00:00You know, if you've ever watched a really carefully crafted project plan just completely
00:05fall apart by day two, you know exactly how frustrating that is.
00:08But what if the problem isn't the plan itself, but the entire philosophy behind how we plan?
00:14Well, today we're going to dig into the last planner system, a method that's really designed
00:18to fix that fundamental flaw.
00:20So let's dive in.
00:22It's a story we've all seen, right?
00:24You've got this detailed plan, a critical path, everything looks perfect.
00:28And yet things immediately start to slip.
00:32Delays just cascade and suddenly the teams are left firefighting instead of building.
00:37So why does this happen over and over again?
00:40This single number, this number really gets to the heart of the whole problem.
00:4454%.
00:45When researchers first started studying the reliability of traditional project plans, this
00:49is the number they found.
00:50And it represents a pretty shocking reality, which is that on a typical project, just a
00:55little over half of what's promised for the week actually gets done.
00:59I mean, it's basically a coin toss.
01:01Now, this isn't a people problem.
01:03It's a system problem.
01:04And it's exactly this unpredictability that the last planner system was created to solve.
01:09So here's our game plan.
01:10We'll talk about the core philosophy.
01:12We'll break down the five connected conversations that really drive the system.
01:15Then we'll look at the results.
01:17And finally, see what it takes to get started.
01:19At its heart, you got to understand that the last planner system isn't just another new
01:24tool.
01:25It's a whole new way of thinking.
01:27It's about stopping treating plans like these rigid forecasts of what should happen and instead
01:32building them around reliable commitments of what will happen.
01:36And hey, this philosophy isn't something that just appeared out of thin air.
01:40Its roots go deep into the legendary Toyota production system and the principles of lean
01:44manufacturing.
01:46Back in 1992, a guy named Glenn Ballard adapted these powerful ideas for the unique challenges
01:50of construction, creating a system that's laser focused on reliable workflow and constant
01:55improvement.
01:55And this right here, this is the fundamental difference.
02:00See, traditional plans are top down.
02:02They're forecasts of what should be done.
02:04LPS, on the other hand, is collaborative.
02:07It starts by asking what can be done.
02:10And only then does it get a firm commitment on what will be done.
02:13It's a really powerful shift from just predicting to actually promising.
02:18So when we say last planners, who are we actually talking about?
02:22Well, they're the people right there at the sharp end.
02:24The foremen, the crew leaders, the trade supervisors.
02:27They're the ones with boots on the ground who have the best understanding of what's
02:30really happening on site.
02:31The entire system is built to empower them to make reliable promises, because they're
02:35the ones who truly know what it takes to get the work done.
02:38Okay, so that's the big idea.
02:40But how does this philosophy actually translate into action?
02:43It happens through something the system calls the five connected conversations.
02:47Just think of this as the operational engine of LPS, a continuous cycle of planning,
02:52checking, and learning.
02:53These five simple words, they form the backbone of the entire system.
02:58We start with what should be done.
03:00We figure out what can be done.
03:02We commit to what will be done.
03:04We track what we did.
03:05And this is the most important part.
03:07We learn from the results.
03:09Let's break each one of these down.
03:11First up, should.
03:13This is what we call pull planning.
03:15So instead of just pushing tasks forward from the beginning of a project, the team actually
03:19starts at a key milestone and works backward.
03:21Each trade has to say, hey, in order for me to do my job, I need this from you.
03:26This simple act forces a real collaborative conversation that defines the most logical and efficient
03:31sequence of work.
03:32Next, we have can, or make ready planning.
03:37Here, the team looks about six weeks ahead and screens every single task, asking one critical
03:42question.
03:43What could stop this from happening?
03:45They're literally hunting for constraints, missing info, late materials, prep work that
03:50isn't done.
03:50And they clear those roadblocks before they can cause delays.
03:55Now, the will conversation, this is where the rubber meets the road.
03:58Based on all that work that's been made ready, the last planners, those foremen and crew leaders,
04:03they make specific public promises about exactly what they will accomplish in the coming week.
04:07And this isn't just a forecast.
04:09It's a personal commitment they make to the rest of the team.
04:12Fourth is did.
04:13This is all about daily execution.
04:16The daily huddle isn't for replanning the week.
04:18It's a super quick check-in to help keep those promises on track.
04:21Then, at the end of the week, the team measures what was actually completed against what was
04:25promised, which leads us right into the final crucial step.
04:29And finally, we have the most critical step of all, learn.
04:33Using a metric called percent plan complete, or PPC, we get to see just how reliable our
04:38plan was.
04:39And this is so important.
04:41PPC is not a grade for the workers.
04:43It's a diagnostic tool for the system.
04:45It's all about measuring the reliability of our planning, not the productivity of our
04:49people.
04:50The real magic here is that when a promise is missed, the question isn't who messed up,
04:56but why did this happen?
04:57The reasons are almost always systemic.
05:00Things like poor information flow or coordination issues.
05:03So every missed task becomes a data point, an opportunity to improve the entire system for
05:08next week and the week after that.
05:10So, the big question is, does this shift from forecasting to making commitments actually
05:17work?
05:18Well, the data is pretty compelling and shows a dramatic impact on performance.
05:23On average, teams are seeing schedule compression of 20 to 25%.
05:28I mean, think about that for a second.
05:31By creating a really reliable workflow and getting rid of all that stop and start waste, projects
05:37are finishing significantly faster.
05:40And you know, it's not just about time.
05:42That smooth, predictable workflow also leads to an average cost reduction of 15 to 20%.
05:48That comes from less rework, less wasted labor, better use of materials, all things that
05:54have a direct positive impact on the bottom line.
05:57So, here's the thing.
05:58Implementing the last planner system isn't some one-time event you can just check off a list.
06:03It's really the beginning of a lean journey, a real commitment to a culture of collaboration
06:09and continuous improvement.
06:11This whole journey is a cycle.
06:13That weekly learn conversation we talked about, that's the engine.
06:17It's what moves teams from just being aware of the system to truly mastering it.
06:21The goal isn't to be perfect on day one, but to be relentless in the pursuit of making
06:25next week's plan even more reliable than this week's.
06:29So, let's just do a quick recap of the key takeaways here.
06:32We've seen that traditional planning is, frankly, fundamentally unreliable.
06:37The last planner system fixes this by shifting from those top-down forecasts to real, collaborative
06:43commitments, and it uses those five core conversations to create a powerful cycle of continuous learning.
06:49The last planner system is so much more than just a process.
06:52It's a cultural shift that builds trust and reliability from the ground up.
06:57To keep this conversation going, we'd love for you to join the Unified Consulting Solutions
07:01community over on LinkedIn.
07:03And we'll leave you with this final thought.
07:05If the reliability of your current planning system is basically a 50-50 coin toss, what
07:10amazing opportunities are you leaving to chance?
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