Why Huddle Boards?

Short answer: A huddle board puts the project plan where everyone can see it, so the whole team can see, know and act together. Post four things: the Takt plan, the logistics plan, the roadblock log, and production code trackers. Run two meetings from it: the afternoon foreman huddle and the morning worker huddle.

What Is the Purpose of a Huddle Board?

A huddle board should let us see if we are winning daily. It allows everyone on the project site to see as a group, know things as a group, and act together as a group. The purpose is to run the project, and not let it run us. We cannot manage what we cannot measure, and we cannot measure what we cannot see. Huddle boards are for helping us see what winning looks like, so we can own the gap between where we are and where we want to go.

For where the huddle board goes, see design your trailer first.

What Are the Guidelines for a Huddle Board?

1. Everything should be out of our heads. The schedule, the logistics, the strategy, and the problems. None of it belongs in our head or the head of the superintendent. Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. Huddle boards are supposed to hold them. The reason an inexperienced superintendent is constantly fighting fires and on the phone is because the visual huddle board for the project is in their head. Get it out of your head, and the people will begin interacting with the information and figuring things out for themselves.

2. Everyone, every day, should be able to see what winning looks like.

How Do You Use Your Huddle Board?

We use an enclosed, lockable board with a glass front. The plans go inside, and you write on the glass with dry-erase markers.

Here are some helpful guidelines for using a huddle board:

1. Keep it shut overnight and when not in use.

2. Lock it.

3. Use the newer versions that are moisture tight and don’t ruin the papers inside.

4. Use a squeegee to clean off the face of the huddle board in the morning when presenting to the workers.

5. Keep a rag on hand to finish cleaning the face of the glass off.

6. Use large dry-erase markers on the front to communicate with workers.

7. The idea is to keep the schedule updated weekly, open the front screen to edit the materials inside with the foremen, and then to close the front screen ahead of the worker huddle so you can use the markers to communicate the plan the next day.

Why Put the Takt Plan on the Huddle Board?

The Takt plan shows where we are, where we are going, and how delays impact our milestones and deadlines. Without knowing the overall plan we cannot strategize and make corrections to the project plan. We should be able to see flow, target dates, buffers, and deadlines. Without this, there is no way to see the impacts of changes, get help, and request needed funds or time from the owner. The superintendent must keep this plan up to date personally every week if not every day.

Why Put the Logistics Plan on the Huddle Board?

To win on our projects we must only handle things once. That means materials, stockpiles, installations, and routes. We need to plan the staging of all these things before they arrive on site or show up. If we do that, we will reduce waste, respect people, and make money. We can coordinate this as we visually show the plan for the day on the logistics plan to the entire team.

Why Track Roadblocks on the Huddle Board?

The super, PM, PX, and company leaders are all professional roadblock removers. The two main rules in construction are: Keep the flow, and keep the team balanced. We keep the flow by seeing and removing roadblocks before they affect the work, and we keep the team balanced by sharing the load and working together. Every day a superintendent needs to gather information about roadblocks from the team so s/he can work with the PM in the team daily huddle to remove roadblocks together, and keep work moving forward.

Why Track Production Codes by Foreman?

If we bid a project at 8%, our estimate shows 8%, our budget meetings show 8%, our schedule shows 8%, and our production trackers show 8%. But we want a higher % to fund bonuses. So, what do we do? Great question! We show key production codes that we can use to do better than the estimate, and we visually show that production rate for everyone to see. That way, the team can track daily progress to hitting those targets. We will never get higher than our estimate % gross margin unless we target that number. These code trackers target that number.

Which Meetings Run From the Huddle Board?

There are two meetings we must host: the afternoon foreman huddle and the morning worker huddle.

The purpose of the Afternoon Foreman Huddle is to do the following in addition to the normal agenda:

1. Mark what activities were and were not completed today.

2. What activities have to be done tomorrow to keep schedule.

3. Where deliveries, staging, and stockpiles will be located.

4. Prepare work and find roadblocks for the super and PM to remove.

5. Discuss production targets and make plans to do better.

6. Make a plan for the next day.

The purpose of the Morning Worker Huddle is to communicate the plan for the day to the workers. It is crucial to show in red where we are not winning according to our plan and to engage the minds of all workers and foremen in solving the problems and improving each day.

Here are some questions for us:

1. How can we manage the schedule without a visual schedule?

2. How can we only handle things once if we do not all know where things go?

3. How can we create flow unless we see and remove roadblocks together?

4. How can we get to a higher % unless we know what key scopes will get us there and what production rate we need to hit to get there?

The answers are obvious.

We use huddle boards because we only win as a team. Navy SEALs win as a team. Olympic champions win as a team. Race car drivers win as a team. Companies win as a team, and to win as a team, we must see as a team, know the status of the project as a team, and act together to improve it.

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!

Frequently Asked Questions

What goes on a construction huddle board?

The Takt plan, the logistics plan for the day, the roadblock log, and production code trackers by foreman, so everyone can see whether we’re winning.

When should you update the huddle board?

Update the schedule weekly with the foremen, and use the glass front every day to show the plan for the next day before the morning worker huddle.

What is the difference between the foreman huddle and the worker huddle?

The afternoon foreman huddle checks today’s work, plans tomorrow and finds roadblocks. The morning worker huddle shows every worker the plan for the day and where we’re not winning.