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Crew planning with AI chat
Crew planning is math plus judgment. Let the chat tool do the math from your production numbers. Keep the judgment.
Feed it your production numbers
The tool has no idea how fast your crews set posts in clay versus sand. Write down your own averages, rough is fine, and paste them at the top of every planning chat.
Prompt · Your shop's day sizesAny chat assistant
Our production assumptions (use these, do not change them): - 2-man crew, vinyl privacy, soft soil: about 120-150 ft/day - Same in rock: about 60-80 ft/day - Each walk gate adds about 45 min; each double drive gate adds about 2 hrs - Tear-out and haul-off of old wood fence: about 1 hr per 50 ft - Concrete set before hanging panels: next day
Planning prompts
Prompt · Size the jobAny chat assistant
Using our production assumptions, estimate crew days for this job: 220 ft 6 ft vinyl privacy, rock likely on back line (~90 ft), 2 walk gates, 1 double drive, tear out 220 ft old wood. Show the math line by line. Round up to half days. Flag anything you had to assume.
Prompt · Material pull listAny chat assistant
Make a pull list for the job above: posts (line, corner, end, gate), panels, gate kits, post caps, concrete bags, and hardware. Use these rules: 8 ft sections, gate posts get 2 extra bags, add 1 spare panel per 10. Show the counts as a checklist the yard guy can tick off. Mark every count you calculated so I can check it.
Prompt · Toolbox talkAny chat assistant
Write a 3-minute toolbox talk for a fence crew on hand digging near utility marks. Plain words, short sentences, 5 key points, one real-sounding example, end with 2 questions to ask the crew. Do not cite statistics.
Check its math
- Chat tools can make arithmetic slips on long lists. Spot check every count before an order goes out.
- It does not know your truck capacity or yard stock. Tell it.
- Never use it to decide if a site is safe. That is the lead's call on the ground.
Shop guardrails
- Never paste full customer card numbers, bank info, SSNs, or gate codes into any chat tool.
- Strip names and addresses when you can. Job number + street name is usually enough context.
- Check the business terms of the plan you pay for. Free consumer tiers and business tiers can treat your data differently.
- A human sends it. Drafts go out only after someone in the office reads them.
- No invented numbers. If the tool gives you a price, lead time, or code rule you did not feed it, throw it out.