Pull Plan.

Client & context

Pull planning is a lean scheduling method, widely used in construction through the Last Planner System: the team starts from a milestone and works backwards, each party committing to the tasks that "pull" the next one forward. Traditionally it is done with sticky notes on a wall.

The challenge

The client wanted a web application that companies could use to run pull planning and lean project management day to day. Simplicity was the top priority: users of similar tools often get lost in complicated interfaces, and a planning tool that the site team doesn't use is worthless.

What we built

We worked with the client to understand the target users first, then designed a deliberately simple interface with only a handful of buttons. Users can:

• compose, follow and update pull plan schedules;
• create dependencies and link actions, so a change upstream is visible downstream;
• attach web links to tasks;
• collaborate - the app is built around teamwork, so every party sees and updates the same plan.

Process & timeline

UX design got particular attention: we tested the planning flow on paper and clickable prototypes before building, cutting anything that added a button without adding value. The build ran in two-week sprints, and brief to launch took 12 weeks.

Results

The client got a clear, fast planning tool that teams actually use, replacing the wall of sticky notes with one shared, always-current plan.

Because the interface was kept to a handful of buttons, site teams could start planning in it without training.

At our current rates, a build of this scope would cost about £30–55k — an estimate from the feature list, not the original invoice.

If we built it today

Today we would add a mobile view for the site team, notifications when a dependency slips, and integrations with scheduling tools, so the pull plan and the master programme stay aligned. A first release of a product like this typically takes 6–8 weeks; our rates start from £49/hour per developer, and £65–£70/hour for a full team with QA and product ownership. Discovery starts from £3,000.

Building something similar? See our construction software development services, or estimate your project in the cost calculator.