Blogs Archive

How Operationalizing Your Schedule Can Radically Improve Margins – A Webinar Recap

Touchplan recently hosted a webinar on Project Production Management (PPM), and while the fundamentals of PPM closely align to the reality of construction projects and the risks associated with them, PPM is far from being “the norm.”

Touchplan’s Head of Pre-Sales/Sales Engineering George Hunt was joined by a panel of industry experts including Layne Hess from Jacobsen Construction, Evan Franck from Whiting-Turner, Alex Behringer from Whiting-Turner, and Patricia Tillmann The Boldt Company.

A key focus of the discussion revolved around how understanding PPM can help teams effectively identify the often-overlooked risks that put projects and schedules in jeopardy. They also discussed how utilizing practices – such as the Last Planner System® (LPS®) or Takt planning, combined with using technology platforms – allows teams to better see the effect of the production laws on the flow of work.

Some of the main takeaways from the discussion included:

The best part about using technology for production management is the ability to remove constraints – for those in the office and for those in the field
Collaboration is key. As a leader, when you are 100% fully engaged in the process, it shows. Everyone else down the chain will trust both you and the process – and it will be more efficient for everyone
Get everyone involved and make sure the LPS is present: you are able to track variances and PPC which are very helpful in removing constraints from all stakeholders- but take the time to teach them the technicality of the system so they can really apply it and use it in the field (and even in the office so they can see what needs to be done and from who)

You can also find some interesting sound bites from the webinar below:

Patricia Tillmann shares advice for those looking to get started with production planning. She discusses the importance of engaging people and using data to collaborate on how to improve the process for all stakeholders!
Alex Behringer discusses the importance of using the Last Planner System® to understand where you’re at in your schedule.

Get all the details and interesting insights from our outstanding panel by listening to the full webinar.

Project Production Management: Takt for Professional Services (Part 13)

(By George Hunt, Lead – Pre-Sales/Sales Engineering Touchplan and Terri Erickson, Principal, Kata Consulting) While this series has focused primarily on takt in construction so far, we wanted to be sure to discuss how those in the professional services can use it as well. Pacing the production of design can have similar benefits to those described for construction. A regular cadence of information handoffs between disciplines creates a steady and reliable plan that can help hold on to those precious budgeted hours.

Re-define deliverables

As we discussed in a previous post, the work on a job is broken into a series of takt wagons, that make up a series of takt trains, which make their way through the different takt zones that have been defined. The problem that we run into, is that design cycles are not typically thought about by geographic location nor as linear. It is thought about as a system; i.e. structural, electrical, plumbing, etc.

The team will need to determine how their overall scope can be broken down into smaller batches (chunks) that will be handed off at the end of each takt interval. This will require the identification of dependencies and what workflows can be running concurrently. This discussion and planning are ultimately what creates the work packages that fit into each takt wagon.

Properly size your deliverables

When sizing and balancing the deliverables, it will be important for everyone to take the time to truly assess how much effort is required to complete the work within the scheduled takt time. Negotiating the level of detail that is expected in each of the work packages can prevent the team from over-producing or over-processing (i.e. “waste”). Clearly identifying and negotiating what the conditions of satisfaction are for the handoff will ensure that the deliverable is one that has the appropriate amount of scope without overburdening the resources. The idea here is to “pull” deliverables based on a request by the downstream designer or other “customer”.

Keep a regular feedback loop

A regular team standup meeting is one of the best ways for teams to stay on the same page. Adjustments that are needed to the takt plan will be discussed in these meetings. To make them successful, the team should agree on a good set of rules to follow while in these meetings. Teams who are familiar with Scrum or Kanban will already have a solid set of tools to navigate and manage the discussions. This meeting also reduces the number of unexpected touchpoints between team members and allows for more reliable and transparent communication flows.

While usually talked about with construction, Takt can also be used as an effective way to pace the production of our design. Coupling it with other tools such as Scrum or Kanban can help manage and identify where the plan needs to be adjusted and how the team can better balance the workflow.

For more information about the value of Project Production Management, listen to our recent webinar where industry experts discuss how PPM has benefitted their projects.

New From the Touchplan Podcast Network

Voices of Construction Debut Episode: State of the Union

Earlier this month, we debuted The Touchplan Podcast Network and our new show, Voices of Construction. Hosted by Noah Baker, Voices of Construction peels back perceptions and gets to know the passionate people behind the titles in the construction industry.

