Last Planner System – Areas of Application and Implementation Challenges

Abstract

In recent years projects have increasingly used Last Planner System (LPS) in building construction. However project managers still struggle with figuring out how the LPS could be applied on their specific projects. One main reason for this struggle is that explicit instructions for systematically applying LPS are not available. This thesis offers practitioners and researchers an account of LPS implementation challenges and an indication of how LPS can be applied. The thesis qualitatively aggregates the results of 26 test case projects of LPS applications to show researchers and practitioners reasons why LPS was applied, what benefits were realized and what challenges were found during the implementation. Senior and mid-level managers in AEC industry were surveyed to assess the implementation challenges that they encountered. The main findings of this analysis are; (1) that practitioners have used LPS for the purpose of making plans more reliable, (2) get smooth work flow (3) improve productivity. The survey findings imply that improvements in LPS implementation strategies can be made which will facilitate LPS adoption by the industry. The findings of this thesis suggest that further research on the integration of LPS into work and business processes of project teams is needed to further the widespread use of LPS throughout the building industry.