How Architects, Interior Designers and Construction Teams Can Keep Projects on Track

Visual project planning

Architects, interior designers and construction project managers. Do you find yourself trying to remember a supplier’s delivery date on the fly? Or when the concrete is due to be poured on the ground floor front room? Or the lead time for the ordering the bi-folds?

Perhaps you are on site and mentally trying to work out with the contractors if there is wriggle room if a particular aspect of the project is delayed?

Here is where we can help, with a simple but effective planning and time management tool.

Our giant paper wall planners offer an extremely simple, physical, low-tech method for keeping things on track, working as a complement to digital planning tools rather than replacing them.

How you can use a wall planner

Our planners are largely minimal in design offering a simple backdrop for managing your project. With this blank canvas, you are able to:

Map out the start and finish dates of your project(s) including intermediate key milestones

• Record key meeting dates, inspections, delivery dates and deadlines
• Set out timelines for individual elements and see how they overlap, demonstrating dependencies
• Use as a reference point in the office or for site meetings/inspections as well as the day-to-day running of the project.
• Work collaboratively with the different members of the project team
• Review it during your weekly project meeting
• Update easily when there are changes to the project

Why putting the plan on the wall works

• It can sit alongside other printed project documents such as site drawings and used for cross-referencing.
• It can assist in site meetings
• It can act as a quick reference for expected deliveries on-site, anyone can check what or who is coming.
  

Recording your information

All you need is tac for the back, it will go on any large dry surface. You could also spray-mount it onto foamboard or card if you want to be able to change it's position easily. Maybe from an office to a meeting room.

As with any other project management tool, you would use a mix of text and/or graphics and this can be done as simply as possible.

Part of the effectiveness of a paper planner is being able to layer information. There are so many possibilities.

• Mark-making:

How you choose to record on your planner is all up to you. From ordinary highlighters, pens and markers to sticky-notes, stickers and the like. One of our favourites is the use of masking tape or washi tape. 

They are an easy way to mark out timelines across days, weeks and months. You can write over them to further layer information. As they are easy to remove and stick back on, they offer the flexibility for amending information: move, shorten or lengthen as needed.

• Colour-coding:

Be it the trades, the building elements or the suppliers, anything can be colour-coded to suit your needs.

Analogue in a Digital World

Why use a wall planner when we already use digital project management software?

There is a plethora of digital project management software suitable for any number of applications. There are now so intricate and developed, why would you want to replace an elaborate system with a wall planner?

Well you wouldn’t as they serve different purposes. You can be extremely detailed with a digital system and link to various other resources and documents. Whilst with a paper planner, you can set out the broad plan that has shared visibility, is great for collaborative discussion, planning and quick communication.

Shop project wall planners

You might already use wall planners in your work or might want to try one out on your next project.

Our planners are yearly and show the whole year view, starting in January. Depending on when your project starts, you can opt for the Mid-Year version which starts from July.

The planners are available in A0 and A1 paper sizes. An A0 size might work well as a project specific planner on site. Large and good as a reference. A smaller A1 size might suit the management of several distinct projects, perhaps in the office setting for a business practice overview.

Our most popular planner for designers is the DECO. It prioritises writing space, with boxes large enough to make short notes.

It is available versions

1. STANDARD: January start

2. MID-YEAR: July start of the year

3. TALL- Portrait orientation of the standard version

4. PERPETUAL- not year specific so more flexibility for customisation.

The ROBOTS wall planner also comes in A0 and A1 sizes and offers a layout which differentiates a work week from a weekend. Weekends are delineated and highlighted.

How do you use yours? We would love to see and hear from you if you have bought one of our planners. It would be great to how you use them and share some tips and tricks with other project managers.