In episode one, Noah talks to long-time friend and union member, Brian Maguire. Brian talks about his choice to step away from project management to do an apprenticeship and says

“I got more out of everyday work when I was tinkering.” Listen to the full episode.

Build.Lead.Succeed. Debute Episode: Interview With NAWIC President Anne Pfleger

In this first official epsiode, host Angela Highland chats with NAWIC national president Anne Pfleger. Anne discusses her path in construction and the difference women are making in the industry. Anne says, “Yes, we’re only 10 percent, so we can say we’re in a male-populated industry, but we are seeing more women with boots on the ground and seats at the table.”

Voices Of Construction Episode #2: Construction Life Across The Pond

In this episode, join Noah Baker as he speaks with Daniel Shakespeare and Umut Duren MEng from Jacobs as they discuss Construction in the UK and the importance of work-life balance as it relates to mental health.

Voices Of Construction Episode #3: Safety & Human Nature

In episode three of Voices of Construction, Noah speaks with Safety Consultant Mike Dickerson & Andrew Piland as they dive into the human nature of safety on the jobsite and the value of buy-in from leadership in the clip below.

Voices of Construction and Build. Lead. Succeed. are available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and SoundCloud.

Our Latest Webinar Available To Watch At Your Convenience

Touchplan hosted a webinar on the topic “How Operationalizing Your Schedule Can Radically Improve Margins.” You can listen to the recording to hear from George Hunt, CM-Lean, PSP, Patricia Tillmann, Ph.D., CM-Lean from The Boldt Company, Layne Hess from Jacobsen Construction, and Alex Behringer and Evan Franck from The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. The panel discusses how planning for continuous flow can help teams work efficiently & meet planned milestones.

Touchplan’s New Image Attach Feature

This month, we released a new image attach feature that allows users to attach photo documentation to their activity updates, leading to enhanced clarity around the status of the work. Touchplan users can place safety information into planned activities giving them the ability to better plan on the jobsite. Image attach makes it easy to access key information while preparing for upcoming work to make more informed decisions and save time.

Check out our three Image Attach walk-through videos below!

Photo Documentation Provides Clarity to Work Status

Place Safety Documentation onto Planned Activities

Prepare For Upcoming Work with Image Attach

Looking For World-Class Support? Check Out Our Customer Success Video

The Customer Success Team at Touchplan is here to help onboard and support customer teams and their companies throughout their Touchplan journey. Learn more about our CS team and hear from current customers on their implementation and support experience in this video.

41-Pages on 5 Big Ideas: E-Book Now Available to Download

Download Touchplan’s new e-book based on The Five Big Ideas focused on understanding Lean Construction principles and how the intersection of humans and technology can deliver better results. This report re-examines the components of The Five Big Ideas that help leaders effectively navigate the collaboration of teams, identify opportunities to learn, and create action to design milestone conditions that build the best outcomes of the entire project.

How Did Sundt Construction Finish Six Student Housing Buildings In Time For Fall Semester?

Touchplan was proud to be utilized by our clients at Sundt Construction as they built Hornet Commons, a new, six-building, student housing project at California State University-Sacramento. The project finished in time for the start of this fall semester and students’ return to campus. You can read about the project in our latest case study. Congrats to Sean Falvey, MBA, and the team at Sundt.

Read This Instrumental Blog On Why You Should Ditch Sticky Notes

In the blog “Structured Noise is Music. Without Structure, It’s Just Noise. Make Music, Not Noise,” Andrew Piland, is back with why it’s time to take the stickies off the wall and plan digitally. To quote Andrew, “Have you ever paid attention to what happens when you introduce a set of drawings on the wall in a pull plan session? People communicate differently.” Check out the full post to see how he sets up the jobsite trailer for efficient planning.

The Project Production Management Blog Series Continues With Parts 9-12

Approaching Construction TAKTfully (Part 9)

Part nine of our blog series on Project Production Management is available here. In this post, Touchplan’s Lead of PreSales/Sales Engineering, George Hunt, CM-Lean, PSP, looks at some of the nuances and unique scenarios that arise when Takt planning in construction.

Occupied Construction: Moving In With Takt (Part 10)

Check out part 10 of our Project Production Management blog series. In this post, George explains some of the additional challenges that need to be considered when using Takt in an occupied setting.

