91桃色

It is about 6 weeks ago that I Blogged on the subject of Lean Construction. Well, is what takes that up to the next level. When we were being Lean we were being Mean with time and materials. Now we are going to be Agile and make the best possible use of what we have allocated by being Lean!

Agile Construction has 7 鈥淧rinciples鈥� – that just means things that need looking at to the likes of you and I. They are:-

1. Labour productivity and measurement.
2. Job scheduling and planning.
3. Procurement management.
4. Prefabrication – (off-site manufacture where possible to cut down time on site.)
5. Reduction of labour costs – (means asking subbies to tender, not ripping off the lads!)
6. Estimation accuracy pre-start.
7. Project financial management.

There might be an 8^th. which would be

8. Getting the Client involved and responding quickly to change requests.

So, to get to this stage we have to implement the five elements of the 鈥淟ast Planner鈥� and these will then carry us on to the end of the project. These elements are (rephrased into sensible language) :-

1. The Master Programme – (sets milestones, strategy and identifies long-lead items)
2. 鈥淧ull鈥� Planning (which just specifies hand-overs and operational conflicts.)
3. 鈥淢ake Work Ready Planning鈥� – (just means checking the order Tasks have to be done in.)
4. 鈥淲eekly Work Planning鈥�- (Oh dear! What do we have to do this week?)
5. 鈥淟earning鈥� – Mark up on the Programme to see where you鈥檝e got to and reschedule if necessary.

Hopefully you now understand not only 鈥淟ean鈥�, but also 鈥淎gile鈥� Construction! Both are intended as aids to completing construction projects on time, to budget and to standard. I have made an effort to tone down the Academic-speak associated with both of them, but what I鈥檒l do now is translate both 鈥淟ean鈥� and 鈥淎gile鈥� into the kind of language we would more normally use in construction. So, in short and simple terms:-

Come up with a good Detailed Programme to Completion (DPC), compiled after chatting to all parties. Wander around the site at least once a week and update the DPC. If anything is slipping then get it accelerated!

Nothing new there, is there? Those academics do waffle on! We construction managers just do it as routine! I just wish I was young enough to still be physically lean and agile!