Location Based Scheduling
Tactplan is a location based scheduling tool with no compromise.
Reduce risks and optimize time with rich data.
Do you prefer
Flowline,
Gantt,
Takt Time or
Location Based Scheduling?
Tactplan is a rethought construction software based on the highly successful scheduling method Location Based Scheduling (Line of Balance) and its sibling Takt Time Planning. We have done the hard work of making it easy for you, no more need for cumbersome spreadsheets or old desktop software. It is now easy to use, it supports live collaboration in your browser and is ready to integrate with data from your prefered BIM and cost estimation tools.
Whether you swear by Gantt or Flowline (Location Based Scheduling), or both, you can probably recognize the 5 classic challenges in planning and managing projects. Here we show you how to easily handle it with Location Based Scheduling.
Challenge 1:
Colliding work
Colliding work means several trades working in the same zone of the construction site simultaneously.
It is inappropriate and contractors typically waste time waiting for each other and it becomes difficult for them to keep efficient. “First come, first served” becomes the practice for the contractors on the site, and the basis for daily irritation. In the Flowline (location based) view, colliding works will appear where two flowlines cross each other, as the illustration on the left shows.
Challenge 2:
The areas of the construction site will not be used to optimally
When a schedule only shows time and activities and not location at the same time, the consequence becomes Challenge no. 1 and no. 2. Even though there are areas that are crowded, there are typically similar areas of the construction site that are empty and unused.
The contractors work where there happens to be space. It provides an interrupted flow in the series of activities they have to perform, and interrupted flow, again means that they can not keep their rate. In the location based schedule, an unused area will appear as a large distance (gap) between two flowlines. When there is distance – there are no scheduled activities in that location. See the illustration.
Challenge 3:
Schedules cause many “starts and stops” for trade workers
Example: The mason cannot put up tiles until the carpenter has installed interior partitions in the bathroom. There is a crucial dependence between carpenters and masons – also called critical path for every location.
If in that case, there are fewer carpenters on the site, they will work “slowly”, and if there are many bricklayers at the same time, they will work “fast”. In practice, this will mean that the work of the masons will be characterized by waiting time. They can not start working to until the carpenters are finished.
In the location based schedule, “starts and stops” can be read as a broken lines, as in the illustration. The Carpenter (orange) has to increase manning, or the Bricklayer (red) has to reduce manning, to get a good flow between the two trades.
Challenge 4:
Uneven manning and imbalance on the construction site
Example: As shown in the illustration the carpenters doing interior walls are sent almost randomly from apartment to apartment and will therefore have a hard time get a good rhythm in their work. Some days they work in 2 gangs and others only 1.
The fluctuations in the resources, which are made on the basis of the location-based schedule and data on production times and manning, can easily be adjusted for a stable staffing and a good flow between the activities.
Challenge 5:
Insufficient overview of schedule slippage
Once the schedule is made and the construction site is running, there will always be unforeseen events that affect the schedule. With Flowlines, you can make forecasts that instantly illustrate the consequences of any change. You can illustrate what a possible delay means for the end date, and you can correct slippages before it is too late.
Example: If the structures are running slower than planned, you can immediately illustrate exactly what consequence that delay has for the subsequent trades, and for the final submission deadline.
In the illustration, you can see that the late structures will be a problem for the interior walls after about a month on Level 3. The consequence is clear, all the subsequent tasks must either be done through forcing, or the final delivery date is significantly delayed.
Our core methodology – the location based scheduling method – is scientificly proven with the following benefits
- Better visual overview
- Optimize for continous flow
- Eliminate Start-and-stops
- Eliminate colliding tasks before on-site
- 10-20 % Shorter construction time compared to Gantt/CPM scheduling
- Ca. 13-17 % reduced CO2-emission
Here, you can read more about how you can benefit from using Tactplan
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