One fear of working collaboratively, is that more time spent on front end planning will only serve to increase the cost of the project. Project Managers worry that implementing this on a project will make their job harder and hurt their bottom line. The reality is that when you harness the experience of your subcontractors, you lessen the amount of babysitting you have to do. The time and money put into early collaborative planning creates big savings in both, and empowers your team to get more done. Once you try it, you’ll learn to embrace this style of planning.

So where does smarter planning find extra time and money?

Fewer Bottlenecks.

Smarter planning allows you to identify the places where work stoppages are likely to occur. When you know where a problem will exist, you can plan accordingly and avoid it. This planning system allows you to work out the contingencies and prevent idle time on site.

Smarter allocation of Project Capital.

Planning ahead also makes sure that you are not spending money on resources until they are needed. This system wide approach is far more effective at lowering your cost, because it eliminates waste along the entire production stream as opposed to at individual points or problem areas.

Reduction in the amount of Rework.

Work is done only when it needs to be done. Once the project has begun these savings continue because we complete work only when it is required. This prevents damaged product that would require rework or replacement.

Correct staffing numbers.

The system works because it relies on the expertise of crew leaders to set the work timelines and numbers. This improves predictions of labour required, and prevents you from having to call in more people, or send guys home.

These benefits will also reduce your time commitment as well as your stress level.

How does it accomplish this?

• It identifies potential problems before they become obstacles in the project
• Makes sure that bad news is learned at the earliest possible time
• Uses social pressure to motivate teams for faster completion
• Develops supervisory skills among subcontractors, which in turn
• Reduces your workload.

All of these benefits serve to create a more predictable and reliable production program.