There are a few simple things you can do each and every day that will greatly improve productivity, accountability and communication. Unfortunately, like many things that are good for us, most of us just don’t do them.
Goal setting is one of those things.
Each day 95% of landscape crews get out of the truck and get to work. There’s no clear answers to questions like:
- What exactly should we get done today and tomorrow?
- What do I need to plan for tomorrow?
- What’s stopping or slowing our progress?
Most crews jump out, get to work, and pack it in at the end of the day without much thought to daily goals, daily planning, and maybe most of all daily communication. But with the right system in place, goals, planning and communication can literally change your company overnight. If your crews knew what they needed to finish by the end of day and tomorrow…
- People’s jobs would be a little more “fun” as you strive each day to hit goals
- Work wouldn’t seem so monotonous (working without knowing whether you’re winning or losing)
- Your crews would be much more likely to hit daily goals
- Your materials, equipment, and flow of information would be smoother, as various people pulled for the inputs needed to complete their job.
And so, to that end, LMN proudly introduces a free app designed to help you help your crews plan and manage each day with a system.
To download the app, simply visit iTunes or Google Play stores and search for ‘LMN 4’. Find the 4 o’clock 4 app with the LMN icon and install for free.
Each day, at 4 o’clock, your foreman should fire up the app and its 4 simple questions:
- What are your top 3 priorities/goals for tomorrow?
- What did you get completed today?
- What obstacles are slowing you down?
- What do you need from me?
- Information
- Materials
- Equipment
- Labor
The crews fill it out and the app sends an email – to whomever at your company is their direct supervisor(s) – and starts the communication loop. When used correctly, you’ll know that every day:
- Your crews are setting clear goals for tomorrow
- Your crews either finished (or didn’t) the work they were supposed to complete today
- The small but constant problems that affect productivity are getting surfaced daily
And if people are waiting on something, there’s clear accountability. If the crews submitted 3 consecutive requests for a material type or color selection and the direct supervisor/owner never provided it – that mistake (and lost productivity) is on management. If they never requested the information – the mistake is on them. They should have known they needed that information when they were planning.
All-in-all, the 4 o’clock 4 App is a simple way to communicate basic, high-level job updates each and every day. When used, it will boost productivity, force managers to eliminate/reduce waste and obstacles, and improve communication between the field and office. And best of all, it’s absolutely free. It’s a simple productivity habit that’s made a big impact in the daily productivity of our landscape company.
This is one habit, you can’t afford let fall by the wayside. Don’t make it an option, make it happen this year. You’ll be grateful you did.
