Action to Improve the Reliability of Production Planning

Management of today's dynamic projects requires a shift of focus from product to process. The purpose of traditional project controls is to conform performance to plan. The purpose of lean project controls is to make the best possible choices at each point in time during the course of the project, as well as contributing knowledge to the parent organizations so they can learn from project experience. The Lean Construction Institute(LCI) proposed the Last Planner System(LPS) capable of accomplishing that purpose, principally through controlling the quality of planning and of management processes themselves, as distinct from concentrating exclusively on project performance. The case project was a pilot project for the implementation of the Last Planner. Consequently, the coordination of the work on this project was extremely successful. The project had its share of challenges. The coordination did not prevent design problems, or supplier errors, but helped the team deal with the problems effectively while maintaining the work flow. The last planner helped the contractors know: a) who will be doing what and where, b) what each one needs from the others, and c) what are the project priorities. The system itself created a more collaborative environment, because it 'demands' that the subcontractors address these issues.