Capability template for project and delivery
Three-week look-ahead constraint review
Before the coordination meeting, the superintendent gets a brief that sets each planned activity of the next three weeks beside what could hold it up: trades sharing an area, unfinished predecessors, open approvals, late deliveries and unanswered RFIs. The superintendent confirms the sequence and assigns the follow-up.
Listed under
Add it to a workflow in the Fully Powered Planner, beside the teams and roles that will run it. Book a fit call
The outcome
The coordination meeting starts from one page instead of five logs. Every activity that begins in the next three weeks is listed in the order it starts, and under each is what stands between it and its start date: the work it waits on that is not finished, the dates its trade reports against the dates in the schedule, the approvals and RFIs still open, the delivery that has no promised date.
The review is plain about what is not known. An activity with no update from its trade, or an update more than a week old, is shown as unconfirmed, not assumed to be on track. Two trades that claim the same area at the same time are shown as a conflict, with both claims and the days they share. A closed day on the calendar is skipped in every count of days.
The questions at the end are written for the superintendent: the facts, what waits on the activity, and what has to be settled. The review changes no date, contacts nobody and offers no view on safety or design. Those calls stay with the people accountable for them.
Who starts the work, and when
The project engineer, project coordinator or field administrator who keeps the logs starts it two or three working days before the coordination meeting, once the trades have sent their latest dates, and runs it again on the morning of the meeting if something has changed. The superintendent reads it, settles the questions and decides what goes to the trades.
What they supply
- The settings: the check date, the meeting date, the working days and the days the site is closed.
- The approved schedule, exported with each activity's trade, location, dates, predecessors and status.
- The trade updates: what each trade last said about its start, finish and crew.
- The delivery list, with the date each item is needed, the date promised and where the order stands.
- The RFI log and the approvals and submittals log.
- The access claims, where the project keeps them: which trade needs which area, on which days, alone or shared.
Each list has set column headings. If a heading does not match, the assistant stops and asks rather than guessing.
What comes out
One brief. It opens with a count of the activities and items that need chasing. Then come the activities grouped by the week they start, each with its constraints in plain facts, followed by the trade overlaps, the open approvals, the deliveries to chase and the open RFIs, each with a blank space for the superintendent to name who follows up. Next are numbered questions for the superintendent, and a note of anything supplied that matched no activity. It ends with a blank decision box.
An invented example
Illustrative example with invented data. The project, the trades, the suppliers, the activity codes and every date below are invented. The project is an invented interior fit-out of a three-storey office building called Marlow Yard Block C. Trades and suppliers are named by letter (Electrical A, Supplier B). People are named by role. First come the inputs the project engineer supplied, in full, then the brief the capability returned.
The inputs
1. Settings
Project: Marlow Yard Block C interior fit-out
Superintendent: Superintendent
Prepared by: Project engineer
Check date: Thursday 12 November 2026
Meeting: Friday 13 November 2026
Window: 3 weeks
Working days: Monday to Friday
Closed days in the window: Thursday 26 November 2026, Friday 27 November 2026
2. Schedule extract
activity_id,activity,trade,location,start,finish,predecessors,status
A100,Level 2 east layout and marking,Layout A,Level 2 east,2026-11-04,2026-11-06,-,complete
A101,Level 2 east ceiling duct rough-in,Mechanical A,Level 2 east,2026-11-09,2026-11-17,A100,in progress
