Are Indonesia contractors ready to implement last planner system? – an early investigation

Civil Engineering Department, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: jati.hatmoko@ft.undip.ac.id

Abstract

Last Planner System (LPS) is one of Lean Construction’s tools for scheduling to enhance project’s reliability, productivity, and performance. It has already been widely adopted in many developed countries and shown benefits, such as shorter duration, less rework, and better communication. Despite its benefits, the use of LPS is almost unheard of in Indonesian. The aim of this exploratory research is to investigate the readiness of LPS implementation for Indonesia’s projects. The assessment is based on five principles of LPS, i.e. Master Schedule, Pull Planning, Making Work Ready, Weekly Work Plan, and Learning, using four categories of assessment, i.e. not aware, aware, willing, and implemented. The levels of readiness are categorised into none, poor, moderate, high and excellent. Data was collected by interviews and questionnaire surveys with project managers and observations of four construction projects. The results show that on average the readiness level is moderate, particularly for Pull Planning and Look-ahead Plan. The main challenges identified include lack of confidence and resistance to change. These research findings provide an initial understanding of LPS as perceived by contractors, and later can be used as inputs to build a strategic framework to enable wider LPS adoption to improve Indonesia’s project performance.