30 Second vs 3 Month Plan Review
The battle over time frames is about to begin.
Imagine this. You're a construction planner on a mission to conquer project deadlines and tame chaos. Having to analyze plans over different time frames, from lightning-fast 30 seconds to marathon-like 3-year timelines, is an epic challenge. Strap in, because we're about to witness the ultimate clash of efficiency, strategy, and speed.
⏱️ 30 Second Plan Analysis
This would be a sprint.
There’s no way you'll find anything in 30 seconds. I’d ask what the final completion date are... quickly.
⏲️3 Minute Plan Analysis
You might waste half the time opening the plan.
Compare contractual need dates vs current plan forecasts.
Or review the latest plan progress report.
Look for any major variances or red flags.
🕒 3 Hour Plan Analysis
Finally it's time to get into it.
Check if the plan meets the requirements.
Compare contractual dates with current project forecasts.
Review task dependencies and relationships thoroughly.
Analyze the impact of critical activities on the overall timeline.
Evaluate the plan's feasibility in terms of available resources.
Review the baseline plan and any changes since the last analysis.
Check the completion of tasks using prior plans.
⏰ 3 Day Plan Analysis
Time to walk the site and speak with people.
Spend one day walking the jobsite with the plan in hand.
Conduct interviews with key project personnel another day (Project Managers, Engineers, Superintendents, Procurement, Project Controls, Subcontractors, etc).ntrols, Subcontractors, etc)
Perform a 3 hour analysis of the plan and go into more detail in various areas, systems and disciplines.
Analyze the risk using the plan and any other readily available data.
📆 3 Week Plan Analysis
As well as reviewing the plan, you have time to review operations.
Perform the 3 Day Plan Analysis.
Track (in the plan & real world) 3 to 5 critical items to be completed by week 3.
Prepare a set of mitigations if those 3 to 5 items aren’t met.
Pull in additional data sets not in the plan (finance, cost, resources, procurement, etc.).
Attend multiple plan progress update meetings.
Shadow a Project Manager and a Planner to determine culture.
Deep dive integrations with design, procurement, and commissioning.
🗓️ 3 Month Plan Analysis
The transition from reporting to impact occurs during this period.
Perform the 3 hour, day and week analysis.
Monitor key trends month-to-month.
Identify 6 to 10 areas that could be improved.
Mix between plan specific (order of concrete pours) or operational (removing the report requirement).
Work with the project team and weigh value and complexity.
Select a couple of low hanging fruit and one more complex higher value improvement.
Build implementation plans and execute improvements.
⌛ 3 Year Plan Analysis
Shift to building strategies and structural changes.
Perform the 3 hour, day and week analysis.
Perform the 3 month analysis and broaden the horizon.
Consider the project and whether it exists in a program.
Are there any changes that, if made now, would have a significant impact?
How would your decision making be dramatically improved if you had (insert data) today?
Outline the overall delivery process, noting constraints and high risks.
Develop a robust delivery strategy to significantly reduce costs and durations.
Include all aspects of delivery (funding, site acquisition, engineering and design, permitting, procurement, construction, commissioning, etc.).
Consider the teams that perform the actions.
Think about people's tools and technologies.
Keep the broader team and organization informed of progress against the strategies.
🏁 Finish Line
I hope these insights provide you with a framework for efficient plan analysis in various time frames. Innovative solutions can be found by thinking outside the box.
Action for you. Try this for yourself. Write down a few bullet points for each period in your current project. Is there anything you could do?
If you have questions or want to share your own tips, feel free to connect with me.