A102,Level 2 east electrical rough-in,Electrical A,Level 2 east,2026-11-12,2026-11-20,A100,not started
A103,Level 2 east drywall hang,Drywall A,Level 2 east,2026-11-23,2026-12-02,A101; A102,not started
A104,Level 3 west framing,Framing A,Level 3 west,2026-11-02,2026-11-11,-,in progress
A105,Level 3 west electrical rough-in,Electrical A,Level 3 west,2026-11-12,2026-11-24,A104,not started
A106,Ground floor storefront glazing install,Glazing A,Ground floor front,2026-11-16,2026-11-20,-,not started
A107,Roof unit set,Mechanical A,Roof,2026-11-30,2026-12-01,-,not started
A108,Level 2 east ceiling grid,Ceiling A,Level 2 east,2026-11-30,2026-12-02,A103,not started
A109,Level 3 west duct rough-in,Mechanical A,Level 3 west,2026-11-17,2026-11-25,A104,not started
A111,Level 2 east flooring,Flooring A,Level 2 east,2026-12-07,2026-12-11,A108,not started
3. Trade updates
update_id,activity_id,trade,reported_on,reported_start,reported_finish,crew,note
U01,A101,Mechanical A,2026-11-10,2026-11-09,2026-11-19,4,Crew of 4; no second shift
U02,A102,Electrical A,2026-11-11,2026-11-12,2026-11-20,3,
U03,A104,Framing A,2026-11-11,2026-11-02,2026-11-13,5,Two walls on hold for RFI-014
U04,A106,Glazing A,2026-11-02,2026-11-16,2026-11-20,4,
U05,A103,Drywall A,2026-11-10,2026-11-23,2026-12-02,6,
U06,A109,Mechanical A,2026-11-10,2026-11-17,2026-11-25,3,
U07,A107,Mechanical A,2026-11-09,2026-11-30,2026-12-01,2,Crane booked for 30 November
U08,A104,Framing A,2026-11-04,2026-11-02,2026-11-11,5,
U09,A120,Plumbing A,2026-11-10,2026-11-18,2026-11-20,2,
4. Deliveries
delivery_id,item,activity_id,supplier,needed_on,promised_on,status
D01,Storefront glazing units,A106,Supplier A,2026-11-16,2026-11-24,confirmed
D02,Rooftop unit,A107,Supplier B,2026-11-30,2026-11-27,confirmed
D03,Level 3 duct sections,A109,Supplier C,2026-11-17,2026-11-16,shipped
D04,Ceiling grid and tile,A108,Supplier D,2026-11-30,,ordered
D05,Drywall boards,A103,Supplier E,2026-11-23,2026-11-10,delivered
D06,Fire-rated door frames,,Supplier F,2026-11-20,,not ordered
D07,Flooring adhesive,A111,Supplier G,2026-12-07,2026-12-04,shipped
5. RFI log
rfi_id,subject,activity_id,issued_on,needed_by,status,answered_on
RFI-011,Door hardware group,A103,2026-10-26,2026-11-06,answered,2026-11-03
RFI-014,Wall type at grid C,A104,2026-10-28,2026-11-06,open,
RFI-017,Duct conflict at beam,A109,2026-11-05,2026-11-16,open,
RFI-018,Corridor ceiling height,A108,2026-11-09,2026-11-25,open,
RFI-019,Roof curb dimension,A107,2026-11-10,2026-12-14,open,
6. Approvals and submittals log
item_id,item,kind,activity_id,submitted_on,needed_by,status
S01,Storefront glazing shop drawings,submittal,A106,2026-10-20,2026-11-06,revise and resubmit
S02,Ceiling grid product data,submittal,A108,2026-11-02,2026-11-18,submitted
S03,Level 3 west electrical permit amendment,permit,A105,,2026-11-11,not submitted
S04,Corridor ceiling finish,owner decision,A108,2026-11-03,2026-11-20,submitted
S05,Drywall board product data,submittal,A103,2026-10-28,2026-11-02,approved as noted
7. Access claims
claim_id,area,trade,activity_id,from,to,exclusive
X1,Level 3 west,Electrical A,A105,2026-11-12,2026-11-24,yes
X2,Level 3 west,Mechanical A,A109,2026-11-17,2026-11-25,yes
X3,Level 2 east,Mechanical A,A101,2026-11-09,2026-11-17,no
X4,Level 2 east,Electrical A,A102,2026-11-12,2026-11-20,no
X5,Level 2 east,Drywall A,A103,2026-11-23,2026-12-02,yes
X6,Level 2 east,Ceiling A,A108,2026-11-30,2026-12-02,yes
The output
THREE-WEEK LOOK-AHEAD CONSTRAINT REVIEW: Marlow Yard Block C interior fit-out
For: Superintendent. Prepared by: Project engineer. Check date: Thursday 12 November 2026. Meeting: Friday 13 November 2026. Window: Thursday 12 November 2026 to Wednesday 2 December 2026 (3 weeks). Working days: Monday to Friday. Closed days in the window: Thursday 26 November 2026, Friday 27 November 2026. Supplied: schedule (11 activities); trade updates (9 rows, 1 superseded); deliveries (7 rows); RFIs (5 rows); approvals (5 rows); access claims (6 rows). Not supplied: none. Checks not made because of it: none. Activities in the window: 9. Left out: 2. Activities with a constraint: 9. Items to chase: approvals 4, deliveries 3, RFIs 4.
