User guide for consultants

As a consultant, use Lean PlanDo to see how site work and preparation work are planned, to update the constraint steps you are responsible for, and to follow project status and performance. This guide lists the features you need and links to the full instructions.

Lean PlanDo is a project delivery tool built on lean methods. Your project team uses the Integrated Lean Project Delivery (ILPD) workflow with the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle to plan, monitor and improve the project. For an overview of the ILPD method, see Getting started.

Lean PlanDo runs in your web browser, so there is nothing to install. You need an internet connection and a laptop, tablet or phone.

Web app

Sign up and log in

1. Go to https://app.leanplando.com/.
2. Click Create New Account to register.

If you already have an account, log in with your Email Address and Password, or click Login with email OTP or Login with Autodesk.

When your email address is added to a consultant company in a project, your account is created automatically if you do not have one. Lean PlanDo sends you an email to confirm your account.

For step-by-step instructions, see Sign up.

Once your account is confirmed, log in. See Log in.

Masterplan

The Masterplan shows the whole project master plan with live site information (actual and expected dates, and progress) and the expected project end date. Its critical path filter lets you keep an eye on the current critical path.

• For an overview, see What is a masterplan?
• To move around the Masterplan and filter the critical path, see Masterplan screen.

Lookahead

The Lookahead (the 6-week or 8-week plan where activities are broken down into smaller tasks) is a view of the Masterplan where the project team plans ahead: it breaks each site activity down into tasks, in the order the work will happen.

In the Lookahead the team also plans the preparation work, called constraints (work that must be cleared before a task can be done, such as getting site access).

For example, take the activity "Casting of Slab A1". The team breaks it down into tasks such as Rebar, Formwork, Casting and Inspection. They also add constraints such as authority approvals, structural design approvals and other preparation work. Each constraint has small steps that follow the usual order in which it is resolved.

• For more on the Lookahead, see Generate the Lookahead.
• For why constraints matter and how they are used, see Constraints overview.

Constraints

Constraints are where consultants are most involved in Lean PlanDo. Constraints for an activity or task include ST drawings, design specifications and RFIs (requests for information). The main contractor and consultants plan constraints together until they agree on a timeline.

Each constraint has several steps, such as Preparation, Submission and Approval, which track its overall status. This lets the project manage the preparation work that must be cleared before construction can start on site. Clearing constraints on time is one of the key factors for starting site work as planned.

You are assigned only to the steps you are responsible for. For those steps, you can update the status or change the due date to suit the situation.

• To see how the main contractor adds constraints, see Add a task constraint.
• To learn what the ETA of a constraint is, see Task constraint ETA.
• To update the status of a constraint or step, see Manage steps under a task constraint.

Do tab

Each week the project team has a list of tasks to carry out on site, in the Do tab. The team monitors these tasks and updates them daily. The contractor team updates each task's progress daily in the Do tab.

Use the Do tab to keep track of particular works, critical or not, or to get an overview of the work on site now.

• Do tab
• To see completed tasks, see Review past weeks in the Do tab.

Insights

The project team enters the project's data and events, and Lean PlanDo shows them in Insights. This is where your role as consultant matters most. Here you check project status and progress, key performance indicators (KPIs) and bottlenecks.

• To get started, see Lean PlanDo Insights.
• For an explanation of every Insights widget, see the articles in Insights.

Mobile app

Install and log in

Install the Lean PlanDo Site app to track and update site work on the go. It is available for Android and iOS. As a consultant, you can use it to manage and update the status of constraint steps. In the app you can:

• See the constraints due in the current week, last week and next week.
• Attach files of any format to a constraint, in the Attachments tab.
• Comment on a constraint, in the Comment tab.
• See, comment on and attach files to each task, in the Tasks tab.

For full instructions, see The Lean PlanDo Site app.

Other features

The features above matter most for a consultant taking part in the project. To learn about other features, and how other team members plan and monitor, explore the full manual.