Implementation of Line-of-Balance Based Scheduling and Project Control System in a Large Construction Company
Mika Soini1, Ilkka Leskela2 & Olli Seppanen3
1Senior vice president, NCC Construction Ltd., Jonsaksentie 4, FIN-01600 Vantaa, Finland, E-mail [email protected]2Development manager, NCC Construction Ltd., Jonsaksentie 4, FIN-01600 Vantaa, Finland, E-mail [email protected]
3PhD Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Helsinki University of Technology, Technology Manager Dynamic System Solutions Ltd, Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 21B, FIN-00100 Helsinki, Finland, E-Mail [email protected], website www.dss.fi
Abstract
Line-of-Balance has been successfully used as the principal scheduling tool in large construction companies in Finland. It has been utilized to improve the production flow in the projects. The problem in full-scale utilization was that there hasn't been a comprehensive Line-of-Balance software tool in the market. In international literature the usual view has been that the Line-of-Balance is only suited for highly repetitive routine construction. However, regardless of the difficulty of project, the main activities are the same in every project. In this paper it will be shown that resource-based Line-of-Balance can be successfully implemented as the main scheduling tool of a large company if there is an easyto- use software tool to support the implementation. Many of the possible applications and benefits of the Line-of-Balance have not been realized before the development of a commercial software tool, DYNAProjectâ˘. With DYNAProject the quality of schedules can be checked, the schedule risks can be analyzed, the project flow can be systematically controlled and control actions can be graphically evaluated and optimized. Line-of-Balance is used for planning but the familiar Gantt Chart can also be printed out. NCC, a large contractor in Finland, was one of the pilot companies of the development project. NCC has started a large-scale implementation project with DYNAProject which has resulted in significant improvement in the quality of schedules. DYNAProject is the first computer tool which makes possible the systematic controlling of the schedule. The challenges of implementation included the difficulty of embracing new thinking in planning and controlling projects and how to systematically utilize the cost estimation data in schedules. In the long run, the anticipated benefits include minimizing the risk level of the projects, increasing the quality of service to the customer and optimizing the logistics of the project.
Keywords
Line-of-Balance, Scheduling, Implementation
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Reference
Soini, M. , Leskela, I. & Seppanen, O. 2004. Implementation of Line-of-Balance Based Scheduling and Project Control System in a Large Construction Company, 12th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction , -. doi.org/
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