THE ABCS OF LEAN: TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ACTIONS, BEST PRACTICES AND COACHING

2 2 ND A N N U A L

5 Highlights From New Last Planner Best Practice

Glenn Ballard, UC Berkeley
THE ABC’S OF LEAN : TR AN SFORM A TION THROUGH AC TIONS, BEST PR AC TICES AN D CO AC HING

October 22, 2020

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Problem Statement
The Last Planner System changes over time and understanding what it is and how to use it seems to
vary widely from person to person. To make available in one document a current description of the
Last Planner System, the University of California’s Project Production System Laboratory began
publishing a Current Process Benchmark for the Last Planner System in 2016 and has published a
new benchmark in 2020. The purpose of this presentation is to create awareness of this resource and
to provide a ‘sneak peek’ into the changes in the Last Planner System.

Where to get the 2016 and 2020 benchmark documents: https://p2sl.berkeley.edu/benchmarks/

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The 5 Highlights
1. Build alternatives into your schedules

2. Structure your work so it flows

3. Commit first to critical tasks

4. Organize for learning

5. What all the people in your organizations should be able and encouraged to do

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Build alternatives into your schedules

Projects always have lots of Why not just add time to your
uncertainties; for example, a major schedules and money to your
decision might be reversed or delayed budgets—increase project
buffers?

Buffering is a good way to handle

Remember that waste is any cost item uncertainties that are statistically
that can be eliminated without reducing predictable, so the right amount of buffer
value delivered. Is buffering the best way can be calculated. That doesn’t work for
to manage uncertainties that can disrupt delayed decisions.
a project schedule?

Alternatives (aka options) How to know if the cost is

require pre-work which has a worth paying?
cost. Citywatchla.com

To learn more, read <Extending the Last Planner System to managing the entire project>
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THE ABCS OF LEAN: TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ACTIONS, BEST PRACTICES AND COACHING

How to structure construction work like an assembly line?

automotiveandstyle.
blogspot.com

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THE ABCS OF LEAN: TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ACTIONS, BEST PRACTICES AND COACHING

Structure your work for flow

From “An experiment
in takt time planning
applied to non-
repetitive work”
(IGLC 2013)
Framing Plumbing Rough-In Electrical Rough-In Fire Stopping, Backing & Fire Alarm
Drywall close-up inspection Drywall & Insulation Fire Tape & Head of Wall Fire Stopping
Electrical Low O.H. & Low Voltage Pathways Tape & Mud Prime & Paint
To learn more, read <LPS Location Based Practice>

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First select critical tasks

When I developed the Last Planner System,
I assumed that ‘last planners’ would
naturally first commit to all critical tasks that
had been made ready to be executed, or
that their supervisors would correct any
omissions before weekly work plans were
committed.

Why was I wrong? Perhaps what’s critical

isn’t always known by last planners or their
supervisors. Perhaps the rule and
expectation of supervisors to enforce it are
not adequately communicated. 2yamaha.com

Commitment Level measures the percentage of required tasks that have been committed on weekly work plans. Anything less
than 100% triggers a search for reasons: Are we short of capacity? Were some required tasks not made ready? If either of
these apply, that triggers countermeasures, including replanning to overcome the delay. If neither of these apply, then weekly
work plan commitments are changed so that available capacity is applied first to critical tasks.

To learn more, read <LPS Metrics>

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Organize for learning

risk.net

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Organize for Learning

1. Clearly define the process for investigating a
failure, developing countermeasures,
implementing/testing the countermeasures, and
embedding the countermeasures as standard
practice to meet or beat.
2. Clearly define who has what responsibilities in each
step in the process.
3. Provide sufficient capacity for carrying out those
responsibilities.
4. If failures are frequent, provide guidelines for
selecting which failures to investigate.
5. Use visuals to communicate progress through each
step in the process.
Courtesy of
Pinterest

Has your organization done these 5 things?

To learn more, read <LPS Learning from Breakdowns>

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Where does Lean apply?

Pedro gives Maria a Maria uses the report Juan uses Maria’s design
soils report to design piles to fabricate piles

• Lean applies anywhere human beings are working together to produce something, and we
work together to produce things in processes.
• Processes like the one shown here consist of operations linked together by promises.
• When either an operation or a process fail, 5 Whys can help find countermeasures.
• One type of failure occurs when someone in the process fails to make a reliable promise.
• Reliable promising is itself a process--a process for making good commitments between
customers (the person or group to whom you give something) and suppliers (the person or
group that gives something to you).

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The foundational behaviors for Lean organizations

Every person in the organization should be encouraged and enabled
to…
• make promises that should and can be kept—by following the
reliable promising process
• analyze breakdowns (errors, injuries, broken promises) and
develop countermeasures to prevent reoccurrence—by using Five
Whys analysis
• improve the way they do their own work, the operations they
perform—by mapping and analyzing the steps they take, looking for
opportunities to reduce waste and increase value (operations
design)
• improve the processes in which they do their work—by using value
stream mapping (aka material and information flow diagrams)
4improvement.one

• Are your organizations helping its members do these things?

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Reliable Promising Cycle

Image
Courtesy of
Lean IPD

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Sathish
Chandramouli: 5
Whys

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SLAM—A case study in applying lean to job shops

T Brink, G Ballard – ASCE Construction Research
Congress 2005
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©2010 Glenn Ballard
THE ABCS OF LEAN: TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ACTIONS, BEST PRACTICES AND COACHING

Learning to see work flow:

an application of lean
concepts to precast
concrete fabrication
G Ballard, N Harper, T
Zabelle - Engineering,
Construction and
Architectural Management
2003
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THE ABCS OF LEAN: TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ACTIONS, BEST PRACTICES AND COACHING

How can you apply this tomorrow?

• Read the 2020 Benchmark at https://p2sl.berkeley.edu/benchmarks
• Read the five research reports that informed many of the changes in the 2020 Benchmark at:
https://p2sl.berkeley.edu/ knowledge-center/all-pubs
• <Extending the Last Planner System to managing the entire project>
• <LPS Location Based Practice>
• <LPS Metrics>
• <LPS in Design>
• <LPS Learning from Breakdowns
• Put what you learn into practice.

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Thank you for attending!

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In the spirit of continuous improvement, we would like to remind you to

complete this session’s survey in the Congress app! We look forward to
receiving your feedback. Highest rated presenters will be recognized.

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Contact Us

Glenn Ballard
University of California Berkeley

gballard@berkeley.edu

Brian Winningham
Field Driven Lean, LLC

bmw@fielddrivenlean.com

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Thank you for attending this presentation. Enjoy the rest of the 22nd Annual
LCI Congress!

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