What is Pull Planning in Design?

Pull Planning is used in Lean Design to plan and organize work to maximize efficiency and minimize waste. It involves setting specific goals and objectives for a project and then breaking those goals down into smaller tasks that can be completed in a specific order. The idea is to “pull” work through the project as it is needed, rather than “pushing” work through without a clear plan or direction, simply because that is what the schedule says. The pull approach helps to reduce delays and rework and ensures that resources are used effectively. Pull allows a request to signal when work is needed. In other words, pull releases work when the “system” is ready to use it. Push releases work regardless of whether the downstream “system” is ready or not.

Pull Planning is most effective when breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks and completing them in the right order. A “manageable task” refers to a specific and achievable piece of work that can be accomplished within a defined period, which in our design process is 5 days or less. This approach helps achieve major handoffs sooner, allowing the process to flow more efficiently.

Why do we use Pull Planning?

We implement Pull Planning in design to improve collaboration and coordination between team members, leading to better project outcomes. In Pull Planning, “pulling” refers to releasing tasks based on the availability or capacity of the team, rather than “pushing” work based on a predetermined schedule. This means tasks are only released when the team is ready to perform the work. Some benefits of using Pull Planning in Design include:

1. Early involvement of stakeholders: Pull Planning involves bringing together all stakeholders, including design, construction, engineering teams, and owners, early in the design process. This ensures that potential issues are identified and addressed before they become constraints.

2. Improved Communication: By bringing together stakeholders early in the design process, Pull Planning encourages open and ongoing communication between all parties.

3. Better alignment between design and construction: When the General Contractor and Trade Partners are involved and engaged, Pull Planning helps align the design process with the construction process. This ensures that design decisions are made with construction feasibility in mind, reducing the likelihood of rework and change orders during construction.

4. Increased efficiency: By working in a collaborative and coordinated manner, Pull Planning helps streamline the design process and reduces the likelihood of delays or schedule overruns. This can result in significant time and cost savings for the project.

5. Reduced rework: If I know the “conceptual” size and location of a shaft early in schematic design, when MEP is likely in narrative format, I’m more likely to have much less rework than if a shaft is identified midway through design development when MEP has started modeling.

Pull Planning is a valuable tool for improving the design process by fostering collaboration, communication, and coordination between project team members. It is the conversations between members at the wall, during in-person planning sessions, that develops the trust that allows this all to happen.

How do we Pull Plan?

Pull Planning for design can be broken down into the following steps:

1. Distribute homework to consultants and other team members beforehand. This helps them come prepared, ensuring the session doesn't start from scratch.

2. Assemble team members (stakeholders) in a room. This includes designers, engineers, contractors, trade partners, and owner representatives. For design-bid-build projects with no contractor or trades, gather everyone else. This team will work together to plan and execute the design phases.

3. Start with an icebreaker. This is a great way to put everyone at ease, foster cooperation, and build team culture by getting to know individuals on a more personal level. If I know someone personally, I’m more likely to swarm a problem with them rather than blame them for the issue.

4. Define the milestone you’re pulling to. In my mind, there are two types of milestones in Design:

• Decision point milestone: This could be a decision on project funding, what structural system to use, local AHJ approval, notice to proceed, user group meetings, etc. Whatever it is, it will release the next layer of design information.
• Construction release milestone: Ultimately, our goal as designers is to get something built. There may be milestones that release portions of construction ahead of others, such as early procurement of long-lead equipment, a site work package, or a design review package.

5. Identify the deliverables for the chosen milestone as a team.

6. Avoid discussing dates or durations at this stage. Your priority should be developing the project’s flow.

7. Work with the team to “pull” tasks, starting with the deliverables for the milestone. We are looking for deliverable categories, not specifics. For example, “Dimensioned Floor Plans” is fine; you don’t need “Level 1, 2 & 3 Dimensioned Floor Plans.”

8. Ask the question, “What do you need to start and complete your deliverable?” Remember, design is an iterative process, a layering of information. Nobody needs “locked” floor plans to design the mechanical system roof loads. We can likely get 90% certainty of the unit size, location, and weight by providing a space program with intended uses. This will then release the ability to locate shafts, size mechanical rooms, and ultimately “lock” the floor plan.

9. Work as a team to determine what is needed to start each task as you work your way back to the beginning until you get to the first unconstrained task. One task may constrain and be constrained by multiple other tasks. Then move on to the next deliverable and work through it all again.

10. Continue until you have worked through all the deliverables for all disciplines, and the team has worked through the flow of work together.

11. Assign durations to each task on the wall. This is where we explain to new team members what is expected from them for durations.

• The duration is defined like this: “I have everything I need to start and complete this task, so if I sat down tomorrow morning at 8 am to start it, and I did nothing else until it was complete, how many hours (or days) will it take?” We understand that you have other things on your plate, and we will accommodate those when we plan this work into a weekly work plan.

12. At this point, you should be able to step back and look at a fully completed Pull Plan for that design phase. Congratulations!

What now?

In our workflow, we input this data into a program called vPlanner. We set the milestone date, and the program calculates the required dates these tasks will need to be started and completed. Now we have the team review and adjust the plan as needed. No plan is ever set in stone. Everything can be revised. The flow of the work is like a river—if you find an easier path, you can adjust course if it improves your flow and maintains your milestone date.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Pull Planning process during a design phase helps to ensure all stakeholders are involved in the process and that the project is well-planned and on track to be completed on time. Creating flow is essential for optimizing the work. By following this process, teams can achieve better outcomes for the project and reduce the risk of delays or cost overruns. And that will make all the difference!

I would like to thank Scott Rasmussen, Dave Hagan, and Eric Ubersax for their mentorship and support in my lean journey.