Roadblock Tracking Maps: See the Speed, the Distance, and the Roadblocks
Here’s the deal. I chose this topic because it is really relevant to where we want to go with operational control and steering. It is a really neat concept, and I feel like I have not done a good enough job in the past explaining it, although I have mentioned roadblock tracking maps before. The idea is that we want to see where we are.
Short answer: A roadblock tracking map is a floor plan (we build ours in Bluebeam) where every room or zone is colored to match the Takt wagon that has finished work there, with roadblocks marked on top. One look shows where each trade is, how fast it’s moving, how far apart the trades are, and which roadblocks are in their path.
Speed and Distance
One of the things on my mind is being able to see speed and distance. I think that one day, when we have the best Takt software in the world out and available, that software will automatically notify us if the trades are not going the right speed together, and if they are not the right distance apart. It would work from where the trades are in the zones, in their rooms, or at a certain station along a pipe run, or wherever it is.
What we are trying to do is prevent trades from hitting each other. We want to keep everybody going the same speed, because that is really how you flow. Those are important considerations to me.
We Visualize Things Spatially
Not very many people like to look at any kind of schedule. We like to visualize things spatially. It helps with memory, it helps with comprehension, and it is the way we plan and prepare work.
The Map I Borrowed From a Project at DPR
I loved this, and I borrowed it from a project at DPR on the Banner Good Samaritan campus. They were building an emergency department and a bed tower expansion, and they had everything in Bluebeam. The zones were on Bluebeam, and they changed the status of each room to show where that room was, meaning which activities had been completed.
Say one trade is pink. If that trade had gone through all the rooms in the building, all the rooms would be pink. If the trade behind the pink trade was green, that green would start to show up room by room throughout the building. I could tell where every trade was based on where their colors were, and the colors matched the Takt wagons.
I also put roadblocks on this map. The key thing for me was that I could tell, right then and there, whether the trades were going the same speed and the same distance apart. I loved it, and these maps were huge. Here is what they showed.
- Each room or area was color coded to match its Takt wagon.
- I could see where each trade was.
- I could see the distance between trades.
- I could see the speed they were going.
- I could see whether they were going to finish within their Takt time and meet their end date.
- I could see the trades in relation to any roadblocks.
When a Wagon or a Room Has to Come Out of the Train
Another thing I could see wonderfully is when we had to detach a wagon or boxcar from the train, or detach a room or an area from the zones of the Takt plan, because of an owner change or an owner design change, I could see that and keep everyone going and focused on contract work.
How to Build One in Bluebeam
- Set up statuses per wagon. Create one Bluebeam status for each Takt wagon.
- Give each wagon one color. When a wagon finishes a room, mark the room in that wagon’s color.
- Add a roadblock markup layer. Mark roadblocks on their own layer so they sit on top of the colors.
- Assign an owner and a rhythm. Name who updates the map, and update it daily before the huddle.
How to Use It
I do not understand how people run Takt plans without these maps, and I do not mean that as a criticism. Everything is about the visualization of time and space. If you are heading in the direction of creating these, I want to encourage you that it is worth it. Here is how.
- Build it in a Bluebeam project and status the actual rooms themselves.
- Bring the maps up in every one of your meetings and huddles, in real time.
- Have field engineers and project engineers keep them up to date with the foreman and the trades.
- Talk in your meetings and huddles about problems, and about variations in the speed and distance the trades are apart from each other.
With this, you make better decisions. You talk about the how in meetings instead of the when.
The Time Is Now
If you have not implemented roadblock tracking maps, the time is now, and I promise you it is worth it. You will be able to monitor the speed and the distance of the trades, and how they relate to roadblocks and certain constraints. You will see which areas or zones may have been taken out and put onto a separate schedule, and which boxcars may no longer be part of the train. You can pull the map up in any one of your meetings.
If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.
Want your team trained on this? See our Last Planner System and Takt training.
So here is the challenge. Status your rooms in the color of each Takt wagon, add your roadblocks, and bring the map to your next huddle.
Bottom line: Everything is about the visualization of time and space.
On we go.
FAQ
What is a roadblock tracking map?
A map of the project where each room or area is color coded to match its Takt wagon and statused as work is completed, with roadblocks shown on it. It lets you see where each trade is, how fast they are going, and how far apart they are.
Why use a map instead of only a schedule?
Because people like to visualize things spatially. It helps with memory and comprehension, and it matches how we plan and prepare work.
What software do you use for a roadblock tracking map?
We build ours in Bluebeam, using status markups on each room, colored to match the Takt wagons.
What can the map show when an owner makes a change?
You can see when a wagon, room, or area has been detached from the train or the zones, so everyone stays focused on contract work.
How should the map be used?
Build it in Bluebeam, status the rooms, and bring it to every meeting and huddle, kept up to date by the field engineers and project engineers with the foreman and trades.
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