Pitfalls to Avoid in Weekly Work Planning
The goal is to explore the links between jobs and prevent trade partners from over-committing so you can create a smooth and steady workflow.
The weekly work plan meeting is your weekly check-up to make sure that all subcontractors are on track to complete their scheduled work. Only work without any known constraints is included on the weekly work plan. The production meeting is the opportunity to hear from the subcontractors and obtain their commitments for next week’s work. A successful meeting will result in a smooth and steady workflow.
The goal is to explore the links between jobs and prevent trade partners from over-committing. Crews only promise work that can be done. Watch out for these common mistakes that can prevent you from accomplishing this goal.
- Failure to have 100-percent attendance—All subcontractors MUST be present at your weekly work planning meeting. Without full participation, your plan will be incomplete and inaccurate. Scheduling a week’s work requires all the information from all the crews on the jobsite.
- Ignoring Feedback—All issues are site-wide. If one subcontractor is talking about problems with their workflow, that affects everyone’s workflow. Pay attention to what meeting attendees are telling you. Do not make the mistake of treating any information as “not my problem.” Feedback is necessary to keep your project on track.
- Asking too few questions—Engage with any subcontractors who are unable to complete their scheduled work. Ask them a series of questions to get to the root of the problem. “Why are you unable to complete your tasks?” and “What can we do to help?” for example.
- Accepting a bad promise—Work promises start with the words “yes, I will/can,” or “no, I cannot.” Do not accept statements that begin with “I’ll try” or “Maybe.” Obtain firm commitments from all of the subcontractors on the scope of work and the date of completion.
A successful meeting will result in a smooth and steady workflow.