ALREADY UNDER WAY OR PAST ITS FINISH
A104 Level 3 west framing. Framing A, Level 3 west. Scheduled Monday 2 November to Wednesday 11 November. Status: in progress. Waits on: nothing.
- Trade update: Wednesday 11 November, Monday 2 November to Friday 13 November, crew 5, note: "Two walls on hold for RFI-014".
- Constraints:
- Dates: scheduled finish Wednesday 11 November has passed and the activity is not complete (1 working day past). Framing A reports finish Friday 13 November, 2 working days later than scheduled.
- Overlap: O2, with A105.
- RFI: RFI-014, open, needed by Friday 6 November, overdue by 4 working days.
A101 Level 2 east ceiling duct rough-in. Mechanical A, Level 2 east. Scheduled Monday 9 November to Tuesday 17 November. Status: in progress. Waits on: A100.
- Trade update: Tuesday 10 November, Monday 9 November to Thursday 19 November, crew 4, note: "Crew of 4; no second shift".
- Constraints:
- Dates: Mechanical A reports finish Thursday 19 November, 2 working days later than scheduled.
- Overlap: O1, with A102.
WEEK 1: Thursday 12 November to Wednesday 18 November
A102 Level 2 east electrical rough-in. Electrical A, Level 2 east. Scheduled Thursday 12 November to Friday 20 November. Status: not started. Waits on: A100.
- Trade update: Wednesday 11 November, Thursday 12 November to Friday 20 November, crew 3.
- Constraints:
- Overlap: O1, with A101.
A105 Level 3 west electrical rough-in. Electrical A, Level 3 west. Scheduled Thursday 12 November to Tuesday 24 November. Status: not started. Waits on: A104.
- Trade update: none on file.
- Constraints:
- Waits on unfinished work: A104 is in progress. Both tests apply: its scheduled finish, Wednesday 11 November, is before the check date, and its reported finish, Friday 13 November, is after A105's scheduled start, Thursday 12 November.
- Trade update: no trade update on file.
- Overlap: O2, with A104; O3, with A109.
- Approval: S03, not submitted, needed by Wednesday 11 November, overdue by 1 working day.
A106 Ground floor storefront glazing install. Glazing A, Ground floor front. Scheduled Monday 16 November to Friday 20 November. Status: not started. Waits on: nothing.
- Trade update: stale: Monday 2 November, Monday 16 November to Friday 20 November, crew 4.
- Constraints:
- Trade update: stale update, 10 days before the check date.
- Approval: S01, revise and resubmit, back with the submitter, needed by Friday 6 November, overdue by 4 working days.
- Delivery: D01, promised Tuesday 24 November, 6 working days after the date needed.
A109 Level 3 west duct rough-in. Mechanical A, Level 3 west. Scheduled Tuesday 17 November to Wednesday 25 November. Status: not started. Waits on: A104.
- Trade update: Tuesday 10 November, Tuesday 17 November to Wednesday 25 November, crew 3.
- Constraints:
- Waits on unfinished work: A104 is in progress and its scheduled finish, Wednesday 11 November, is before the check date; its reported finish, Friday 13 November, is before A109's scheduled start, Tuesday 17 November.
- Overlap: O3, with A105.