Turning Around a Project with Takt (Part 11)

In part 11 of the PPM blog series, George continues his discussion about Takt and how it can be used to turn around projects that are already off the rails and have fallen way behind schedule

Coupling Learning with Takt (Part 12)

The PPM series continues with part 12, Coupling Learning with Takt. George talks about the value of pairing Takt with structured improvement cycles (deliberate experimentation) to elevate our construction projects to the next level.

Subscribe to The Saturday Shift – Your Weekly Source of Industry News & Entertainment

If you are interested in seeing more updates like the ones above, be sure to sign-up for The Saturday Shift! The Saturday Shift is meant to educate AND entertain you about a variety of topics in and around construction. Its purpose is to make your “weekend shift,” whether it is on the jobsite or just doing what you do in your downtime, a little bit more enjoyable.

We hope you enjoyed this content roundup and will continue to look to Touchplan as a source of industry entertainment and education. We know there are a ton of places to get construction news, blogs, podcasts, and more out there, so we wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you for checking us out.

Project Production Management: Coupling Learning with Takt (Part 12)

(By George Hunt, Lead – Pre-Sales/Sales Engineering Touchplan) Throughout this series, we have discussed a number of ways in which takt can be utilized to structure our work and bring great results to our projects. While implementing takt alone offers enormous benefits to the work, coupling it with structured improvement cycles (deliberate experimentation) can elevate it to the next level. Many teams talk about continuous improvement, but often they are more sporadic in the practice. If done alongside our regular takt planning, it can give us the structure needed to develop lasting habits that won’t fall by the wayside.

Establish a Cadence of Formal Reviews

Building in a cadence to review progress is important for keeping everyone engaged. Since the work on-site is already being planned to a regular takt time, it should be easy enough to plan for experimentation and check-ins.

In fact, creating a swimlane in Touchplan specifically for improvements can keep these activities at the forefront of everyone’s minds. If we are reviewing the improvement activities along with our usual work, we start to understand that our work and improvement are one in the same. This can be key to sustaining ongoing improvements throughout a project.

Establish an improvement agenda

Understanding what is valued by the team is an important step to ensuring clear direction and improvement towards the desired goal. With takt, an obvious goal would be continuous flow. Maybe the team also wants to have a project where there are zero punch list items at the end of the job. Whatever the overall goals are, they will drive the direction of our improvements as well as the interim steps that need to be taken to reach them.

Experiment towards better in way of the Toyota Kata

Without getting into too much detail on exactly what the Toyota Kata is, in a nutshell, it incorporates a structured and focused approach to create a continuous learning and improvement culture. This falls in line with what we have talked about in the previous sections.

It is important to note that the emphasis is put on doing small, incremental “experiments” that bring us closer to the next goal. While we learn and adjust, we keep the change small to avoid a larger-scale disruption to our productivity that a more significant change brings. This limits impact and gives us feedback sooner.

While many of us try to practice continuous improvement, it can very often turn into something that falls off after some time. By coupling the idea of improvement cycles with our takt planning, we can add a structured program of learning to our projects, resulting in an amazing jobsite culture and enhanced positive results.

For additional information on how your can improve project planning and bring great results to your construction projects check out the following video on Touchplan Insights.

Project Production Management: Turning Around a Project with Takt (Part 11)

(By George Hunt, Lead – Pre-Sales/Sales Engineering Touchplan) We have all been there. Despite the best intentions from the whole team, our project experiences delays and ends up way behind schedule. There are a number of countermeasures that we normally deploy in these situations to try and turn the project around and finish on time. In this week’s post, we are going to discuss why Takt should be used as a countermeasure, some tips for success, and some examples of a couple of projects (one healthcare and one dormitory project) that used Takt to turn around a late project and bring it in on time.

Why use Takt on a project turnaround?

For anyone who has worked on a project that is significantly behind schedule, you know that the atmosphere can be tense. The normal ways of doing things are not working, everyone is putting in loads of overtime, and the schedule seems to keep slipping. Something needs to be changed, or the spiral downward will continue.

From our previous posts, we know that using Takt can bring stability to the project and make planning more predictable. On both the healthcare and dormitory projects, tensions were high as they were both trending 6 weeks behind schedule. In both scenarios, the teams enlisted outside help to implement Takt planning.

Suspend Thought and be Open to Change

To be successful in this type of situation, the team needs to be able to put any preconceived notions they have behind them and be open to change. For most of our projects, the consequences of being late can be enough to convince the team that they need to try something different.

