“You can’t control what you can’t see,” says Hilal Demircapa, one of our associate directors. “When planning, even a small misstep can snowball into a major issue if you don’t catch it early. That’s where visual planning models make all the difference.”
When subcontractors are working around each another, it’s easy for schedules to clash, disrupting the flow of work and pushing back deadlines. “I hear variations of this story all the time,” Hilal adds. “So, we created the Visual Lookahead tool to help.”
Developed by Nick Martinis and Ayda Yedekcioglu from our consultancy team, this model visualises every detail of the schedule – when a task is happening, where, and who’s performing it – so the plan is totally visible and execution more controlled.
The best way to appreciate visual planning is to see it. To this end, the team has created a simulation with sample data to show you what the tool looks like and how it works.
Click to play:
"Essentially, Visual Lookahead is a 3D model of the site design overlayed with the schedule,” Hilal explains. “On the right, you can see a legend matching each contractor with a colour, as well as the number of people on each team. The model then moves forward, week by week, revealing which teams are going to be working where and when.”
If you pause the simulationin the first week, for example, you’ll see where the team delivering the cladding works will be working, and that there will be 12 people as part of those works. You can see the same details for the steel structure and concrete teams.
“Week by week, you also have the total number of people on-site, shown in the S curve. The data comes directly from your schedule, but by integrating it with the 3D model, you can see quickly and easily how delivery will progress – and where teams might clash.”
From manual mistakes to automated control
Traditional planning methods, like 2D drawings or spreadsheets, often lack the flexibility or clarity required to keep large, complex projects on track. Nick explains:
“Typically, teams rely on spreadsheets or PDFs to track activities over the next four weeks. They might mark up a PowerPoint slide with zones and colours to show where work will happen, but it’s a manual process, prone to error, and incredibly time-consuming.
“Our system integrates all subcontractor information into a single, shared model. It automatically reflects planned work, exclusion zones, and clashes – saving teams hours of effort every week and ensuring everyone is working from the same accurate information.”
A client’s perspective of how visual planning improved control
For Planning Lead Marta Coll, visual planning has been a game-changer in keeping her projects on track – especially when managing thousands of moving parts.
“We update the programme every week, but with over 6,000 activities, it’s impossible to present all that information in a clear way. By linking it to a 3D model, we can instantly see what’s been done and what’s coming next. It’s a powerful tool for the end client.”
On a large-scale data centre project, Marta’s team used the tool to spot potential risks early – before they could cause costly delays. The visualisation made it easy to see where tasks overlapped, identify sequencing errors, and ensure the schedule was realistic and safe.
“It’s a bit like a heatmap. You can instantly spot problem areas – like if ten activities are scheduled in the same room at the same time. That’s not safe or practical. With this tool, we can identify these risks early and adjust.”
Marta Coll, Planning Lead
Lookahead to stay ahead
Visual Lookahead enables a more efficient, collaborative approach to delivery. With it, planning and controls becomes a dynamic process – not just a static set of tasks.
By the end of the simulation, you’ve essentially seen a four-week journey in just a couple of minutes. It’s not just a plan; it’s the project in motion, helping everyone stay aligned and ready to act.
“You can proactively address problems much more effectively,” Hilal explains. “This has applications for any site team looking to better coordinate their daily activities.” Marta tends to agree: “If the budget allows, every project should be using this.”
