Creating A Logistics Call Forward Programme

Owned by Julie Doyle-Whitelock (Deactivated)
Last updated: Feb 17, 2019
6 min read

A Call Forward Programme is a list of activities, tasks and milestones that need to be completed or considered when a build project is in progress.

Once developed, it contains call-up, start and completion dates, allocated suppliers, order details, delays, progress and comments, and represents a realistic and comprehensive Critical Path for how a build is supposed to be conducted.

The activities and programmes are created in Framework Logistics Desktop.

The purpose of this guide is to assist in creating a dynamic Call Forward Programme that outlines the build process of your company, taking into consideration time frames and functionality so that the Call Forward can be easily updated via the Logistics Tablet PC and/or the office.

Benefits Of The Logistics Call Forward Programme

Implementing a Call Forward Programme allows the supervisor to track and be prompted for all the aspects of a build that affect the progress. The programmes are purpose-driven, and allow the office access to the same information, in a format that is useful and informative to both.

Logistics Call Forward Programmes are designed to make Supervisors’ jobs easier and provide office staff with up to date information about what is happening on-site. Jobs can be forecasted more accurately; from on-site call-ups to Progress Claims. Supervisors can get back to what they do best, managing the building process and let Framework, the Tablet PC and the Call Forward Programme manage the on-site reporting requirements.

What To Do

Requirements

A Call Forward Programme should be designed to:

  • Include all desired/required activities/processes.
  • Follow an order that is logical and reflects both the call-up and build order.
  • Educate supervisors as to the best build process for the company and the product.
  • Capture all progress information and detail required by the office.
  • Eliminate unnecessary additional paperwork/checklists for supervisors.
  • Be realistic and reflect real world conditions/issues so that this is an effective measure of gauging construction progress.
  • Contain time frames that are well within the building contract time, to avoid liquidated damages.

Planning

The Logistics Programme is available to be used as both a paper-based format, replacing the on-site Call Forward Sheets or electronically on a Tablet PC.

Construction Logistics Tablet allows for the data to be captured immediately and is the best way to save countless hours of data entry with the inputting of Supervisor comments and information into Framework.

Developing The Call Forward

A Call Forward can be developed in the following ways:

  1. Call Order Checklist (recommended): The items in the Call Forward can be listed in the order they should be called (not necessarily built). This provides a more instructional approach to building and does not require as much work or effort in developing and maintaining lead times. This is also the best approach for educating inexperienced supervisors.
  2. Build Order Checklist: The items in the Call Forward can be listed in the order they are built. This requires supervisors to look ahead into the Call Forward to call upcoming work. This also requires correct implementation of lead times and full use of the Logistics Diary.
  3. Hybrid Approach: A combination of methods 1 and 2 can be freely used. Also, additional items referring specifically to the call can be included to prompt supervisors, allowing the activity items to appear in build order.

There is no single way to implement a Call Forward. Achieving a company’s goals should be the focus.

Determining The Number Of Templates

Different templates are required when activity durations differ between products. For example, the number of days required for bricklaying will vary between a double storey and a single storey build.

At a minimum, it is recommended that a template be created for a single storey and another for a double storey. However, overall the number of templates required will be subject to the size and complexity of the house product. If the product range warrants it, templates can be created such as:

  • Large single.
  • Small single.
  • Large double.
  • Small double.

There may also be variations in build process and durations based on the type of product, such as a value range versus a luxury range, where the inclusions drive the build activities and timeframe.

Dynamic Build Times & Process

It is possible to have more activities included in a Call Forward than are generally required, and to remove them once the programme has been allocated to a particular job.

When an item is made Not Applicable (N/A) in the Call Forward when it is applied to a job, the Critical Path shrinks, removing that activity and shortening the total build time for the home. However, for the programme to be able to shrink, items that are likely to be made N/A must occur on their own with no other concurrent activities.

It is therefore important that if a particular product or range differs significantly in its activities and requirements, it is worth considering a separate Call Forward Template.

If the differences between products are not as significant, alternate processes or items for different products can be added to a single Call Forward to avoid maintaining a large number of separate templates.

