Planning process FAQs
Answers to commonly asked questions on how to use Nialli Visual Planner and planning processes.
How do I run a pull planning session in Nialli Visual Planner?
How do I run a weekly planning session in Nialli Visual Planner?
How does Nialli Visual Planner align with the Last Planner System stages?
How does Nialli Visual Planner support lookahead planning?
How does Nialli Visual Planner support daily huddles?
How does Nialli Visual Planner support continuous improvement?
How do I run a pull planning session in Nialli Visual Planner?
Nialli Visual Planner is designed to support collaborative phase pull planning by providing a digital workspace where teams can build, review, and adjust project plans together in real time.
Typical steps for a pull planning session
1) Define the milestone
- Start by identifying the key project milestone or target completion date.
- Create the milestone in Visual Planner and position it on the planning timeline.
2) Build the plan backwards
- Working from the milestone, team members add activities in the phase plan that must be completed before the objective can be met.
- Activities are placed in reverse order to establish the sequence of work needed to achieve the milestone.
3) Assign responsibility
- Assign activities to the appropriate trades, teams or individuals.
- Use swimlanes, colors and tags to clearly identify ownership.
4) Review dependencies and handoffs
- Confirm the relationships between activities with dependencies and identify any constraints or required handoffs.
- Adjust the plan as needed to ensure a realistic workflow.
5) Commit to the plan
- Discuss durations, dates and commitments with the project team.
- Ensure everyone understands their responsibilities and planned deliverables.
5) Transition to execution
- Once the pull plan is finalized, use Visual Planner to manage lookahead planning, weekly work planning and daily coordination.
- Update activities and milestones as work progresses to keep the plan current.
Tips for a successful session
- Include representatives from all key trades and stakeholders.
- Focus on collaboration and shared understanding rather than creating a perfect schedule.
- Identify constraints early and assign actions to remove them.
- Display the plan on a large touchscreen, interactive display or shared screen to encourage participation.
Check out Nialli's pull planning guide for more recommendations.
How do I run a weekly planning session in Nialli Visual Planner?
Weekly planning sessions help teams make reliable commitments for the upcoming week by reviewing upcoming work, resolving constraints, and confirming activities that are ready to start.
Typical steps for a weekly planning session
1) Review the lookahead plan
- Review activities scheduled for the coming weeks.
- Confirm that upcoming work is properly sequenced and aligned with project milestones.
2) Check for constraints
- Identify any issues that could prevent work from starting, such as missing information, materials, approvals, equipment or access.
- Assign actions to remove constraints before the planned start date.
3) Select ready work
- Focus on activities that are constraint-free and ready to be executed.
- Move these activities into the upcoming week's plan.
4) Confirm commitments
5) Update the plan
-
Meet with trade partners and project stakeholders to discuss planned work.
-
Ensure each team understands and commits to completing their assigned activities.
6) Track progress throughout the week
- As work is completed, update activity status in Visual Planner.
- Use the information gathered during execution to prepare for the next weekly planning session.
Tips for a successful weekly planning session
- Include representatives from all key trades and stakeholders.
- Focus on work that is truly ready to begin.
- Resolve constraints before commitments are made.
- Keep commitments realistic and achievable.
- Use the session to improve coordination and identify risks early.
How does Nialli Visual Planner align with the Last Planner System® stages?
Nialli Visual Planner supports the full Last Planner System workflow, helping teams move from high-level schedules to reliable weekly commitments and continuous improvement.
Master Scheduling: Import milestones and key activities from tools like Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project to establish the project's roadmap.
Phase Planning (Pull Planning): Collaboratively build phase plans using digital tags, dependencies, and drag-and-drop workflows, similar to a traditional sticky-note session.
Look-Ahead Planning: Identify constraints, manage dependencies and ensure upcoming work is ready before commitments are made.
Weekly Work Planning: Convert phase-plan activities into weekly commitments and provide clear visibility into upcoming work.
Execution & Daily Coordination: Allow field teams to update task status, track progress, and communicate plan changes from any device.
Continuous Improvement: Measure Percent Plan Complete (PPC) and track Reasons for Variance to improve planning reliability over time.
How does Nialli Visual Planner support lookahead planning?
Nialli Visual Planner supports lookahead planning by helping teams identify, manage and remove constraints before work is scheduled or committed to. It provides visibility into upcoming activities, allowing teams to proactively coordinate work and ensure tasks are ready to start.
Key capabilities include:
Constraint management: Track and manage constraints that could prevent work from starting as planned.
Dependency visualization: Create links between activities to understand how delays or changes may impact downstream work.
Short-term planning horizons: Plan several weeks ahead to identify risks and prepare upcoming work.
Collaborative coordination: Enable project teams and trade partners to review upcoming activities and align on readiness before making commitments.
Real-Time updates: Keep lookahead plans current as conditions change. There are no limits on how many users can be added to your plan, ensuring your team always has visibility into future work.
How does Nialli Visual Planner support daily huddles?
Nialli Visual Planner supports daily huddles by providing a real-time visual plan that helps teams review progress, identify issues, and align on upcoming work. Teams can quickly see what was completed, what is in progress, and what requires attention, making daily coordination more efficient.
Key capabilities include:
Visual work status: Easily review completed, in-progress and upcoming activities during huddles.
Real-time updates: Team members can update task status from wall, desktop or mobile devices as work progresses, ensuring discussions are based on current information.
Constraint & issue visibility: Highlight blockers, constraints or delayed tasks that need immediate attention using constraint management tools.
Dependency Tracking: See how delays may impact downstream activities and coordinate mitigation actions.
Field Accessibility: Teams can participate using interactive displays, laptops, tablets, or mobile devices, whether on-site or remote.
How does Nialli Visual Planner support continuous improvement?
Nialli Visual Planner supports continuous improvement by helping teams measure planning reliability, identify recurring issues, and learn from past performance. By capturing planning data as work progresses, teams can make informed decisions and improve future outcomes.
Key capabilities include
Percent Plan Complete (PPC) tracking: Measure how reliably planned work is completed each week with PPC tracking.
Reasons for variance: Capture why activities were not completed as planned, helping teams identify root causes and recurring obstacles.
Performance reporting: Generate reports that reveal trends, bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.
Data-Driven Insights: Use historical planning data to improve future commitments and workflows.
Team Learning: Support regular reflection and discussion around what worked well and what can be improved.