Public defence in civil engineering, Joonas Lehtovaara, M.Sc.

Employing novel production planning & control methods – takt production and decentralized decision-making – in improving construction production flow 

Construction projects are becoming more complex and demanding, while production flow and productivity need to be continuously increased. This dissertation investigated how better production planning & control could promote construction production flow while improving production management practices as well as the performance and well-being of the project parties. The dissertation focused on two novel approaches: takt production and decentralized decision-making. 

The research was conducted by examining nine different construction projects. The impact of takt production and decentralized decision-making – together and separately – was examined through interviews, site and document observation, social network analyses, and facilitation of takt planning workshops. 

Three primary contributions were made. First, takt production seems to have an impact on improving production flow (leading to, for example, reductions in production durations) as long as the needed prerequisites for success are in place. These include, e.g., the ability to conduct detailed takt planning and solution-oriented takt control, and committing production parties to takt production. Second, the results suggest that implementing decentralized decision-making can improve project and project participant (such as production crew) performance. However, decision-making should not be completely decentralized to production crews and first-line workers, but an appropriate balance with centralized decision-making can offer the best possibility for success. Third, takt production and decentralized decision-making seem to support each other when employed simultaneously. The combination had a positive effect especially on operations flow while improving the workload balance and predictability.

 Altogether, this dissertation provides new knowledge on how better production planning & control can create positive effects on construction projects and the parties involved in them. Whereas takt production can offer a systematic way to manage production, decentralized decision-making can enable better participation of the production crews and especially first-line workers in the preparation and execution of work, leading to increased flow as well as improved worker performance and well-being.

Opponent: Professor Patricia Tzortzopoulos, University of Huddersfield, Great Britain

Custos: Professor Olli Seppänen, Aalto-yliopisto, Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering

Contact information of the doctoral student: Joonas Lehtovaara, [email protected]

The public defence will be organised on campus (auditorium U2, Otakaari 1).

The thesis is publicly displayed 10 days before the defence in the publication archive Aaltodoc of Aalto University.

Electronic thesis