In the case of the healthcare project, the patient rooms that were being built were going to be the space for a whole new group of surgeons that were hired. If there was no space for them to go, there was a risk that they would seek employment elsewhere. On the dormitory project, the building had already started to be rented out to other universities in the area. If the building was not done, they would need to find alternate housing for students. Both projects made the decision that finishing late was not an option and decided to make a change.

Be OK with Not Getting it Right the First Time

Planning is all about making the most educated guess at the time. Inevitably, this means that we are going to be wrong on some of our projections and require adjustments, particularly when a new process and way of thinking are being learned. Working in specific buffers to the Takt plan can help account for some of this so that there will be minimal impact to the overall flow.

On the dormitory project, the team ran into a number of planned durations that ended up being off. Based on the small batch sizes, they were able to see this quickly and adjust for the other areas before it became a larger problem. They also used Saturdays as an extra capacity buffer. If activities were not finished during the week as planned, trades would use Saturday to catch up so that flow could be maintained.

Takt will be doable but not always easy

Trying to implement Takt in the middle of a project will also need to be done with some flexibility. While we may want to approach everything “by the book,” we need to acknowledge that the current circumstances may make things a little more difficult as the project was not originally planned for Takt. Current logistics of the project, capabilities of the team, and general project location may all limit how we can fully implement the new process to its full potential.

For example, on the healthcare project, the team decided that in order to speed up the process on-site, they would prefabricate the headwalls and only install them as a single unit. The problem was that the electricians did not have the setup to be able to prefabricate offsite. Ultimately, the team prefabricated most of the headwall and installed the rest in place.

While it may seem like a stretch at first, implementing Takt in order to turn a project around has and can be done with great success. Always keeping the production laws in mind and continuously adjusting the plan are important if the team is to succeed.

To see how Touchplan can be used to avoid project delays check out our latest video on Insights and how it can provide clarity on work status.

Project Production Management: Occupied Construction – Moving In With Takt (Part 10)

(By George Hunt, Lead – Pre-Sales/Sales Engineering Touchplan) Those who have completed projects in an occupied setting understand that they come with their own unique set of challenges. As we discussed in last week’s post, Takt has been used successfully on construction projects in general, and that includes occupied settings. While Takt is a good way to combat some of the impact that these challenges bring, we want to present some additional considerations to take into account when using Takt in an occupied setting. We’ll also be referencing a relevant completed project that George was on for some context.

Handling the Usual Suspects

An obvious challenge in an occupied setting is working around the tenants of the building. We have to keep everything separate enough, but also keep those in the buildings safe and as undisturbed as possible. This requires clear, concise communication about where and when activities are taking place and what types of restrictions will be required. Because Takt is on a regular rhythm, workflow becomes more predictable, making it easier to communicate where and when things will be happening.

In the example of the Lahey GIM project, two wings were being worked on simultaneously with tenants on the floor below. Based on the one-day Takt that was set, a detailed plan was able to be given to the downstairs neighbors, noting exactly which areas needed to be blocked off for plumbing tie-ins. While this event brought some level of disruption, confidence in the Takt plan allowed for the least amount possible.

New Considerations

Nevertheless, there are still challenges with occupied construction that we need to take into consideration when designing our Takt plans. These types of projects will inevitably bring more unknowns and variation, translating to more ways in which plans can be derailed.

On the Lahey project, we planned and got permission for sectioning an area off to core during the day. Once the work started, it became apparent that the noise was too disruptive, so that operation needed to be moved to off-hours. This caused us to need to re-plan so that coring at night didn’t create a new problem for the dependent operations during the day.

Teams must make sure their plans are robust enough to withstand the variation that will occur. This means implementing strategic time, capacity, and/or inventory buffers for when things happen and we need to change course.

With Lahey, areas of the floor were designated as workable backlog to act as a capacity buffer for when trades finished early or as a fall-back if work in an area needed to be paused. By accounting for variation, the plan allowed workers on-site to remain productive and continue to add direct value to the project.

As long as we account for the additional challenges of occupied construction, Takt is a great way to minimize impacts that happen to our job as well as the disruption to the occupants—it’s mutually beneficial.

