Planning and Monitoring Work in Construction Course

Standard: CITB Short Duration Standard GET3263

Duration: 1 Day

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Course Aims

Our Planning and Monitoring Work in Construction course is a one-day, live instructor-led training programme for practising and aspiring site supervisors who are responsible for organising work and supporting the achievement of team objectives. The course explores how organisational policies influence planning decisions, how team objectives can be converted into clear workplace activities and how tasks should be allocated fairly and effectively.

Participants will develop practical techniques for planning work, identifying resource requirements, communicating responsibilities and monitoring progress against an agreed plan. Through guided discussion, construction-based examples and a practical planning exercise, delegates will learn how to identify underperformance, take appropriate corrective action and reduce the risk of similar problems occurring again.

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Course Prerequisites

There are no formal prerequisites for attending this course.

The course is suitable for practising and potential site supervisors, team leaders and employees who are preparing to take responsibility for planning, allocating and monitoring the work of others within construction or the built environment.

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Course Objectives

Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain how organisational policies influence the planning and allocation of work.
• Allocate work in accordance with relevant organisational requirements.
• Explain how individual and team activities contribute to wider project objectives.
• Create clear SMART targets for a construction team.
• Identify the key stages involved in planning and allocating work.
• Determine the people, time, information, materials and equipment required.
• Allocate tasks according to competence, experience, availability and workload.
• Communicate responsibilities, standards and timescales clearly.
• Check systematically that team members understand their allocated work.
• Select appropriate methods for monitoring performance against a plan.
• Identify the causes of underachievement or substandard performance.
• Take suitable short-term corrective action.
• Recommend longer-term actions to prevent problems from recurring.
• Record and communicate progress, changes and corrective actions.

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Course Content

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Module 1: Introduction to Planning and Monitoring Work

• Course aims, learning outcomes and assessment requirements.
• The responsibilities of a site supervisor when planning and monitoring work.
• The relationship between effective planning and:
  • Health and safety.
  • Quality.
  • Productivity.
  • Project timescales.
  • Cost and resource control.
• The consequences of inadequate planning.
• Understanding the difference between planning work and reacting to problems.
• Identifying the main stages of the planning and monitoring cycle.

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Module 2: Organisational Guidelines and Team Objectives

• The purpose of organisational policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Policies that can influence the planning and allocation of work, including:
  • Health and safety.
  • Quality management.
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Working hours and fatigue management.
  • Environmental requirements.
  • Competence and training.
  • Employee wellbeing.
  • Site access and security.
• Translating organisational requirements into workplace decisions.
• Ensuring that work is allocated only to suitably competent people.
• Applying organisational policies consistently and fairly.
• Understanding the limits of the supervisor’s authority.
• Recognising when approval or specialist advice is required.
• The relationship between organisational, project and team objectives.
• Explaining how individual activities contribute to wider project goals.
• Balancing safety, quality, time, cost and productivity.
• Setting clear team expectations.
• Understanding the SMART approach:
  • Specific.
  • Measurable.
  • Achievable.
  • Relevant.
  • Time-bound.
• Turning a general requirement into a measurable team target.
• Agreeing how successful completion will be measured.

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Module 3: Planning Work and Resources

• Defining the required workplace outcome.
• Reviewing relevant information, including:
  • Project plans.
  • Work programmes.
  • Drawings.
  • Specifications.
  • Risk assessments.
  • Method statements.
  • Client or management instructions.
• Breaking work into manageable activities.
• Establishing the correct sequence of tasks.
• Identifying dependencies between activities.
• Estimating realistic timescales.
• Establishing milestones and completion dates.
• Identifying labour requirements.
• Assessing the competence, experience and availability of team members.
• Identifying required materials, tools, plant and equipment.
• Confirming that resources are available and suitable.
• Considering access, storage and site logistics.
• Identifying information and documentation requirements.
• Coordinating with other teams, trades and contractors.
• Identifying potential constraints, including:
  • Resource shortages.
  • Delayed materials.
  • Conflicting activities.
  • Changing site conditions.
  • Weather.
  • Access restrictions.
• Building suitable contingencies into the plan.
• Confirming how progress will be monitored and reported.

