Originally published 8/22/2019; Updated 3/31/2020
For construction companies, keeping the work flowing is critical to every project’s success. That’s why there’s always such a premium placed on quality project management tools. And, although a lot of construction companies rely on the traditional method of sticky note pull planning, VeilSun is offering a better way for teams looking for digital solutions that will help them keep their projects on track in the age of physical distancing. This blog will give a brief summary of what pull planning is, why it’s so great for construction, and why QLean from VeilSun can be such a perfect option for taking your pull planning to another level.
What is Pull Planning?
In construction, much of the work is dependent on specific jobs being finished before the next phase can be completed, and these jobs are often done by a variety of different trades that have to be coordinated effectively. Simply stated, pull planning allows you to begin at the end and work back through each key stage. And because pull planning includes all of your relevant experts in the process, it helps you to quickly identify the true dependencies and plan accordingly.
A typical pull planning workflow looks like this: using different color sticky notes, each trade creates a stack or chute of tasks necessary to complete their steps in a project. All the trades then come together and start planning backward from the final phase of the project, placing their notes in relation to each other and identifying true dependencies. Once a linear order of tasks is established, the schedule is then consolidated in the most compact, efficient way possible, creating “pulls” that are then ported onto a calendar.
Why Pull Planning for Construction?
Instead of relying on a single Project Manager to design and implement a schedule, pull planning brings together all of your stakeholders to collaboratively plan the schedule, ensuring no tasks get overlooked.
Most importantly, pull planning maximizes efficiency in your project schedule by providing every team member with clear steps to follow to accomplish set goals. The compact scheduling allows you to have as many trades as possible working on site without getting in each other’s way because the dependencies have been clearly defined.
QLean Pull Planning
We’ve shown you that pull planning is a really effective way to keep your projects on track. But how can you maintain this efficiency when you can't pull the trades all into one room because of physical distancing restrictions? If you’re looking for a lean construction project management system that will maximize the efficiency of your projects, all while enabling you to plan collaboratively and remotely, you should check out VeilSun’s QLean software. Pull planning with QLean offers continuous collaboration and execution through the lifespan of a project — at an incredibly affordable rate.
QLean gives you:
Collaboration
Foster cooperation, commitment, & agreement from everyone on the project
• Coordination with all trades
• Agree on a final schedule
• Eliminates miscommunication
• Real time project management, as conversations occur
• No Excuses
Optimization
Develop a completely tight end schedule
• Collaborative process
• Agree who works on what, and when
• Outline order of events
• Lean & optimized schedule
• Void of gaps & miscommunications
Efficiency
Capture all your planning & conversations in one place
• Interface re-creates sticky notes system without the need for in-person pulls
• Software is a project enabler
• Update projects in real time
• Efficient, lightweight experience
• Build a lean schedule which flows in a project plan
Affordability
Stop buying new software every time you begin a new project
• Subscription-based
• Never pay per project
• More economical
• No new buying decision every time you make a new building
• Project is forever in your organization
Visit our landing page or contact us to learn more about QLean, download our white paper and see exactly how it can help your construction projects thrive and enable your continued success in the weeks ahead. You can also check out our on-demand webinar replay about "The Future of Flexible and Economic Pull Planning".