For more information on best practices of applying Takt in an occupied construction space please read our case study Working Smarter to Add Essential Space, and also see our video A Real-Time Look Into Why Planned Activities May Finished Outside of The Planned Timeframe.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Their Role in Construction Health and Safety

(Guest Post by Mike Richer, Content Marketing Manager at Bridgit) The Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 was meant to ensure that every contractor has the legal obligation to keep their workers safe from injury while working. There are countless measures taken in construction to train team members, provide personal protective equipment, plan for environmental conditions, and a slew of safety protocols and workplace assessments.

What about inclusion and diversity? Thanks to Deloitte, we already know that across all industries, companies that prioritize diversity and inclusivity:

Are twice as likely to exceed financial goals
Are six times better at anticipating and responding to change
Generate 30% more revenue per employee

It’s great that creating a diverse and inclusive culture can have such a positive impact on your bottom line, but what about the impact to the health and safety of your team? At the end of the day it all comes down to experience and, more importantly, understanding that everyone experiences each day on the jobsite differently.

Think of it this way

There’s a new engineer joining the construction workforce, Maggie. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Maggie represents part of the 1% of women that make up the construction workforce on the jobsite.

Maggie doesn’t feel represented at her company, because she isn’t. Most senior leadership teams in construction are men, and she’s also likely the only woman on any given project.

Maggie doesn’t feel comfortable in her PPE, because she’s swimming in it. Most, if not all, PPE is purchased to fit the average male – 6 feet tall and 180lbs.

Maggie doesn’t feel free from sexual harassment, because she isn’t. A recent ENR survey indicates that 66% of women in construction have faced sexual harassment or gender bias in the workplace.

Okay Maggie, now get to work!

One of the respondents to the above mentioned ENR survey gave a pretty damning example of her experience as a craft worker in construction:

“I was groped by my foreman and then told I could ruin a man’s career if I talked too much … I got laid off a day later. There have been times when I was genuinely scared for my safety and no one cared, and when I spoke up I was penalized.”

Let that sink in. Physical harassment is appalling and should never be overlooked, but there’s a part of that quote that really stands out – “I was genuinely scared for my safety and no one cared”.

Imagine showing up to work every day and feeling like you aren’t represented within your company, none of your safety gear fits, there’s a more-than-likely chance you’ll be physically or mentally harassed throughout the day, and you’re still expected to execute your work to meet company standards.

The same can be said for racial discrimination and harassment. The Washington Post uncovered that 55 nooses have been found on 40 worksites across the U.S. and Canada in the last five years. The noose is a symbol. A symbol of hate and intolerance that is meant to send a clear message – “You are not welcome”

Remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? Even 70 years ago when the hierarchy was created, Maslow recognized that the need to belong is as important to us as eating and breathing. Not feeling like a part of the team or organization will most likely affect your team’s work, but the stress and anxiety caused by exclusionary working cultures will certainly affect how engaged your team members are, and that’s when accidents happen.

A Gallup survey revealed that only 30% of Americans are engaged in their work to begin with. That can be disastrous on a construction site when it comes to worker safety. According to the same survey, the companies that ranked in the top quartile for employee engagement saw a 48% decrease in safety incidents compared to the bottom quartile.

If you want to make the workplace safe for everyone, you have to keep everyone engaged in their work and your organizational goals. The best way to keep everyone engaged is ensuring everyone feels like they belong, are heard, have a clear path to progress, and are contributing to the bigger picture.

It isn’t easy though, construction is male-dominated and highly stigmatized. Shifting to an inclusive working environment will take time, energy, and acknowledging and fixing any conscious or unconscious bias that may exist within your organization.

Here are some steps you can take to get started:

Evaluate Your Current Culture

Inclusivity is a top-down initiative and it starts with evaluating your company culture. Is it welcoming and supportive of people with different backgrounds? Is your leadership team receptive to new perspectives? A shift in company culture is dependent on buy-in from the leadership team. If it isn’t a priority for you, it won’t be for your team either.

Celebrate Differences

Diversity leads to greater innovation, better decision-making, and higher returns, but an inclusive culture is what keeps people engaged with your company. Show your team that not only are differences welcome, but celebrated. For example, have company potlucks and encourage your team to bring food that represents and celebrates their culture or background.

Listen

Everyone wants to feel as though they are not only heard, but that their voice matters as well. Setting up regular surveys or town halls can help identify areas for improvement within your company culture. Making the effort to make team members feel understood will not go unrecognized and will help retain workers with different backgrounds.

