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1.0 Why
2.0 What
Milestones
Last Planners
3.0 How DefiningMilestones
Backwards vs Forwards
Review
Supplies
References/ Sources
Hand Off Work Planning
“IT IS MORE THAN PROBABLY
THAT THE AVERAGE MAN
COULD, WITH NO INJURY TO
HIS HEALTH, INCREASE HIS
EFFICIENCY FIFTY PERCENT” | W.alter Scott |
A collaborative presentation from over a dozen experienced Lean IPD practitioners.
© 2015 Lean Construction Institute
HANDOFFWORKPLANNING | 2
1.0 Why
Detailed planning lets the value-added work flow on a project.
Constructionprojectsaretraditionallymadeofmultiplecompaniescontractedindividuallytoonegeneralman-agingfirm. Each company typically comes to theproj-ectwithindependent–andmutuallyexclusive–goals,which often results in poor coordination, rework, andincorrectwork.
Lean/IPDprojectteamsstrivetocreateanenvironmentwheretheconstructionprocesscanmorecloselymirroraproductionenvironment.Thisisaccomplishedthroughdetailedplanningdoneby those responsible fordoingthe work. They are encouraged to have clear conver-sationsabouttheirworkandspecificallyhowtheywillhanditofftothefollow-onvalue-addingprocess.Teamsidentify and define standardwork processes and out-comes--andthenimproveuponthosepractices.UsingaPlan-Do-Check-Act(PDCA)cycleishelpfulinthisregardandallowsforcontinuousimprovement.
The central challenge of Lean/IPD is cultural change.Thisencompasseshowtheteamthinksabouttheproj-ect,theirwork,howtheybehave,howtheyinteractwiththeirfellowteammembers,managerisk,andhowthey
react toand solveproblems. Formost teammembersthesebehaviorsandpracticeswillbedifferentfromwhattheyhaveexperiencedpreviously.Mostorallof thesechanges are required to effectively execute hand-offworkplanning;once learned, theyare transferrable tomanyothercontextsoftheLean/IPDworkenvironment.ThroughtransformationalLeadership andstrongcoach-ingandFacilitation in a Big Roomenvironment,aLean/IPDteamwillstrivefortransparency,onesinglesourceof truth, Last Planner ®engagement,clearConditions of Satisfaction,and--mostimportantly--respectforpeo-pleanddeep,trust-basedrelationships.
Hand-off work planning can be used immediately toimprove the reliability of thework plan for near-termwork.Itisapracticalskillthatcanbeusedoftenthrough-outthelifeoftheproject.Hand-offworkplanningcanbeusedatleastweekly,sometimesdaily,orsometimesmultipletimesperday.ItpreparestheteamtotakeonthemoreadvancedLean/IPDconcepts likeProduction System Design.
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HANDOFFWORKPLANNING | 3
Definethemilestonebyaskingthefollowingquestions.
• Whatisamilestone?• Howwilltheteamknowwhenthemilestoneisreached?• Whatdeliverablesmustbecreatedforthismilestone?
An example of a milestone description that seems clear but is in factunclearis“buildingiswatertight.”Doesthismeanthat100%ofthebuild-ing iswatertight?Orcanitbeallofthebuildingexceptwherethemanhoistis?Isitthelastlayerofthewaterproofingorisittheentireskininaddition to thewaterproofing elements? Is itwhen thephysical instal-lationoftheworkiscompleteorisitwhentheGChasagreedthatit iscompleteorisitwhentheinspectorhasagreeditiscomplete?
Thisconversationisnotoptional.Itiscritical.Itdrivestherestofthemeet-ing. It is common–andnecessary -- touncoverdifferences,misunder-standings,anddisagreementsonthissubject.
Determinethetypeofworkneededtomeetthemilestone.
Workforwards(forwardpass)orbackwards(backwardpass).Usestickynotes. It is generallybest toworkbackwards (PullPlan) fromthemile-stone.However,muchcanbeachievedbyworkingforwardtothemile-stone,thenmovingbackwardthroughthechain.
2.0 What
Whenperforminghand-offworkplanning,projectteamsdothefollowing:
• Chooseamilestone.• Themilestoneisnear-termandhasacleardefinition.Itshouldbe
chosenbeforethemeetingisheldandcommunicatedinadvancetothemeetingparticipants.
• Ifthisisthefirsttimemanyinthegrouphavedonehand-offworkplanning,anymilestonecanbechosen,aslongasitisonethepar-ticipantsarefamiliarwith.
• Get the Last Planners®intheroom.• ALastPlannerissomeonewhohasdirectknowledgeofthework
thatisgoingtobediscussed.Heorsheeitherperformsthatworkorsupervisesthosewhodo.
