Framework for Managing Integration Challenges of Last Planner System in IMPs
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 144, Issue 5
Abstract
International megaprojects (IMPs) have a poor record of budget and schedule overruns. Lean Construction methods and the associated Last Planner System (LPS) have been successfully implemented in many projects, but the application of the LPS in IMPs is limited due to integration challenges and organizational behavior issues inherent in IMPs. Integration herein refers to the interfaces between subprojects in a megaproject. This paper introduces the IMPact framework to address integration challenges. A modified two-round Delphi method was used to identify, verify, and rate integration challenges. Thirty-one challenges were identified. After the development of the framework, the nominal group technique confirmed its internal validity. Finally, external validation was achieved in a focus group study. The measurement system of the proposed framework was tested on a real IMP. The validated framework provided a conceptual practical solution, based in LPS, to address the challenges within and across subprojects. It is intended to be an adaptive roadmap to address these challenges and potentially improve the performance of IMPs.
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Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. Information about the Journal’s data sharing policy can be found here: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CO.1943-7862.0001263.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the participating experts for their generous and outstanding input that made this study possible. With sincere thanks and appreciation, the authors acknowledge the feedback received from the external reviewer Prof. Herman Glenn Ballard (University of California, Berkeley) on the proposed IMPact framework. Equally, the authors acknowledge the valuable input and direction received from Dr. Magdi Sabeg (Rotor Consulting), Prof. Amer Shalaby (University of Toronto), and Dr. Arash Shahi (University of Toronto) that sparked their thinking.
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 144 • Issue 5 • May 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 3, 2017
Accepted: Oct 18, 2017
Published online: Feb 22, 2018
Published in print: May 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jul 22, 2018
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