The next meeting in the Last Planner implementation series is the afternoon foreman huddle. I’ve said before, whether people like it or not, that the foreman huddle should be in the afternoon. I’m very strong about this opinion. You can take it or leave it. I think I’m right, and I’d encourage you to pray about it, meditate about it, think about it, and experiment with it. But 100%, foreman huddles, or crew leader huddles, belong in the afternoon.
Short answer: The afternoon foreman huddle completely plans the next day ahead. Status today’s activities, track zone handoffs and roadblock removal, then build tomorrow’s day plan together, asking about safety, logistics, deliveries, inspections, permits, and resources, so foremen can be with their crews in the morning instead of hunting for materials.
Why the Afternoon?
In the afternoon, you can collect your daily reports. People in the field are a little more tired, so they should be staging and cleaning, doing less mentally intensive work. Everyone can collaborate and see what they need the day before, not the morning of, so the next morning they’re with their people, not distracted with rerouting or sitting in a meeting.
If you were going to give a talk, would you prepare it five minutes before or the day before? Holding the huddle in the morning is literally like saying, plan for the meeting five minutes ahead of time. That’s ridiculous. Plan the day before. See Afternoon Foreman Huddles.
What Is the Purpose and Who Attends?
Call it the afternoon daily foreman huddle, the afternoon foreman huddle, or the foreman daily huddle. The purpose is to completely plan the next day ahead, 100%. It includes the same people as the weekly tactical: the superintendents, project engineers, foremen, and field engineers if available.
How Do You Run It?
- Shout-outs.
- Cue everyone up: we want roadblocks to be a focus. Pull up your tool and get ready to log them.
- Status today. Because it’s in the afternoon, you’re asking how did we do today, not yesterday, and reflections are best done the day of. Is the activity complete? Is it clean, safe, and organized? Did you move into your next zone? How are handoffs going? Green-check what’s complete and flag what isn’t so you can discuss it for tomorrow.
- Set the parameters: this is what winning looks like, these are the vertically aligned milestones, these are the handoffs, this is what our weekly work plan already says.
- Create tomorrow’s day plan, with each trade partner speaking to their tasks, checking for zone stacking and trade overburdening.
- Write everything on a single plan and leave with the information in one location.
What KPIs Do You Track?
| KPI | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Successful handoffs | The percentage of successful handoffs between zones |
| Roadblock removal average | How quickly roadblocks are being removed |
What Does a Bad Foreman Huddle Sound Like?
A bad foreman huddle is where everybody says, this is when you’re doing this, and this is when you’re doing that. I don’t care about that. We already know when, because we did it in the weekly work plan. We’re talking about how: how are we going to hand off, how are we going to execute, how are we going to absorb that delay? Read Out of Your Head, Off of Your Shoulders: The Afternoon Foreman Huddle.
What Questions Should the Superintendent Ask?
At a more micro level, every activity still needs expectations, materials, labor, layout, space, RFIs and information, equipment, tools, permissions, contracts, and insurance. As people go through their activities, you’ll be asking at least 15 questions. Yes, you, superintendent, are asking how they’ll execute.
- Are we safe? Are pre-task plans ready to be filled out tomorrow? Are JHAs or activity hazard analyses pre-filled to be reviewed and signed?
- Do you have the scaffolding? The fire watch?
- If someone has a delivery or is moving something: when is it coming, what is it, who will inspect it, and where will it go? I want to draw it on the map.
- Are there inspections tomorrow?
- Do you need anything from other people?
- Are any permits needed?
- Do you need cranes, hoisting, a forklift, or other resources?
- What’s the weather like?
What Goes on the Day Plan?
You’ll still have the normal-level takt plan, procurement log, and whiteboard, but you’re really working in the day planning area. Write down:
| Day plan item | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Shout-outs | What shout-outs do we have for the workers tomorrow? |
| Feedback | What feedback should we ask the crews for to make a better project? |
| Safety focus | What are the biggest safety focuses? |
| Permits | What permits did we decide we need? |
| Deliveries and logistics | What deliveries do we have, and what’s the logistics strategy? |
| Training | What one- to two-minute training moment will improve the site? |
| Plan for the day | What major planned activities should the whole site hear? |
| Weather | What is the weather? |
I really like doing this in a Canva template you can just fill out. Then it’s uploaded to a QR code so every worker on site can see the plan for the day, in addition to your explanation in the morning worker huddle.
What Does This Buy You in the Morning?
You can collect daily reports and fill out permits ahead of time. You hit the ground running in the morning because you already got the extension cords, the diesel, and that RFI from the office. You prepared the day before, so you can be with your people in the most crucial hours of the morning, when they do their most effective work. We don’t want people looking for materials in the morning or going on treasure hunts. Everything should be pre-staged, filled out, and permitted, so we go to work when we’re the safest.
A superintendent on his third reading of Elevating Construction Superintendents wrote that he’s waited his entire working life to see this change in construction culture, and he wants to be part of a company with this kind of training and mentoring. That makes my heart sing. I responded right away.
So here is the challenge. Move your foreman huddle to the afternoon for two weeks and track handoffs and roadblock removal. Then compare your mornings.
Bottom line: Plan the day before, in the afternoon, so leaders can lead their crews in the morning.
If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.
On we go.
Takt and Last Planner Implementation series:
Previous: The Trade Partner Weekly Tactical
Next: The Morning Worker Huddle
FAQ
Why should the foreman huddle be in the afternoon?
So you can collect daily reports, foremen can plan while crews do less mentally intensive staging and cleaning, and everyone sees what they need the day before, not the morning of. Then foremen can be with their people in the most crucial hours of the morning instead of in a meeting or on a treasure hunt.
What KPIs are tracked in the afternoon foreman huddle?
Two major KPIs: the percentage of successful handoffs between zones, and the roadblock removal average.
What goes on the day plan from the afternoon foreman huddle?
Shout-outs, feedback to ask the crews for, the safety focus, permits, deliveries and the logistics strategy, a short training moment for the morning worker huddle, the major planned activities, and the weather.
People Also Read:
Morning Foreman Huddles Are Just Team Huddles
Foreman Series: Making a Day Plan
Foreman Series: Zone Handoffs
Roadblock Removal
If you want to learn more we have:
-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)
Discover Jason’s Expertise:
Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.