• If last planners are not included – or if there are few last planners inattendance–theprojectcanbreak down.Projectteamsmustknowwhotoinvite,andmakeeveryefforttoensuretheyattend.Attendanceinpersoniskey.Lastplannerscannotattendviaphoneorvirtualmeeting.Hand-offworkplanningisanengagedmulti-di-mensionalfast-movingconversationthatisintendedtoleadtopersonalcommitmentsandagreements.
3.0 How
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HANDOFFWORKPLANNING | 4
Writethecommitmentsonstickynotes.Eachpersonshouldwritehisorherowncommitmentdescriptions(promisetoperform,Reliable Commitments). This increases accountability. There canbe resistance to commitments, butteamsmustcommit.Itisimportanttocontinuousflowoftheproject.
Makesurethecommitmentsaresequenced.Drawlinesbetweentheboxes.Makesureitisclearhowallboxesareconnectedandthereisanarrowheadatoneendofeachlineindicatingtheorderofthecommitments.
Encourageanddeterminecompletedescriptionsofwork,includingthenameoftheperson,andthedurationofthecommitment.Atthebeginning,itmaybedifficulttowritecompletedescriptionsanddetailscanbeaddedlater.Bytheendofthesession,allcommitmentsneedtobecompleteandconnectedtoallrelatedcommitments.
Readalloftheparticipantdescriptionsandconsiderthefollowing:
• Arethedescriptionsclear?• Whatisneededbeforeeachcommitmentcanbemet?• Isapieceofworkmissing?• Whatisneededtoreleasethenextcommitmenttostart?• Whatisneededtoallowthiscommitmenttostart?• Isacommitmentdoingmorethanneeded?• Isthatotherworkneedednow?Ifsowhatfollow-onworkdoesitreleasetostart?• Isthereachainofworkmissing?(Maybeitsimplysupportsamilestonenotbeingplannedoutrightnow).
Note:Thisprocesscanleadnaturallytocluster groupsbeingformedtoconsiderunknownsinthehand-offworkplan.Theteammaynothavetheexpertisetoresolvetheissuethatneedsstudybyanothergroup.Ifanissueiscomplexoroff-topic,addtheitemtoa“parkinglot”listtobeaddressedatanothersessionorbyanothergroup.
Makesurecommitmentsareassignedtopeople,notcompanies.Itisapersonwhowilldotheworkorberesponsiblefortheworkandheorsheisthepointofaccountability.
3.0 How
Ifteamdoesabackwardpass,reviewtheplanbymovingforwardstep-by-step.Re-arrangethestickynotesasneeded.Repeatuntiltheteamagreesthestepsoftheworkareinplaceandareallconnectedtothemilestone.
Whenworkingbackwardask:• Areyousureyouhavenootherconstraints?• Areyoucompletelyreleasedtostartwork?Lookfor languagepatterns
like“yesI’mcompletelyreleasedIjustneedthefinalspec”.If“finalspec”isn’tintheplan,addit.
Whenworkingforwardask:• Doesthisworkreleaseotherworktostart?Sometimestheotherwork
mightbeonapathwaynot leading toyourmilestone,but revealing itmightleadtoteamreviewanduncoverahiddenpathwaytothemile-stoneyouareworkingon.
3.0 How
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HANDOFFWORKPLANNING | 5
3.0 How
Adddurationstothecommitments.
Trytolimitdurationsofcommitments.Small-batchworkflowreadilyallowsforimprovementorcorrection.Challengeanylongdurationcommitments,especiallyifthedescriptionisshortorvague.Anidealmaximumdurationisfivedays.
Reachconsensusonthecompletedplan.
Assessthetotalduration.Determinewhetherthemilestonewillbereachedinatimelymanner.
Conduct a Plus/Delta onthemeeting.
Performexecutionfollowup.Encourageshort-cyclecorrectionsandestab-lishmentofmultipleconduitsforcommunication.
Refer to the Last Planner ® Systemforadeeperunderstandingofhowthishandoffworkplanningcanbemeasuredtodriveimprovement.Manyhavefoundthisapplicationtobenefitfromacoachorproject integratorexperi-encedingroupfacilitation.[Sutterextractre.GoodFacilitator]
OtherNeeds:Supplies/Characteristicsoftheworkspace:
• Bigwallorwhiteboard• Largestickynotesofmanycolors(usuallyonecolorpercompanyorclus-
tergroup)• Markerpensforconnectingthestickynotes• Finetipsharpiesforwritingonthestickynotes• Renderings,siteplans,sitephotographs,cardboardmodels,mechanical
layouts,floorplans,asnecessary
3.0 How
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