How do you apply the Last Planner System to improve construction supervision?

2 Engage with your team and stakeholders

LPS requires a high degree of collaboration and communication among all parties involved in the project, including the owner, the design team, the general contractor, the subcontractors, and the suppliers. As a construction supervisor, you need to engage with your team and stakeholders regularly and transparently. You need to facilitate the planning sessions, solicit feedback, resolve issues, and share information. You also need to foster a culture of mutual respect, trust, and accountability among your team members.

3 Use visual tools and techniques

LPS relies on visual tools and techniques to facilitate the planning and execution of the project. Some of the common tools include pull planning boards, sticky notes, color codes, symbols, charts, and graphs. These tools help to create a shared understanding of the project goals, status, and challenges. They also help to identify and eliminate waste, improve flow, and increase value. As a construction supervisor, you need to use visual tools and techniques to communicate clearly, monitor progress, and identify problems.

4 Implement the plan-do-check-act cycle

LPS is not a one-time event, but a continuous process of learning and improvement. It follows the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle, which involves planning the work, doing the work, checking the results, and acting on the feedback. As a construction supervisor, you need to implement the PDCA cycle throughout the project. You need to ensure that the work is done according to the plan, measure the performance indicators, compare the actual outcomes with the expected outcomes, and take corrective actions if needed.

5 Review and reflect on the lessons learned

LPS encourages a culture of learning from experience and sharing best practices. It involves reviewing and reflecting on the lessons learned from each phase and each week of the project. As a construction supervisor, you need to review and reflect on the lessons learned with your team and stakeholders. You need to identify what worked well, what did not work well, and what can be improved. You also need to document and disseminate the lessons learned to other projects and teams.

By applying LPS to your construction supervision, you can improve your project planning and management, enhance your team collaboration and performance, and deliver more value to your clients and stakeholders.