Dashpivot Article – What is a Pre-Task Plan
What is a Pre-Task Plan?
This article will help you understand what a pre-task plan is and how important it is to project success. If you are looking to create a pre task plan for the first time or elevate your current process, there are also some free resources in this article.
OSHA states that pre-task planning is one of the leading indicators of safety performance for construction trade partners. This safety tool is done before daily site work starts, which is perfect for team huddles. In the world of project management, especially in construction, manufacturing, and engineering, the Pre-Task Plan (PTP) is the blueprint for safely and efficiently doing a specific task or activity.
What is a Pre-Task Plan?
A Pre-Task Plan is a plan done before a specific task or activity within a project, and its purpose is to identify hazards, list resources, and establish protocols to mitigate risk. The PTP is a roadmap for workers and supervisors so everyone involved knows what the task requires, the risks involved, and the controls in place to manage those risks.
What are the benefits of pre-task planning?
When it comes to safety and field engagement, a pre-task plan is your go-to tool. Pre-task planning can drive overall safety performance and productivity, which keeps your teams on schedule and budget. Here are some of the benefits of pre-task planning in the built world:
Employee Empowerment
When employees are involved in pre-task planning, employees and trades take end-result ownership of the project.
Better Quality Management
As process consistency grows, there will be fewer mistakes and fewer rework, which means more productivity and better quality of work.
Better Communication
Site administrators, like general contractors, project managers, and estimators, can get transparency about who’s on-site, where they are, and what they are working on, which reduces work stoppages and intermingling trade issues.
Return on Investment
Much less direct and indirect incident costs also significantly impact the bottom line by affecting schedule, reworks, medical costs, employee morale and turnover, public perception, workers comp, and fines and penalties.
More Innovation
Improvement, which can definitely lead to greater efficiency and productivity on site, is made if a worker shares a new tool or best practice. New ideas and technology can assist construction companies in staying ahead of the game. The companies can also attract top talent in the industry.
Pre-Task Plan Components
Pre-task planning is made to identify potential hazards and address them before any work is started. This includes a detailed analysis of all the tasks to be performed, identifying the risks, and implementing controls. The following are the components of a good pre-task plan:
Task Description: As the name suggests, this section of the pre-task plan describes the task, what it is about, what the things involved are, what needs to be done, where, and how long it would take to finish.
Team: A project needs people, and this section of the pre-task plan discusses the roles, responsibilities, and qualifications of the team.
Equipment and Materials: In this section of the pre-task plan, the tools, machinery, and materials required for the task are listed. This also includes safety checks and maintenance records for equipment so everything is in good working order and safe to use.
Risk Assessment: A key part of the PTP, this section identifies the hazards of the task. Risks are rated as low, medium, or high. This helps plan the safety controls.
Safety Controls and Measures: Based on the risk assessment, this section outlines the specific safety controls and measures to mitigate the identified risks. Includes PPE, safety procedures, and any other controls.
Emergency Procedures: Outline the procedures to follow in an emergency, evacuation plans, first aid procedures, and contact details for emergency services.
Compliance with Regulations: The PTP must ensure the task meets all safety and construction regulations. This section explains how the task meets those regulations and any permits or inspections required.
Training: If the task requires specific skills or knowledge, this section outlines the training or certifications team members need or must have.
Quality Control Measures: Quality requirements must be included in the pre-task planning steps, such as regular inspections, testings, and validation procedures, to make sure the outcomes are successful.
How to Communicate: As with any task or project, proper communication is the key. This section of the pre-task planning should include how important information will be shared with the team members, including regular updates and meetings.
Sign-off: Finally, a PTP has a sign-off section where team members and supervisors sign off on the fact that they have read, understood, and agreed to the plan. Includes signatures and/or team attendance.
How to Action a Pre-Task Plan
A pre-task plan can be successful when the whole team feels part of the process and has easier access to the proper information they need. Here are some useful tips for smoother, safer pre-task planning across the board:
Get the team to work together
In any organisation, a pre-task plan can be successfully done when everyone chips in, and its easier than ever with the team being involved all the way. Let them feel that the whole crew can jump in and share their own thoughts right away.
Employ digital pre-task planning platforms
Regular catch-ups and trainings will keep the team updated on a regular basis because pre-task plans can change. For real-time updates, a digital pre-task planning app or software can be employed to ensure no one misses anything important.
Pre-task planning boosts workers’ morale
As with any plans, it is important that your team understands and likes what you’re doing. There are team workshops and casual planning sessions that will hype everyone up, speak up their minds, and share their ideas without hesitation. A digital pre-task planning tool can also make this easier because it can show who’s on board and can identify which areas need to be changed.
Pre-Task Planning in Construction Sites: Why Should You Do It?
A construction pre-task plan is critical to the safety and success of the project; a PTP identifies the hazards and the precautions as well as communication channels involved to prevent accidents and reduce risk on site. Having a plan in place will increase efficiency, productivity, and the quality of the projects. Here are some compelling reasons why you should employ PTPs in construction sites:
Pre-Task Plans Keep Your Team Safe and Sound
You’ll never know when worksite accidents happen, and that’s why smart contractors use pre-task planning. Doing pre-task plans identifies potential hazards before they catch you out, so everyone’s safety is well accounted for.
A Pre-Task Plan Saves Time and Money
Construction is expensive enough without makes, and a good PTP will get it right the first time as it keeps your project moving while making your budget intact. Pre-task plans are comparable to having a GPS for your construction project—you’ll know exactly where you’re going and how to get there.
Pre-task Plans Can Avoid Legal Headaches
Let’s face it—no one likes surprise visits from the authorities, and a good PTP can keep on the right side of the construction laws and regulations around. Legal fees are not cheap, so might as well make a good pre-task plan to avoid hefty lawyer costs.
Transparency and Communication
Good pre-task planning gets everyone speaking the same language, which in turn works towards the same goal. Doing so can avoid crossed wires or confusion about who’s doing a certain task and whatnot.
Run Your Site Like a Pro
A proper pre-task plan can turn a chaotic worksite into a well-oiled machine as it can identify what’s running or not. Certain problems can be avoided with proper planning and documentation around them.
Try the pre-task plan below.
Free Pre-Task Plan Template
Use & customise this digital Pre-Task Plan template for FREE
Standardise your Pre-Task Plans with digital PTPs
You can fill out detailed, documented Pre-Task Plans every time with this Pre-Task Plan template. It’s pre-populated with all the fields and sections you need to capture project info, tasks to be done, roles and responsibilities, a checklist to be ticked, and a section for signatures and attendance.
The digital PTP is customisable if you need to capture extra info, such as permits with the drag-and-drop form builder, so every new PTP created has those fields in the form. As a bonus feature, you can share completed Pre-Task Plans as CSV or PDF files with your team or 3rd parties or print them off.
Make Pre-Task Plans work for you
Pre-task plans require more work and management than just filling out forms, and a pre-task plan app can help your team a lot, from planning/queuing up PTPs to be completed. Your team members can easily access PTPs, give signoff approvals, and a whole lot more.
Automated workflows can request PTPs to be completed, and then when they’re submitted, a manager gets a notification that it needs signoff approval. Let your team work safer by sharing your digital PTP so they can access it on-site via their mobile or tablet in the app. You can even use your team’s digital IDs to add their names and signatures to attendance logs.
Pre-task planning has never been easier with digital solutions like our app, so it’s always up to you to make the switch.
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