- Delivery: D03, shipped, promised Monday 16 November for Tuesday 17 November, on time as promised (not counted).
- RFI: RFI-017, open, needed by Monday 16 November, due in the window.
WEEK 2: Thursday 19 November to Wednesday 25 November
A103 Level 2 east drywall hang. Drywall A, Level 2 east. Scheduled Monday 23 November to Wednesday 2 December. Status: not started. Waits on: A101; A102.
- Trade update: Tuesday 10 November, Monday 23 November to Wednesday 2 December, crew 6.
- Constraints:
- Overlap: O4, with A108.
WEEK 3: Thursday 26 November to Wednesday 2 December
A107 Roof unit set. Mechanical A, Roof. Scheduled Monday 30 November to Tuesday 1 December. Status: not started. Waits on: nothing.
- Trade update: Monday 9 November, Monday 30 November to Tuesday 1 December, crew 2, note: "Crane booked for 30 November".
- Constraints:
- Delivery: D02, promised Friday 27 November, a closed day; needed Monday 30 November.
- RFI: RFI-019, open, needed by Monday 14 December, which is after the activity starts on Monday 30 November.
A108 Level 2 east ceiling grid. Ceiling A, Level 2 east. Scheduled Monday 30 November to Wednesday 2 December. Status: not started. Waits on: A103.
- Trade update: none on file.
- Constraints:
- Waits on unfinished work: A103 is not started and its scheduled finish, Wednesday 2 December, is after A108's scheduled start, Monday 30 November.
- Trade update: no trade update on file.
- Overlap: O4, with A103.
- Approval: S02, submitted, with the reviewer 8 working days, needed by Wednesday 18 November; S04, submitted, with the reviewer 7 working days, needed by Friday 20 November.
- Delivery: D04, no promised date; status ordered, so the supplier has not confirmed.
- RFI: RFI-018, open, needed by Wednesday 25 November, due in the window.
TRADE OVERLAPS
- O1 A101 (Mechanical A) and A102 (Electrical A), Level 2 east. Scheduled overlap: Thursday 12 November to Tuesday 17 November, 4 working days. On reported dates: Thursday 12 November to Thursday 19 November, 6 working days. Access: shared access (X3, X4).
- O2 A104 (Framing A) and A105 (Electrical A), Level 3 west. Scheduled overlap: none, 0 working days. On reported dates: Thursday 12 November to Friday 13 November, 2 working days. Access: no access claim on file for A104.
- O3 A105 (Electrical A) and A109 (Mechanical A), Level 3 west. Scheduled overlap: Tuesday 17 November to Tuesday 24 November, 6 working days. Access: access conflict (X1, exclusive, Thursday 12 November to Tuesday 24 November; X2, exclusive, Tuesday 17 November to Wednesday 25 November).
- O4 A103 (Drywall A) and A108 (Ceiling A), Level 2 east. Scheduled overlap: Monday 30 November to Wednesday 2 December, 3 working days. Access: access conflict (X5, exclusive, Monday 23 November to Wednesday 2 December; X6, exclusive, Monday 30 November to Wednesday 2 December).
OPEN APPROVALS AND SUBMITTALS
- S01 Storefront glazing shop drawings (submittal), for A106. Status: revise and resubmit. Needed by Friday 6 November. Back with the submitter; overdue by 4 working days. Assigned to: ______
- S03 Level 3 west electrical permit amendment (permit), for A105. Status: not submitted. Needed by Wednesday 11 November. Nothing has gone to the reviewer; overdue by 1 working day. Assigned to: ______
- S02 Ceiling grid product data (submittal), for A108. Status: submitted Monday 2 November. Needed by Wednesday 18 November. With the reviewer 8 working days. Assigned to: ______
- S04 Corridor ceiling finish (owner decision), for A108. Status: submitted Tuesday 3 November. Needed by Friday 20 November. With the reviewer 7 working days. Assigned to: ______
Clear and not listed: none.