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Module 4: Allocating and Communicating Work

• Matching tasks to individual competence and experience.
• Considering qualifications, training and previous performance.
• Balancing workloads fairly.
• Considering availability and existing responsibilities.
• Taking account of employee wellbeing and individual needs.
• Identifying when additional supervision or support is required.
• Allocating responsibility as well as individual tasks.
• Ensuring that team members have the authority and resources needed to complete their work.
• Communicating:
  • What needs to be completed.
  • Why the work is required.
  • How the work should be carried out.
  • Who is responsible.
  • When it must be completed.
  • The safety and quality standards that apply.
• Selecting an appropriate communication method.
• Providing clear and accessible instructions.
• Encouraging team members to ask questions.
• Checking understanding systematically by:
  • Asking the team member to summarise the task.
  • Confirming the required outcome.
  • Checking understanding of risks and control measures.
  • Confirming relevant quality requirements.
  • Checking timescales and reporting arrangements.
  • Observing the start of the activity where appropriate.
• Correcting misunderstandings before they affect the work.
• Recording important instructions and allocations where required.

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Module 5: Monitoring Progress and Team Performance

• The purpose of monitoring performance.
• Establishing what should be monitored before work begins.
• Comparing actual progress with the agreed plan.
• Monitoring:
  • Tasks completed.
  • Milestones and deadlines.
  • Productivity.
  • Quality.
  • Health and safety performance.
  • Labour and resource usage.
  • Material usage and waste.
• Selecting appropriate monitoring methods, including:
  • Workplace observations.
  • Progress checks.
  • Team briefings.
  • Checklists and schedules.
  • Quality inspections.
  • Reports from team members.
  • Discussions with other supervisors.
• Linking team performance directly to the agreed plan.
• Using both quantitative and qualitative information.
• Recognising early indications that work may fall behind.
• Distinguishing between an isolated delay and a continuing performance problem.
• Providing timely feedback.
• Recognising good performance and achievement.
• Maintaining accurate and current progress records.
• Reporting significant variations from the plan.

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Module 6: Addressing Underachievement

• Recognising when performance is below the required standard.
• Gathering sufficient information before deciding what action to take.
• Identifying possible causes of underachievement, including:
  • Unclear instructions.
  • Inadequate planning.
  • Unrealistic targets.
  • Insufficient competence or experience.
  • Lack of training.
  • Shortages of materials or equipment.
  • Equipment failure.
  • Poor coordination.
  • Changes in site conditions.
  • Quality problems and rework.
  • Low motivation.
  • Health or wellbeing concerns.
• Distinguishing individual performance issues from planning or organisational problems.
• Taking suitable short-term action, including:
  • Clarifying instructions.
  • Providing additional guidance or supervision.
  • Reallocating tasks or resources.
  • Adjusting the sequence of work.
  • Arranging additional materials or equipment.
  • Revising timescales where authorised.
  • Coordinating with other teams or contractors.
• Protecting safety and quality while recovering lost progress.
• Communicating changes to everyone affected.
• Monitoring whether the corrective action has been effective.
• Identifying longer-term preventive actions, including:
  • Reviewing the original plan.
  • Improving communication.
  • Providing further training or coaching.
  • Improving resource forecasting.
  • Revising procedures or work instructions.
  • Introducing additional progress checks.
  • Sharing lessons learned.
• Recording agreed corrective and preventive actions.
• Updating future plans to reduce the risk of recurrence.

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Module 7: Practical Planning Exercise and Course Assessment

Participants will work through a construction-based scenario requiring them to:

• Review an organisational policy that affects the proposed work.
• Explain how that policy influences task allocation.
• Define a suitable team objective.
• Produce a SMART target.
• Identify the main activities and sequence of work.
• Determine the people and resources required.
• Allocate tasks to suitable team members.
• Prepare clear work instructions.
• Explain how understanding will be checked.
• Select suitable methods for monitoring progress.
• Identify possible causes of underachievement.
• Recommend immediate corrective action.
• Recommend longer-term action to prevent recurrence.

The module concludes with:

• A review of the principal learning points.
• Opportunities for final questions.
• Completion of the formal end-of-course assessment.

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Course Assessment

Delegates must complete a formal eight-question end-of-course assessment covering all learning outcomes and assessment criteria.

The assessment covers:

• An organisational policy that affects the planning and allocation of work.
• How work should be allocated in compliance with that policy.
• An example of a SMART team target or objective.
• The key stages involved in planning and allocating work.
• How work is allocated to achieve team objectives.
• How to check that team members understand their allocated work.
• How team performance is monitored against the agreed plan.
• Short-term and long-term actions to address underachievement and prevent recurrence.

Delegates must achieve a minimum score of 75% to pass the assessment.

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