WorkFace Planning Defined

WFP is the process of organizing and delivering all elements necessary before work is started, to enable craft persons to perform quality work in a safe, effective and efficient manner.

The Rules of WorkFace Planning

Review our Rules of WorkFace Planning document to learn more about the roles and responsibilities involved in WFP.

• Download the PDF
• Download the Word document

Creating the Plan

Before creating a WorkFace plan, consider the following key points:

1) Remember the goal of WFP.

Quite simply, the goal of WorkFace Planning is to improve performance by:

Getting the right things to the right people and the right place at the right time.

2) Begin with the end in mind.

Because systems drive commissioning and start-up, and commissioning and start-up drive construction and construction drives engineering and procurement, plan forward and prioritize (sequence) backward.

FIWP Requirements

Once the design areas have been developed:

Engineering (with the input of the contractor or construction management team) develop an Engineering Work Package (EWP) identification and release plan. Contractor (or construction management team with the input of engineering) develop a Construction Work Package (CWP) identification and release plan.

2) Contracting

WorkFace Planning can be used regardless of the contract type you choose: lump sum, cost reimbursable, unit rate, or some other type.

When WorkFace Planning will be used (especially in the case of lump sum payments), contract language needs to specify required FIWPs, who will develop them and who is responsible for their integration. This is critical information for parties preparing bids and failure to disclose could result in a claim!

3) Determining Required FIWP

The construction management team needs to determine which FIWP are required to construct the CWP.

The slide show below provides a simplified example of how a design area can be broken into a series of CWP that can be further broken into a series of discipline-specific FIWPs:

4) Sequencing

The owner organization needs to determine how it will determine the priority of the systems in the project and adhere to those guidelines. Examples of questions that will need to be considered:

• How will the facility be commissioned and started up?
• Which systems will go on-line first?
• Which systems need to follow?
• Will any systems that will be brought on-line concurrently?

The answers to questions such as these will determine the path of construction.

5) Coding

Organizations already select coding structures for project control purposes and these generally reflect area until the project is 50% to 60% complete at which point the coding is amended to include systems. The only change suggested is that these systems be coded as early as possible to support construction-driven engineering. 

WorkFace Planning Infrastructure

Based on the cultures of the organizations involved, legal considerations, and other issues, the construction management group need to determine a Manpower Plan, Reporting Relationships and an Implementation Plan.

1) Manpower Plan

Consider the following when creating the WFP Manpower Plan:

Required Positions:

Possible positions required in a WorkFace Planning model include (but are not limited to) Equipment Planner, Integration Planner, Material Management Planner, Scaffold Planner and WorkFace Planner (see sample job descriptions below).

Staffing:

After determining the positions and job descriptions construction management need to determine:

• How many of each position type are required?
• When they need to be hired?
• How they will be recruited and selected?
• How they will be trained and developed?

Job Description Examples:

What should the job descriptions look like? What experience should they have? What should they do? What level should their position be?

While each organization will have their own format for job descriptions, some samples are provided below in either PDF or Word format:

Equipment Planner: PDF or Word
Integration Planner: PDF or Word
Material Management Planner: PDF or Word 
Scaffold Planner: PDF or Word
WorkFace Planner: PDF or Word

2) Reporting Relationships

Based on the contractual arrangements, construction management needs to determine:

• Who employs the individuals?
• What level are the positions?
• Who reports to whom?
• How are dual supervisory relationships addressed? (e.g., dedicated planner hired by subcontractor)

3) Implementation Plan

The construction management team need to determine:

• When will the first FIWP need to be prepared?
• How will all the affected parties be advised of their roles and responsibilities in WorkFace Planning? (e.g., field supervision, project controls, quality assurance, planners, resource coordinators, engineering, contractors, and owners)

The WorkFace Planning Model

1) Develop the FIWP Templates

Templates can be based on discipline (civil, scaffolding, structural, piping, electrical, etc.) and / or what is being constructed (pipe rack, coker, fractionation tower, etc.) The use of templates will improve consistency, completeness and accuracy of the project FIWP.

FIWP Sample Items:
FIWP Cover Page Items: PDF or Word
FIWP Content Items: PDF or Word

Example FIWP Templates
FIWP Template: Steel: PDF or Word
FIWP Template: Piping: PDF or Word
FIWP Template: Electrical: PDF or Word
Sample FIWP Package: PDF
Work Steps Report example: PDF

2) Prepare the Project FIWP

Using the templates as a starting point, build all the required FIWP. The resource requirements, special instructions, special conditions and risk plans need to be adapted to reflect the details for the FIWP in question. 

• Activities
• Resources (e.g. materials, tools, equipment, labour, drawings)
• Special Conditions (e.g. at elevation, winter conditions, live systems, safety)
• Quality Control (e.g. hydro testing, NDE)
• Risk Planning
• Interdependencies

3) Confirm Ready for Release

Responsible parties, which always include foremen, review the FIWP to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the following:

• Activities
• Interdependencies
• Resources (including location and time)
• Special conditions
• Anticipated problems
• Risk plans

4) Release the Project FIWP

An FIWP can only be released:

• In the appropriate sequence by Field Supervision and
• When all resources are available and are dedicated to the FIWP or approval has been obtained to modify the release to account for missing resources

Note: Resources can be shared by more than one FIWP (e.g., crane)

5) Execute the Project FIWP

Foremen will execute the Project FIWP as prepared, with discretionary modifications or with approved changes. If an FIWP cannot be completed, the foreman will return it to Field Supervision for rescheduling or revision

6) Monitor and Control the FIWP

Project Control will monitor performance. Quality Assurance will audit the FIWP process. Based on these performance and audit results, planners may modify, revise or adjust the project FIWP and / or the FIWP templates as necessary.