Project micro-management: practical site planning and management of work flow

Lean construction presents an opportunity for theory to mix with practical solutions to achieve efficiency in construction and to rethink the way things are done to improve production. This paper overviews the history of scheduling systems in construction and suggests that current Lean Construction Thinking is dominated by task-based approaches, such as Critical-Path, and that location-based scheduling techniques provide a promising alternative. The flow of resources through locations, termed work-flow, and the resultant ability to control hand-over between both locations and crews, greatly empowers the management of construction from the perspective of day-to-day management of activities. The paper concentrates on the practical problems inherent in adopting theory and proposes new strategies for adapting scheduling systems for direct relevance to site management. The concept of micro-management is introduced, based on location-based scheduling. From this, a suite of strategies for managing sub-contracted work crews is developed, concentrating on location, work flow and site management. Principles for work planning and error management are proposed; including related procurement strategies.