Increasing Reliability of Design Workflow Using Takt Time Planning

Abstract

Poor management of the design process can be detrimental to the success of any construction project. While the construction industry has attempted to increase the reliability of its planning processes, less focus has been on the design phase. This paper presents the case of a healthcare project where the project team made concerted efforts to improve the reliability of the design workflow. The project explored the use of takt time to plan and control the tasks during the design phase. The paper provides details of the design process management and measures reliability of the design workflow by three metrics: (i) Commitment Level (CL), (ii) Percent Planned Complete (PPC), and (iii) Percent Required Complete or Ongoing (PRCO). Analyses showed alignment of consistent long-term planning with short-term planning during the design phase of the project by utilizing takt time.