DELIVERIES
- D01 Storefront glazing units, for A106, Supplier A. Needed Monday 16 November. Promised Tuesday 24 November. Status: confirmed. Promised after the date needed, 6 working days late. Assigned to: ______
- D03 Level 3 duct sections, for A109, Supplier C. Needed Tuesday 17 November. Promised Monday 16 November. Status: shipped. On time as promised, not counted.
- D02 Rooftop unit, for A107, Supplier B. Needed Monday 30 November. Promised Friday 27 November. Status: confirmed. Promised for a closed day. Assigned to: ______
- D04 Ceiling grid and tile, for A108, Supplier D. Needed Monday 30 November. Promised: none. Status: ordered. No promised date; the supplier has not confirmed. Assigned to: ______
Clear and not listed: D05.
RFIS
- RFI-014 Wall type at grid C, for A104. Issued Wednesday 28 October. Needed by Friday 6 November. Overdue by 4 working days. Assigned to: ______
- RFI-017 Duct conflict at beam, for A109. Issued Thursday 5 November. Needed by Monday 16 November. Due in the window. Assigned to: ______
- RFI-018 Corridor ceiling height, for A108. Issued Monday 9 November. Needed by Wednesday 25 November. Due in the window. Assigned to: ______
- RFI-019 Roof curb dimension, for A107. Issued Tuesday 10 November. Needed by Monday 14 December. Needed after the activity starts. Assigned to: ______
Clear and not listed: RFI-011.
QUESTIONS FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT
- A104, Level 3 west framing. Its scheduled finish, Wednesday 11 November, has passed and it is in progress. Framing A reports finish Friday 13 November, 2 working days later than scheduled, with two walls on hold for RFI-014, which is 4 working days overdue. A105 and A109 wait on it. Do you accept Friday 13 November for sequencing, and which trade lead confirms Framing A's capacity?
- A101, Level 2 east ceiling duct rough-in. Mechanical A reports finish Thursday 19 November, 2 working days later than the scheduled Tuesday 17 November, with a crew of 4 and no second shift. A103 waits on it and is scheduled to start Monday 23 November. Does A103 still start on Monday 23 November, and which trade lead confirms Mechanical A's finish?
- A105, Level 3 west electrical rough-in. It is scheduled to start today, Thursday 12 November. It waits on A104, whose scheduled finish has passed and whose reported finish, Friday 13 November, is after A105's start. There is no trade update on file, so its duration is not confirmed by the trade, and permit amendment S03 has not been submitted. Nothing waits on it. Does A105 start on Thursday 12 November, and which trade lead confirms Electrical A's start and duration?
- A106, Ground floor storefront glazing install. The latest update from Glazing A is Monday 2 November, 10 days before the check date, and shows the scheduled dates. The glazing units are promised Tuesday 24 November, 6 working days after the date needed (D01), and the shop drawings (S01) are back with the submitter, 4 working days overdue. Nothing waits on it. Does the start on Monday 16 November hold, and which trade lead gives a current update?
- A109, Level 3 west duct rough-in. It waits on A104, whose scheduled finish has passed; the reported finish, Friday 13 November, is before A109's scheduled start on Tuesday 17 November. RFI-017 is open and needed by Monday 16 November, the day before the start. The duct sections are shipped and promised for Monday 16 November (D03). Nothing waits on it. Does A109 start on Tuesday 17 November, and which trade lead confirms Mechanical A's capacity?
- A108, Level 2 east ceiling grid. The schedule starts it on Monday 30 November, but A103, which it waits on, is scheduled to finish on Wednesday 2 December. There is no trade update on file. The ceiling grid delivery (D04) has no promised date, and S02, S04 and RFI-018 are open. A111, outside the window, waits on it. Which is right, A108's start or A103's finish, and which trade lead confirms Ceiling A's dates?
- O1, Level 2 east: A101 and A102. The two trades share Level 2 east for 4 working days as scheduled and 6 as reported, from Thursday 12 November to Thursday 19 November. Both access claims are shared. A103 waits on both A101 and A102. Do Mechanical A and Electrical A confirm they can work in the area together for those days?
