WHAT IS TAKT PLANNING?
Takt is not a new construction method, dating back to as far as the 16th century with ship building techniques in Venice.
While common in the manufacturing world, takt scheduling started to grow in the construction industry between the 90s and the 00s, and more recently due to new digital tools in worksites.
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The main idea behind Takt time is to ensure that work is evenly distributed and completed at a consistent pace to meet the project's overall timeline. By doing so, Takt time helps to prevent bottlenecks while promoting a steady and balanced workflow. This approach also allows for better resource allocation and reduced waste, leading to increased productivity and cost-effectiveness.
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Takt time is especially beneficial for projects with repetitive tasks or activities, such as multi-unit housing developments or assembly line-style construction. It helps project managers and teams stay on track, identify potential delays or inefficiencies, and make real-time adjustments to meet project deadlines.
A takt schedule splits work units into small increments, that are executed sequentially across smaller units of space. So instead of having a task like "Demolition" that spans across the entire site, we have Demolition task for each area of the site. This saves blocked time, and reduces the duration of the project significantly.
How to implement a Takt schedule?
Takt time, takt scheduling or simply Takt (from german Takt = rhythm) main difference compared to traditional methods is that it splits an assembly or construction process into smaller, low variability tasks, that are executed sequentially per individual unit. In construction a unit is generally a space (like an area or a room)
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Instead of seeing a worksite as a single large unit, Takt time divides the worksite in smaller areas and focuses on completing a space as fast as possible, one at a time.
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Specialised teams responsible for a single task will move along the worksite, preparing the space for the next team to come in, just like an assembly line.
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All teams in the work site move forward at the same time, at the end of the takt period, which will be defined and unique to your project.
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Don't take our word for it, take a look at the research covering Takt scheduling in construction
The effectiveness and implementation of Takt in construction is very well documented in the literature. We try to keep up to date with the latest research and implement their learnings as soon as possible.
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Take a look at some of the research papers and thesis that cover takt time in construction, and the benefits that you can get by implementing novel construction management and construction planning techniques with the help of Mestamaster.
Joonas Lehtovaara et all. - Rakennustekniikan laitos. Structures – Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Computation
"These positive effects were supported by observations of improved utilization of site teams’ knowledge in planning, better commitment, communication, team-building process, and positive competition between teams. In addition, 23% duration savings were achieved in the production phase in which the framework was implemented"
Tarek Yassine et all. International Group for Lean Construction, IGLC 22
"Results show that the overall project duration after the mentioned amendments has become 54 days after being 105 days according to the current traditional working style, thus reducing the project duration by approximately 50%."
Short Takt Time in Construction – a Practical Study (2018)
Marco Binninger et all. Conference: 26th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction
"The first half of the sales areas could be handed over in half of the previous total construction time. The retailers can thereby set up their shops significantly earlier than the previous case. Alternatively, this can be integrated into the Takt Plan used by the client to significantly reduce the amount of time needed for finishing the circulation areas."
Mestamaster can help you!
We have seen many takt time projects, and we know where the pitfalls are. We have built our digital solution based on our experience to guide you around those obstacles.
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You will also be able to access our knowledge and materials to train your team, implement efficient communication channels, and proactively monitor your project.
What are the success factors for implementing Takt?
Iterate your Takt plan
Iterating and adapting the takt plan before starting your project is a crucial step to ensure the success of your project. Successful projects will iterate their plan at least a few times after talking to all stakeholders
Processes on the worksite
It's one thing to have a plan, and another completely to put it into practice. Having efficient processes for communication of interruptions and impediments at the worksite is crucial.
Stakeholder communication
Involving all stakeholders and all contractors early in the plan is crucial to ensure correct estimations and commitment to the takt plan.
Takt control and monitoring
It's not enough to react to problems when they happen, it's important to look ahead and forecast possible issues. Proactive Takt control and monitoring will greatly improve your chances of success.
