Getting started with your trial
Overview
In this exercise, you'll build a simple plan and then experience some of the day-to-day changes that occur on real construction projects.
Time Required: 10-15 minutes
Project Setup
You'll be planning a small tenant improvement project with:
Work Areas
- Floor #1
- Floor #2
Trades
- Fred's Framing
- Ed's Electrical
- Dan's Drywall
By the end of this exercise, you'll learn how to:
- Create a plan
- Add activities and dependencies
- Copy work between areas
- Manage delays and changes
- Track constraints
- Adjust schedules
Before you start
Helpful Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Zoom | Use the magnifying glass icons in the upper-left corner to zoom in and out |
| Undo | Revert up to 20 actions |
Step 1: Build your initial plan
1. Create a new plan
Create a plan called:
Nialli Test Plan
Tip: Do not add sample data for this exercise.
2. Create your work areas
Rename the first lane:
Floor #1
Tip: You can either rename an existing lane or create a new one.
3. Add trades
- Fred's Framing
- Ed's Electrical
- Dan's Drywall
Select a different color for each company to make activities easy to identify.
4. Invite a user (optional)
Planning works best when the entire team participates.
You can:
- Invite a colleague to collaborate; or
- Invite your personal email to experience the platform as a new user
Tip: Each user is assigned a permission level based on their role.
5. Add activities
Create the following activities in Floor #1
| Activity | Trade | Duration | Crew Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Framing | Fred's Framing | 5 Days | 4 |
| Electrical Rough-In | Ed's Electrical | 3 Days | 2 |
| Drywall | Dan's Drywall | 4 Days | 3 |
6. Create dependencies
Create dependencies between the activities:
Framing ← Electrical Rough In ← Drywall
What to notice:
You've now created a simple workflow showing how work moves through an area.
If you've used sticky-note planning before, this process should feel familiar.
Step 2: Expand the plan
Now create a similar plan for Floor #2
Actions
- Create or rename a lane called Floor #2
- Copy the Framing activity from Floor #1
- Move it to Floor #2
- Position the activity on the desired start date
Optional: copy the remaining activities into Floor #2
What to notice
Instead of recreating activities from scratch, you can quickly:
- Copy activities
- Move activities
- Update details
This makes it easy to build repeatable workflows across multiple areas.
Step 3: Run a weekly planning session
Your plan is now active and underway. The following scenarios demonstrate how teams manage real-world changes.
Scenario 1: Work wasn't completed
Situation
Fred's crew was short-staffed on Days 4 and 5, preventing framing from being completed.
Actions
- Mark Days 1-3 as Done
- Mark Days 4-5 as Not Done
- Select Labor Shortage as the Reason for Variance
Tip: A default list of Reasons for Variance is included and can be customized to match your process.
Scenario 2: An activity falls behind schedule
Situation
Because of the labor shortage, Fred requires an additional day to complete framing.
Actions
Add a tag to extend the Framing activity by one day.
What to notice
The activity updates immediately.
Important: Nialli Visual Planner does not automatically shift the rest of the schedule.
This is intentional.
Lean planning focuses on team decision-making, not automated scheduling.
Questions the team still needs to answer:
- Can work be re-sequenced?
- Can another trade start elsewhere?
- Can the lost time be recovered?
Nialli supports these conversations. It doesn't replace them.
Scenario 3: The team adjusts the plan
Situation
Ed's team agrees to:
- Start one day later
- Increase crew size from 2 to 3
- Complete the work in 2 days instead of 3
Actions
- Move the activity forward one day
- Increase the planned crew size
- Delete the third day from the activity
What to notice
Updates can be made instantly to an activity.
Scenario 4: A constraint is identified
Situation
Dan's drywall shipment may be delayed because of a supplier issue.
Actions
Add a constraint called:
Supplier Delay
to the Drywall activity
What to notice
A yellow indicator appears on the activity, showing an active constraint.
Constraints can be tracked and managed throughout the project.
Scenario 5: A constraint is resolved
Situation
The supplier confirms materials will arrive on time.
Actions
Open the Constraint Log and mark Supplier Delay as resolved
What to notice
The constraint indicator disappears from the activity.
Scenario 6: A project-wide delay
Situation
A design change impacts multiple activities and shifts the entire schedule.
Actions
Shift the affected tags forward.
What to notice
This is where digital planning delivers significant value.
The plan remains:
- Clean
- Readable
- Current
No rewritingnotes.
No rebuilding boards.
No redistributing photos of updated plans.
Final Reflection
Consider the following questions:
- How would these changes be managed on your current planning board?
- How much effort would be required to communicate these updates?
- How would remote team members stay informed?
- What happens when these types of changes occur every week?
Key takeaway
Nialli doesn't eliminate planning conversations.
It helps teams spend less time maintaining the plan and more time discussing how to keep the project moving forward.