Example

Say a range of single storey products has the option of a face brick or rendered façade. When determining the programme, the Render activities add an extra 5 days to the Critical Path. It would be recommended that these activities be added to the programme template, as non-concurrent items. When allocated to a job that requires only face brick, the Render activities can be made N/A and the Critical Path of the job shrinks.

Analysis

To ensure a Call Forward is created to achieve optimum functionality, the following analysis should be undertaken.

Programme Prerequisites

  • Have orders/suppliers integration been implemented?
  • Are all cost centres known?
  • Are entity roles known and created?

Creating The Activities

  • Understand the activity types (order, progress, claim, etc.).
  • Standardise naming conventions (should be short, most significant words first, analysis links draw their abbreviations from the first three letters of the reference name).
  • Identify labour activities.
  • Determine permission to allocate and reallocate suppliers.
  • Identify cost centre for an order activity (used to link to orders and indicating the activity's supplier name). All cost centres should have an activity if purchase orders are produced.
  • Identify the entity role of the supplier or trade.

Call Forward

  • Create initially using Microsoft Project (either from scratch, or exported from Framework Construction Logistics Desktop).
  • Activity properties.
  • Realistic durations (working days).
  • Lead times for call up.
  • Identify payment approval activities.
  • Predecessors to develop the Critical Path.

Critical Path

The Critical Path drives measure of progress and performance. To ensure the timing and percentages are reported accurately:

  • Be realistic and consider real world issues in developing timeframes.
  • Represent work in build order, day by day.
  • Correctly show:
    • Predecessors
    • Lag time
    • Items that can happen concurrently
    • Items that should not have concurrent items (e.g., brick clean).

It is possible to use the Analysis Links to identify up to 30 key activities or milestones in the programme that can be used to show a summary of the job in Framework, on the tablet, and in all chart reporting.

It is recommended that the following be considered when selecting the 30 key activities:

  • Site start.
  • Claim stages.
  • Important items at even durations through the Critical Path that can show incremental progress.

The Analysis Link number 100 should be the final important item in the programme (e.g., PCI Inspection) for Liquidated Damages and Completion Forecast reporting.

Process

When putting together a Logistics Call Forward Programme we would suggest you to call on and utilise all processes currently used in the building process.

Insula Software suggest to start designing your largest, longest building process to start with, then you can copy and cull out Activities not used in smaller programmes. We suggest putting in as many activities as needed. This helps when a new Supervisor is brought on and the Call Forward Programme is prompting them to not forget tasks.

Once the analysis has been completed, the following process must be followed to create the Call Forward Programme:

  1. Ensure there is an understanding of all of the concepts involved in.
  2. Develop the Call Forward in MS-Project:
    • Programme
    • Activities
    • Critical Path
  3. Determine the analysis links to be created.
  4. Sign off from management.
  5. Implement into Framework:
    • Entity roles
    • Group integrated suppliers/trades into their correct entity roles
    • Construction Periods
  6. Implement into Framework Construction Logistics Desktop:
    • Integration (cost centres, suppliers)
    • Activities
    • Programme
    • Critical Path
    • Compile programme
    • Analysis Links

Implementation

To implement the Call Forward Programme:

  • Create historical construction periods:
    • Establish 'Call Cycle' ('Reporting Day')
    • Determine the site start date of the oldest job still on-site
    • Create periods from that week to today
    • Create calls for all jobs for all of these periods
  • Apply programme templates to jobs on-site
  • Audit on-site progress and update the Call Forward for items complete. This is typically done by either the Supervisor updating to Logistics Programme for the jobs he has on-site or by Insula Softwarerunning queries to pre-populate dates up to the last known claim stage.
  • Signoff from management and construction managers.
  • Initial Synchronisation of Logistics Tablets or Printing out new programmes for jobs.
  • Training Supervisors.
  • Go Live.

Ongoing Management

Updates to Call Forward Programmes can be updated when the needed. Programmes assigned to jobs should remain so historical data is not lost when applying the updated template.