Flowline Planning Ensures Quality On Time in Construction
After opting for location-based planning over traditional Gantt charts for a housing project in Aabyhøj near Aarhus, JCN Bolig has now decided to implement this method across all their projects. The success in Aabyhøj has convinced Project Manager Kristian Krabbe and the entire JCN Bolig team that this method is the way forward.
“Even with a straightforward construction project, Gantt charts can become overwhelming, with numerous tasks filling many pages and thousands of lines. While working with Gantt, I often found myself questioning decisions after a period, wondering why I chose a particular path. Gantt makes it challenging to maintain a complete overview,” says Kristian Krabbe.
Gantt charts can also lead to discussions. In case of a delay, a subcontractor might claim, “I’ll make it; I haven’t finished my ‘bar’ yet,” potentially causing disruptions for subsequent tasks. The ripple effects are challenging to document using Gantt.
Providing each trade with the peace to work
Before discovering location-based planning software, Kristian Krabbe had been planning based on locations for many years. “I printed house floor plans, wrote dates in each room, made copies, and hung them on all doors in the house. This eliminated any doubt about who should be in a particular location on any given day.
It utilized the entire construction site, providing each trade with the peace to work in their designated area on a specific day. While it worked well, managing dependencies and changes was somewhat cumbersome. When we purchased software that automated both time and locations, it became much easier to control—and far less expensive in terms of paper and tape,” jokes Kristian Krabbe, often seen with a stack of revised plans to be posted on every door.
Trade groups setting expectations for each other
Kristian Krabbe adds, “Many clients express a desire for controlled schedules rather than ‘handmade schedules’ that go off course. They seek management. Location-based planning offers rigorous control. You have to be here – at this place – on this day! I never doubt why I made a particular decision regarding the schedule. Location-based planning is self-explanatory because the method is so visual and comprehensible. I can have a complex schedule on a single A4 sheet.
Craftsmen have also embraced the method. We now see trade groups setting expectations for each other: ‘This is my floor now’ or ‘You need to be out by tomorrow.’ There are far fewer discussions now because we can break tasks down and allocate them to locations. We can plan in much more detail—and much more realistically—than with Gantt. We can create a plan that everyone can agree upon. Individual trade groups have peace and quiet for their work in specific locations, allowing them to maintain their pace, earn the money they want, and for us, it means delivering quality on time.”
The construction industry has truly embraced this method
Kristian Birch Pedersen, CEO of Exigo, a leading specialist in implementing modern technologies in the construction industry, including Schedule Planner for location-based planning, states, “The construction industry has truly embraced this method. According to a recent survey, 87% of leading construction firms use location-based planning.
Some companies are fully operational, but most have cautiously started, as JCN Bolig did. There are many digital tools available—both good and bad—and most companies have experienced purchasing software that was never used. Large-scale software purchases are a thing of the past. People want proof of concept or, in good Jutlandic terms, ‘Does it pay off?’ before investing in software.
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Learn all about this method, that provides each trade with the peace to work, to enhance the collaboration on site.
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