Hard or soft: Planning on medium size construction projects

Some data suggest that the approach to planning in construction seeks to impose a managed future on construction work by providing plans which are strictly time scheduled and produced by initially identifying those activities which are critical to the plan and allowing other activities to “fit in” to this critical path. This is referred to in the paper as “hard” planning. The paper seeks to demonstrate that the reality for some managers and planners is that the planning process is “soft” and that in producing plans they seek initially to take account of the vast uncertainties of construction by removing criticality from all activities. The paper is based on data obtained from longitudinal case study research of four live, medium size, projects in the North East of England. The data analysis uses the Grounded Theory approach

The application of a pilot pull planning system to construction projects

A new planning system was introduced as a pilot within a large UK construction company. The system, which attempts to address some of the problems of construction “front end” planning, is investigated relative to Lean Construction and specifically the Last Planner system. The purpose is to see if it can be used as the basis for applying a lean planning model which the company intends to introduce and test through a research project. The existing system is seen to have strengths in terms of goodwill and commitment from the participants but is still fundamentally linked to the schedule pushed traditional approach to planning which is seen to be unsuccessful. An attempt to use “first run studies” to produce high quality planning and performance information was partly successful and indicated possibilities for future implementation. Further work is needed to fully develop the application model and training in the fundamentals of the system will be needed to improve performance

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

Hard, soft or lean? Planning on medium size construction projects

In a paper presented to the 11th Annual ARCOM Conference, Johansen examined the way that managers and planners in medium sized construction projects plan in a flexible manner. This was termed "soft planning" and contrasted with the textbook approach which was termed "hard" planning. The fundamental components of hard planning are firm dates and critical activities. The reality was found to be quite different from the textbook approach. (Johansen, 1996a) The conclusion then, was that methods of soft planning methodologies should be developed to support what was actually happening. Here this conclusion is revised in the light of lean production concepts. After defining these concepts, the authors consider how they can affect the development of planning theories in construction; in particular, how concepts such as “shielding”, “lookahead planning” and “last planner” can allow managers to overcome the barriers to hard planning

Implementing lean: UK culture and systems change

For the IGLC 12 Conference the authors reported the results of implementing Last PlannerTM methods with a large UK contracting company. The projects studied demonstrated some success but also some cultural, organizational and systemic barriers to its effective implementation. Alarcon and Conte’s White Paper for the IGLC11 conference discussed these issues and invited researchers to consider them. In response, the authors have reflected upon and critically re-analysed the research as a means to refocus their future work in implementing Lean Construction methods in UK construction. Based on a review of the literature on construction culture we have identified theoretical factors that, together with Alarcon and Conte's list of critical organizational elements, provide a framework against which the results of the research have been considered. We conclude that the implementation of Last Planner was hindered by not fully considering cultural, organizational and systemic problems and by failing to recognize how deepseated these problems could be. We intend, in future projects, to take a more considered, and wider approach to Lean Construction (possibly using the LCI’s Lean Project Delivery System) and to focus our attention upon construction ventures where efforts at culture change have already started - in particular, where strategic partnering arrangements are in place

The lack of design quality focus in construction: a case for examining suitable design processes

A large number of projects in UK construction now involve contractor-led design and are thus very different from the traditional approach which formed the basis of the original Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Outline Plan of Work. Such integrated and contractor-led approaches support the reform agenda of the late 1990s that was introduced to tackle process inefficiency. However, within the design professions there has been concern that this resulted in buildings that were designed-down to a cost rather than designed-up to a value. An attempt to address this resulted in the formation of the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment (CABE) in 1999 and the launch, in 2003, of the Design Quality Indicator (DQI) which measures how well a building satisfies stakeholders. This paper presents the early phases of doctoral research which will examine the impact of integrated design management approaches upon Design Quality

Releasing the power: research led learning in a professional practice undergraduate curriculum

There is a challenge for vocational programmes in Higher Education in addressing the needs of a practice based discipline while developing enquiry based abilities in students. Ongoing research is being carried out into the use and suitability of student research-led learning within Built Environment curriculum at Northumbria University. This is aimed at undergraduate professional practice education and its perceived value by staff and students as compared to the use of the more traditional perceived transmission-based pedagogy. A focus group based survey of final years students was carried out to obtain an improved understanding of the value of research-led learning and to seek to highlight and extend staff opportunities and motivation to employ such methods across a wider range of curriculum activity, thus helping to justify the “release” of curriculum ownership to the student. It appears that students struggle to see the value of work which is not directly related to employment and it is suggested that more work is needed in measuring and understanding the enquiry based skills which are being used in the workplace already and using pedagogical approaches in language and practice which are more easily digested by students because research led learning is seen to be practical and have real results in what they perceive as the “real world”. Research-led learning needs to be carefully and sensitively embedded within the student learning experience at undergraduate level

Use of Antihypertensive Agents and Association With Risk of Adverse Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease: Focus on Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers.

Background Our objective was to determine patterns of antihypertensive agent use by stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to evaluate the association between different classes of antihypertensive agents with nonrenal outcomes, especially in advanced CKD . Methods and Results We studied 3939 participants of the CRIC (Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort) study. Predictors were time-dependent angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker , β-blocker, and calcium channel blocker use (versus nonuse of agents in each class). Outcomes were adjudicated heart failure events or death. Adjusted Cox models were used to determine the association between predictors and outcomes. We also examined whether the associations differed based on the severity of CKD (early [stage 2-3 CKD ] versus advanced disease [stage 4-5 CKD ]). During median follow-up of 7.5 years, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor use plateaued during CKD stage 3 (75%) and declined to 37% by stage 5, while β-blocker, calcium channel blocker, and diuretic use increased steadily with advancing CKD . Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor use was associated with lower risk of heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.97) and death (hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.90), regardless of severity of CKD . Calcium channel blocker use was not associated with risk of heart failure or death, regardless of the severity of CKD . β-Blocker use was associated with higher risk of heart failure (hazard ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-2.04) and death (hazard ratio, 1.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.43), especially during early CKD ( P<0.05 for interaction). Conclusions Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker use decreased, while use of other agents increased with advancing CKD . Use of agents besides angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers may be associated with suboptimal outcomes in patients with CKD

The impact of strategy on ICT projects

Strategic planning processes are oriented towards the selection of objectives and product/market choices by senior management. From this viewpoint strategic planning provides a mechanism for setting and reviewing objectives, focusing on choices of long-term significance, identifying strategic options, allocating resources, and achieving corporate-wide co-ordination, monitoring, and control. Current literature on strategic planning has recognised the problems with traditional approaches to planning. In this article, the authors seek to consider links between strategy and the implementation of ICT projects within the telecommunications industry

Modelling new success criteria for projects in the ICT industry

With spending for computer and networking hardware, software and services projected to exceed a trillion pounds by 2005, the potential for greater involvement of ICT in the creation of organisation wealth could be hampered by an extremely high rate of project failures in ICT industry projects. The poor performance of the ICT industry in deploying its products has been demonstrated in numerous press reports. This paper reviews general knowledge on ICT project failure and proposes a hypothesis. The hypothesis states that “the high rate of reported failures of ICT industry has been caused by the industry continuing to measure its success and failure rates based on in-appropriate criteria which fails to consider the industry’s peculiar characteristics and the impact of ICT on organisational strategy”