

Why Commitments Matter:

A Weekly Work Plan is about more than just tasks—it’s about promises and flow. Every trade partner knows:

• What they’re doing.
• Where they’re doing it.
• When it needs to happen.
• Who’s depending on them next.

If handoffs are happening on time—say, 80% or higher—you’ve got solid flow. And if there are more handoffs than assistant superintendents can check, you can delegate tracking to trusted trade partners with coordination during the Foreman huddle.

Takt Planning Integration:

We tie this into our macro-level Takt Plan, such as the one we used for the Honor Health Neuroscience Institute. Unlike a traditional critical path (just logic ties and durations), a path of critical flow includes:

• Pull-planned sequences.
• Trade flow.
• Buffers.

From the macro plan, we slice into norm-level Takt Plans, which reflect real production targets. These plans feed directly into the Weekly Work Plan and the six-week Look-Ahead Plan.

Clearing Roadblocks Before They Happen:

When reviewing your Look-Ahead, ask the 17 “make-ready” questions. Any activities that don’t pass? They’re potential roadblocks. Solve those in the middle four weeks of the six-week window so that your Weekly Work Plan is clear and focused.

Remember, the Weekly Work Plan is not the place to clear roadblocks. It’s about confirming work is ready and tracking handoffs.

From Weekly Work Plan to Day Plan:

Once your Weekly Work Plan is locked in, you can break it down into Daily Plans, which include:

• Day-specific agendas.
• Notes on logistics.
• Zone-specific updates.

These are shared with field crews to ensure everyone sees the same thing, understands the plan, and acts in unison.

Key Takeaway:

A well-executed Weekly Work Plan is the heartbeat of the Last Planner System—it turns look-ahead schedules into actionable commitments, ensures smooth trade handoffs, and keeps production flowing by making work ready and visible to the entire team.