- O2, Level 3 west: A104 and A105. The scheduled dates do not overlap, but on reported dates the two trades share Thursday 12 November and Friday 13 November, 2 working days. No access claim is on file for A104. A105 and A109 wait on A104. Nothing waits on A105. Does A105 wait until A104 finishes, or do Framing A and Electrical A share the area for those 2 days?
- O3, Level 3 west: A105 and A109. The two trades overlap for 6 working days, from Tuesday 17 November to Tuesday 24 November. Both hold exclusive access claims for the area (X1, X2), so the plans conflict. Nothing waits on either activity. Which plan for Level 3 west stands for those days, and which trade leads confirm capacity?
- O4, Level 2 east: A103 and A108. The two trades overlap for 3 working days, from Monday 30 November to Wednesday 2 December. Both hold exclusive access claims for the area (X5, X6), so the plans conflict, and A108 waits on A103 (question 6). A111 waits on A108. Which plan for Level 2 east stands for those days, and which trade leads confirm capacity?
APPROVED AS NOTED
S05 Drywall board product data, for A103, submitted Wednesday 28 October. The notes are on the approval itself.
NOTES THE REVIEW DOES NOT JUDGE
None.
LEFT OUT
- A100 Level 2 east layout and marking: complete.
- A111 Level 2 east flooring: starts Monday 7 December, after the window ends.
Rows linked to left-out activities: 1.
SUPPLIED BUT NOT LINKED
- Delivery D06: fire-rated door frames, needed Friday 20 November, status not ordered. No activity named.
- Trade update U09: Plumbing A, reported Tuesday 10 November, start Wednesday 18 November to Friday 20 November, crew 2. Activity A120 is not on the schedule.
DECISION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT (left blank for them)
Sequencing: [ ] confirmed as listed [ ] changed (note which activities) Follow-up assigned on the lists above: [ ] yes [ ] not yet Capacity confirmed by the trade leads: [ ] yes [ ] not yet Name, role and date: ____________
Prepared for the Superintendent's meeting. No schedule has been changed, nothing has been sent, and no trade, supplier, designer or reviewer has been contacted.
Where it fits
- Project and delivery, which owns the plan for the next stretch of work and the meeting that keeps it honest.
- Procurement and suppliers, whose delivery dates decide whether a trade can start on the day planned.
- Construction, where the superintendent walks into each coordination meeting with several trades wanting the same space.
- Engineering firms, where the firm coordinates a contractor's look-ahead on a project it designed.
- Real estate, where the owner's team builds out or renovates space and needs to see what could delay a handover.
- Established businesses, where the look-ahead lives in a superintendent's notebook and should live in a brief that anyone can read.
What has to change for your company
Map your scheduling product's export to the column headings once and keep the mapping with the template. Decide the length of the window and how old a trade update may be before it counts as stale. Use one spelling for each area in the schedule and the access claims, because overlaps are found by matching those names. Decide which items your project tracks in the approvals log and the statuses your logs use. Name who receives the approved brief and where the signed decision is kept. It runs in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini from files you supply, with no connection to your scheduling or document systems.
What has been checked
Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template from its own published map of the work. It was editorially reviewed on 10 November 2026. It was tried on its invented example on 10 November 2026 in one run; the record is published with it, and lists the small edits made afterward that have not been run again. It has not yet been tested in a client environment.
Testing in your environment means running it on two or three past look-aheads your superintendent remembers well, plus hard cases written in advance, each with its expected result: a predecessor past its finish, a closed day inside a delivery's lateness, two exclusive claims for one area, an update that is eight days old, an RFI needed after the activity starts. The superintendent checks every date and every count before anyone relies on the brief. Schedule recovery options is the next step when a committed date has already slipped, and Project status report carries the picture to the owner.
The full capability template
Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.
Free with an account. Sign in by email: no password and no card.
Next step
Put this capability to work for your team: on your plan, or built with you in a sprint.
Build this in a sprint
In a sprint, Fully Powered adapts this capability template to your rules, proves it on your own work and puts it in the hands of the roles that own it.
Two ways to begin: