Cost and schedule deviations are some of the biggest challenges project managers face – they stem from inefficient scheduling, schedule changes, and high waste rates.
The solution is lean construction scheduling processes like the Last Planner® System (LPS) and Scrum. Let's explore these two methodologies.
What is the Last Planner® system?
Many construction project managers are familiar with the Last Planner® system – it's a way to manage construction projects collaboratively, from design to completion.
As its name suggests, LPS involves the last planners of a project in the planning process to identify and resolve problems, meet deadline and budget.
The Last Planner® system consists of five components:
1. Master Scheduling
The master schedule covers every detail of a project from start to finish. Last planners must work together to create this schedule at the beginning of each project and refine it as more details come into focus.
It is the basis for all project planning that defines milestones, phase durations and detailed activities for each team.
2. Scheduling phases
The next is a collaborative planning process where the latter planners work together to define and sequence each task of a project as defined in the work phases of the master schedule.
This is often done using pull planning techniques, working backwards from each milestone to identify their related tasks and transfer conditions.
3. Planning ahead
The purpose of advance planning is to identify and resolve constraints that may prevent construction teams from completing their tasks as planned. This ensures everyone is ready to start and finish their tasks according to the master schedule.
The key is to not only identify potential constraints before starting work, but also to follow up weekly to check each team's progress against those constraints.
4. Appointment planning
Also called weekly work planning, appointment planning gives teams a way to regularly discuss what's happening on the project and track the master schedule, ensuring everyone completes their milestones on time.
Every week, all teams should meet to discuss what they are doing and their commitments for that week. Additionally, each team must check in daily to ensure everyone is on schedule.
5. Learning
Finally, the ultimate goal of LPS – and lean construction in general – is continuous improvement. Immediately after completing the week-long plan, teams should meet to discuss what worked and what didn't.
This is a crucial step that helps teams identify the causes of constraints throughout the project and create a plan to avoid them in the future or plan for them for the remainder of the project.
What is the Scrum framework?
Scrum is a methodology used to organize and manage all the moving parts of a project. Although it was originally used in software development, many project managers across disciplines – including construction – use the Scrum framework.
This methodology works exceptionally well for small teams that need to make frequent changes and don't have static deliverables, making it ideal for many construction professionals.
Let's explore the three steps of the Scrum process:
1. Sprint Planning
In Scrum, a “sprint” is a specified period of time – typically any period between a week and a month. The first step is sprint planning, which is like creating a master schedule piece by piece.
During this phase, project managers and their teams must answer two questions:
- What do we need to deliver during this sprint?
- How will we achieve these results?
Also similar to the master schedule, later construction project planners refine the plan periodically as more details become available.
2. Scrum Meetings
Following the Scrum methodology means holding a daily meeting with each team to discuss what they've achieved, any constraints they're facing, and what work they plan to complete that day.
Everyone involved in the project will update other stakeholders on what they are currently working on and raise any questions or issues.
These daily scrum meetings are short – teams should spend less than 15 minutes each morning participating in them.
3. Sprint Review
The final step of Scrum is when each team meets after the sprint to review their progress and overcome constraints. To improve the next sprint, everyone collects feedback and discusses what changes they can make to their processes.
The key is to review what each team has achieved compared to the goals set during sprint planning.
As this feedback is collected and reviewed, the project roadmap and milestones may change when you move to the next sprint planning session.
Which methodology is best for your project?
The Last Planner® System and Scrum share many similarities – both methodologies take a lean approach to breaking down and refining large chunks of work into more manageable tasks that teams can complete in a reasonable amount of time.
However, the two systems take different approaches and implement different stages to achieve this goal.
Determining whether LPS or Scrum is better for your project doesn't mean one is better than the other. Both share several Lean collaboration principles to help teams deliver better value to their customers.
Successful implementation of one (or both) methodologies depends on project managers choosing the approach that fits a project's context, challenges, and people.