Use Inclusive Language

Terms like ‘manpower’, ‘foreman’, and ‘man hours’ are all examples of common construction language that is exclusionary. Ensure the language used in the office and on the jobsite is appropriate for people of all backgrounds.

Find Mentorship Opportunities for Your Team

The advice and words of wisdom from someone that has shared experiences can be invaluable. They can offer insight into career progression and how to navigate any roadblocks or difficult situations. By creating a resource for underrepresented team members you’re showing that you care about their long-term career goals and overall well-being.

The workforce of tomorrow won’t settle for exclusionary work cultures, but it can’t be stressed enough that buy-in starts from the top. The leadership team are the influencers within your company and set long-term organizational goals. If they’ve embraced diversity and inclusivity, the rest of the organization will follow, making it a part of the fabric of the company and a much welcomed, genuine change.

A Look Inside Touchplan’s Latest Feature: Image Attach

Please give us an overview of Image Attach and the greater value that it will deliver to Touchplan clients?

The Image Attach feature will allow our users to include images on their tickets. Being able to visually see the status of the work that has been put in place gives more information to those that need it. This can be valuable whether you are the superintendent taking pictures of the jobsite during a walk-through, or the project team needing to know the current status of a work front or task.

What was one of your favorite parts of working on this project?

I am very passionate about the benefits of visual representations for the work projects are doing. Having that picture to provide more context to your planning is priceless. That visual can provide important information that a normal conversation would miss, thus helping to get the work done on time without lengthy and costly rework. The worst time to fix an issue with quality is after the job is done.

Who do you see as being the biggest user of this feature; but also discuss how it can benefit all of our clients?

I see Image Attach providing benefits to lots of people on a jobsite and the project as a whole. Project Executives can gain an additional view into the progress of their project outside of our Insights dashboards by checking the milestone ticket images to see how far along that part of the project is. The project management team can gain a better understanding of the finer details of the status of the work, which can help them plan around any issues that they see impacting the project. Superintendents can add images related to the areas they are responsible for in order to capture the installed quality of the work.

Will there be future enhancements to this feature?

We are always looking to improve Touchplan and this feature is no different. Of course, we always welcome input from our users who rely on Touchplan to do their work.

In your opinion why was it important for Touchplan to add this feature?

Image Attach addresses Touchplan’s commitment to helping to improve the quality of the work project teams are doing. By providing the ability to attach images to tickets, we are giving the teams using Touchplan more tools to plan, execute, and turn over higher quality work at the end of the day.

How can a feature like Image Attach contribute to the overall growth of the construction industry?

Having a visual representation of a complex problem can make the conversations surrounding it that much easier to resolve. Building something once and building it right the first time will contribute to the quality project teams are striving to achieve.

If you would like to learn more about how image attached works check out these videos; Prepare for Upcoming Work with Image Attach, Place Safety Documentation onto Planned Activities, and Photo Documentation Provides Clarity to Work Status. For a demonstration of Image Attach, please contact our Head of Lead of PreSales/Sales Engineering, George Hunt.

Project Production Management: Approaching Construction TAKTfully (Part 9)

(By George Hunt, Lead – Pre-Sales/Sales Engineering Touchplan) While we are specifically talking about Takt planning in this post, it is important to realize that the idea of planning production to a set pace is not a new concept in construction. The Empire State Building, for example, was constructed using a schedule that closely resembles a “Line of Balance” schedule, outlining the pace that was necessary for on-site activities as well as fabrication and design. The success of pacing production was demonstrated all the way back in 1930!

In our last post, we took you through the basic steps to develop a Takt plan. This week, we are going to look at some of the nuances and unique scenarios that arise when Takt planning in construction.

Defining the Standard TAKT Unit & Relevant Terms

In order to measure the flow on our construction projects, we look at the work a little differently. This includes the standard units that we use to measure how well the work is flowing. Aside from the difference in units, there are a number of other key terms that help us better understand how we are looking at our work.

Takt Zones – The standard areas of production that we define to provide the geographic location of the work. The idea is that the trades will move through these zones at the same pace.
Takt Wagons – These are the standard flow units in Takt. A wagon consists of a specific scope of work that is to be done within the given amount of time (Takt time).
Takt Trains – These are the series of Takt wagons that will flow through a given Takt Zone
Takt Time – This is the amount of time that we use to set our beat or pace on the job. This is the standard duration that each Takt wagon has. For example, in a 3 day Takt, each wagon will consist of a scope of work that is done within 3 days.

