Modeling Information Flows Between Last Planner and Location Based Management System

Abstract

Production planning and control are two of the most important aspects that contribute towards the successful completion of construction projects. The Last Planner® System (LPS) and Location Based Management System (LBMS) have emerged as two popular methods for production planning and control. Previous research has shown that by combining LPS and LBMS there is an opportunity to improve production tracking, forecasting and control and described the process of how the systems can be combined. However the research has stopped short of developing specific information flows between the two systems. In particular, the use of LBMS forecasts in LPS lookahead planning and the use of LPS constraints in LBMS forecasting lack specific guidelines. Information can be moved in several different ways and research is needed to make sure that the integration adds value. The goal of this research is to evaluate alternative ways to integrate the information in LBMS and LPS systems. Thought experiments and simple scenarios were used to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of different approaches. The result is an initial proof of concept that can be implemented manually or automated in LBMS and LPS software applications.