An experience of introducing last planner into a UK construction project

The Last Planner methodology developed by the Lean Construction Institute is a production control tool which has possible benefits for improving planning in the UK construction industry. Its application has been considered in countries outside the UK but there is scope for considering whether it is a practical tool for use in UK construction projects. The application of the methodology to a UK construction project was studied with a view to establishing the value of the tool and the possible barriers to its implementation. After training by the writers the method was developed for use on a project by the project team and applied to the main activities. The writers observed the process and interviewed the participants. The methodology had some success in terms of improving structure and discipline in planning but there were structural and cultural barriers identified which need to be addressed before it can be fully successful

Place of technology management as a key process area within construction process improvement: A critical analysis

Process improvement has been identified as an important strategy to address the current unpredictability and under-achievements of the UK construction industry. Within the technological view of process improvement, information technology (IT) has been identified as a key enabler. Various studies about the information technology in construction have revealed that construction show a slow IT adoptability and IT has failed to convince the stakeholders of the construction industry. Within some of these researches, it has been argued that immature processes within the construction industry are responsible for this unsatisfactory level of performance of IT. On the other hand, it has also been argued that, Information Technology is a primary stimulant of process improvement, thus process maturity can be driven by the IT push. Leading to a dilemma, this indicates that new information technological innovations could use by immature organisations within their process improvement strategies. This dilemma triggered the necessity to evaluate the place of the Technology Change Management within the construction context. Thus, a literature survey was conducted to identify the construction process improvement initiatives and its relationship with the IT usage in construction with a special emphasis on the SPICE approach, which has provided the basis for this critical analysis. The SPICE is a five levelled framework based on the popular Software Capability Maturity Model (CMM), and presents an assessment tool for the maturity of construction process. However, within the CMM the Technology Change Management has been considered as a key process area within the fifth maturity level, indicating that this is a concern of matured organisations. However, the IT usage within construction shows that the immature construction organisations have successfully adopted IT in an ad-hoc manner with the aim of achieving short term benefits. On the other hand construction literature have criticised this ad-hoc IT usage and linked that to the relative slow IT adoptability in construction. This in effect challenges the allocation of a fixed place for Technology Change Management as a Key Process Area with the construction process improvement, from the organisation maturity point of view

Integrated value model for sustainable assessment of school centers construction

Hundreds of new school centers were built in Catalonia between 2000 and 2009. It was a governmental decision in order to solve an endemic lack of centers that in the early 2000s had worsen. Masonry and poured on site reinforced concrete structures were used to build most of these schools as it had been done previously. The novelty was the use of interesting off site construction processes such as prefabricated concrete, steel and wood technologies. These school edifices and their building processes were analyzed in the author’s thesis in 2009. Later in 2011 the author analyzed the lyfe cycle process of the construction of these centers. In this paper the authors assess the sustainability of these schools using a dynamic evaluation tool optimized for this case study. This tool has been defined using the Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment (Modelo Integrado de Valor para una Evaluación Sostenible - MIVES).Postprint (published version

A study on schedule management for BIM projects in the construction industry

There is an advance modelling tool that currently been pushed by the industry is BIM. BIM as known as Building Modelling Information is a computerized process that is used to design, understand and establish the key physical and functional characteristic of a building on a ‘virtual’ computerized model basis at its most basic level [4]. Basically the resulting model is a digital representation of the building which the data can be extracted and analyzed to generate information that can be used for decision making and enhance the process of delivering the building and the entire life cycle use of the building [4]. BIM implementation can help to improve the quality of project especially the schedule management. By implementing BIM into construction project, it can provides schedule visualization which can make the construction planning more efficient. Besides that, through the BIM model clash detection can be detected in the preconstruction phase which save a lot of time on rework during construction phase

Adaption of structured analysis design techniques methodology for construction project planning

The construction industry has been heavily criticised by researchers and governmental organisations for its performance especially excessive delay. Ballard and Howell (2003) indicated that only about 50% of the tasks on weekly work plans are completed by the end of the plan week. This is a result of a lack of either effective project planning or effective production control. It therefore seems the traditional approach of planning is insufficient to meet the current demand and complexity of construction projects. This paper proposes to critically evaluate the adaptation of Structured Analysis Design Techniques (SADT) methodology as a tool for project planning. SADT which was further developed into IDEF (Integrated Definition) techniques claims to be a complete methodology to provide the means of understanding complex production systems and aid the implementation of change. The use of this methodology has led to process improvement. The research uses a literature review followed by interviews with academics and practitioners to investigate their knowledge and understanding of SADT (IDEFO). The results of the interviews indicated that SADT (IDEFO) methodology is seldom known and used in the construction industry. However, this study indicates that SADT methodology appears to be an effective project planning tool. This study contributes to the limited project planning techniques in construction industry by exploring the possible adaption of SADT

Interactive project planning in construction based on virtual reality technology

This paper describes a didactic application that is part of a research project whose main aim is to develop a computer-aided system which will assist design and construction processes. It is based on the visual simulation of construction activities. Geometric modeling and virtual reality techniques are used in the visualization of the design process and to define user-friendly interfaces in order to access construction information, which could prove useful to Civil Engineering professionals. As a first step, was developed a prototype that serves as a didactic tool for Civil Engineering students of disciplines concerned with building construction. The construction of a double brick wall is the case studied. The wall is defined as a three dimensional model formed with the several components needed to edify it. Using the wall's virtual model it is possible to show, in an interactive way, the sequence of the construction process and observe from any point of view the configurations in detail of the building components. This is then a didactic tool application in construction processes domain of great interest to Civil Engineering students

Cost Based of Value Stream Mapping as a Lean Construction Tool for Underground Pipeline Construction Projects

Contractors want to improve the construction productivity and utilize an efficient, cost calculation which assists the company to get accurate cost that can be presented during next estimation for similar construction projects. This study deals with the application of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) as a lean construction tool on a real construction for installation of underground pipelines. VSM was adapted to reduce the high percentage of non-value added activities and time wastes during each construction stage, and the study searched for an efficient, way to consider the cost of e the studied underground pipeline. This review is unique in its approach that it adopts cost implementation of VSM to improve the productivity of underground pipeline projects. A real construction project was observed and relevant data were collected from the site during construction, indicating the value added, non-value added and process time for each construction stage. The current state was built based on these details. This is a process management tool and exercise to keep opening eyes as a trigger for improvement. After a current state assessment, a future state is attempted by value stream mapping tool balancing the resources using a line of balance (LOB) technique. This study is unique in its way that it adopts cost and LOB implementation of VSM to improve the productivity of underground pipeline projects. Moreover, a cost estimation model was developed during current state and future state to calculate the cost of constructing the underground pipeline. The results show a cost reduction of 20.8 % between current and future states. This reflects the importance of the cost based value stream mapping in construction as a useful tool. This new tool could be utilized in the construction industry to improve the efficiency and cost management