Use Buffers to Combat Variation in Construction

On our construction projects, we know that things are going to happen that will affect our work and cause us to replan. That is where buffers come in. Buffers are strategically placed within our process in order to combat the inevitable variation that happens on our jobs and allow us to keep the overall flow.

Time Buffers – Extra time that is added to the process in order to account for possible variation and keep the Takt trains aligned.
Inventory Buffers – Extra material or WIP (Work-in-process) that is maintained in order to accommodate variation in supply or workload.
Capacity Buffers – Extra capacity that is carried (additional manpower) in order to respond to a variation in production. Workable backlog can also be used as a capacity buffer.

Takt Complements Last Planner System®

For those who already are using the Last Planner System®, Takt can work in a very complementary fashion. In our last post, we mentioned how teams can hold pull planning sessions to build out the sequence of work and establish what each trade thinks they need for crew size and duration. This information is critical in order to properly size Takt zones and level out the Takt wagons.

The make-ready process is one of the most critical when it comes to Takt. In order for us to keep the continual flow as planned, we need to make sure that there are no roadblocks or constraints that would prevent the team from starting or completing work. Ensuring crews, material, information, and the workspace are ready can mean the difference between continual flow and having to stop and replan work. MAKE YOUR WORK READY!

Keeping the commitments made in your weekly work plan meetings is another essential part of having continual flow. Your daily standup meetings continue to serve as the check-in for all of the last planners to report on any variances in planned work and help each other keep the flow moving day after day

So Why Use Takt In Construction?

By taking into account the four production laws, Takt planning is a very effective approach to building reliable plans that can produce amazing results on our construction projects.

Reach out to George to learn more about how Touchplan helps teams successfully embrace Takt planning and control.

For more examples of Takt utilized on construction projects please see the following case studies Working Harder to Add Essential Space and Collaboration to Maintain a Predictable Workflow.

Structured Noise is Music. Without Structure, It’s Just Noise. Make Music, Not Noise.

“Andrew, that sounds awesome, but what does it look like once we’ve gone all-in with a digital solution?” Glad you asked. Moving away from sticky notes frees up a lot of wall space. Have you ever paid attention to what happens when you introduce a set of drawings on the wall in a pull plan session? People communicate differently.

I started out with six rows of 1 ⅝” uni-strut and plywood hanging from trolleys for my sticky note boards. It was pretty slick, but once we decided to go digital, I replaced the stickies with full-size laminated drawing sets and provided multiple colors of dry-erase markers. A mechanical superintendent once told me that his company did a bit of research and found that most people in construction are either visual or kinesthetic learners, meaning that they learn best by seeing or doing. It made a lot of sense to me when he said it, so I started designing my planning space around that principle.

For example…

Foreman: “We’ll be working on setting the panel on the second floor next to the room with all of my material in it.”

Everyone else: “Huh?”

Add drawings on the wall, and the conversation looks like this…

Foreman: “I’ll be setting a panel right here. (Points to exact location on the drawing so everyone can see)”

Everyone else: (Understands what he’s saying)

It was cool to see people shoulder to shoulder at the sticky note board, but they really started to communicate when they were able to get shoulder to shoulder around a set of drawings.

The setup looked a bit like this…

Pretty simple. You can make a planning space like this just about anywhere. You will notice my stick figures are standing up. Setting the expectation early that our planning space is not a break area is important. Let’s get in, have our meeting, and get out. Even with the wall full of laminated drawings, the centerpiece is still the plan on the screen. What’s even better is that we now have a space for the team to walk through their plan and de-conflict internally during daily huddles.

Who are those people in the drawing? The facilitator, validator, scribe approach is a good way to do it. The scribe, who is usually the most junior member of the management team takes notes, handles attendance, and records constraints as the meeting is in progress. The facilitator is somewhere in the middle. This person is usually a junior to mid-level Superintendent, and their primary responsibility is to keep the conversation moving and ask productive questions. The facilitator will also direct the scribe to record specific bits of information. The validator is there to call BS. Typically the most seasoned member of the field team and their role is to drink coffee and know things.

Lose the stickies, let the drawings drive planning, and let the team collaborate on production design in Touchplan’s digital environment. Have a better setup for your planning space? I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]

If you missed part one of Andrew’s post, be sure to read It’s Time to Forget the Sticky Notes and Maximize Wall Space.