three-week look-ahead

Look-Ahead Scheduling: The Near-Term Planning Practice That Bridges Master Schedule and Daily Work

Look-ahead schedules (typically 3-6 weeks) operate between the master schedule and daily work planning. They identify work coming up, constraints that might block it, and actions needed to prepare. Good look-ahead scheduling prevents surprises; poor or missing look-ahead leaves projects to react rather than prepare. Understanding look-ahead scheduling and its role in the planning hierarchy is foundational construction management.