Location-Based Management System is the underlying principle for Vico's scheduling solutions.  The basic tenet is that more granular quantities by location facilitates better planning AND controlling of the construction schedule.

 

Here are some frequently-asked questions that we've received from firms learning more about our approach to construction scheduling:

 

Q:  What do you do with an organization that’s entrenched with what they think is CPM management?

 

A:   We would love to help people understand the benefits of using a Location-Based Management System. If people are entrenched in one practice then I would recommend opening them to our BIM Path workshop series and enrolling a few people in that to understand where the differences are.

 

But it’s always difficult… Construction is a traditional environment where many people have done it the same way for a long time and we’re always going to be faced with certain parties who are very resistant to change. We’ve got everything from high level executive plans on rollout to the people with the expert knowledge that have dealt with the resistance and certainly overcome it in many situations. So if you need some help then please just get in touch.

 

Q:   How does Vico help organizations overcome lack of proper planning and scheduling? Tools and methods don’t overcome commitments by management or even PMs and Supers.

 

A:   Absolutely. So that’s one of the main reasons for showing both the combined process of Vico and Lean here and also the BIM Path series of workshops we do to support that. We know that gathering this information can be extremely difficult. So as you mention proper planning and schedule development is essential; and in order to enact that we have the schedule workshops which are really very in-depth and hold the hands of all of the team members that are required at different stages in order to gather the information, crunch the data, present the information and then have optimization sessions with the right parties. Gaining the right commitments at the right point in time is all supported by a very structured set of workshops.

 

I think, too, it would be very different if we simply went in, dropped off a box of software and left. I don’t believe at all that that’s the approach we take, but rather as Clive said - very collaborative one, a very educational one, and one that certainly is not threatening in anyway.

 

Yes, Vico is a software company and we take pride in the way that we implement our solution. It’s not something where we just drop off a CD to install and a flimsy instruction manual… You also get the years of experience and the experts that have implemented this worldwide on hundreds of major construction projects with some of the world’s largest companies. So we really are there to lend a hand and to make sure this is successful together should that be something that you are ready to change.

 

Q:   Are there project delivery systems where LBMS and LPS process faces greater challenges like design build?

 

A:   I think you’re always going to be faced with the biggest challenge being change. The process can certainly fit for any delivery system. It’s just a case of making sure that you are planning the right steps at the right time with the right people. It might work slightly differently with each delivery mechanism for sure. But we can work with you if that’s something that you’re worried about.

 

Q:   Does LBMS automatically optimize your schedule or is that a manual adjustment?

 

A:   Obviously, the process that we use centers around gaining people's production commitments… We’re getting there firstly with the data and productivity rates and the desired level of resourcing.  Then we would go through a session of really optimizing: sitting down with them and seeing where sometimes they might need to bring in less resource and sometimes more resource than they had originally planned.

 

But manipulating the plan in order to optimize it is a very social process and a very important one to be able to get commitment to a plan that is achievable rather than something that is automated. So I would say no, we wouldn’t automatically do it, but rather it is definitely something that is a manual based process.

 

But that manual based process sure is fun because you see all of your variables in front of you and you’re able to manipulate them until the answer falls under your constraints for either time allotment or budget allotment.

 

And to add to that, there is an automated series of functions behind the system (because it’s an equation so you put the parts of the equation in and as you balance the system you optimize for that flow of work0 so you are provided the answer to wherever you draw the lines. So if you drag a line and change a production rate it asks you what you’re changing and the explicit assumptions to make sure you are going to achieve what you just said that you are going to try and achieve. So it’s really about automating what can be automated easily and providing you the best opportunity and fastest method to get your idea down on paper.

 

Q:   Are there specific ways of dealing with non-construction tasks in the scheduling? Those tasks that tie up resources and slow down construction such as submittals and close out activities or are these tasks treated as construction activities in the schedule?

 

A:   We have a few different ways of handling those. One we mentioned was the procurement… how we deal with procurement as a separate type of task and the milestones related there. And the tasks in the schedule, for example, submittals and closeout activities that aren’t quantity related.

 

We can represent them in a different way in the flowline. A thin line rather than a thick line to show that they are based on a duration assumption and do not have quantities behind them. And essentially being able to show things in different ways like that we are able to see which tasks are construction activities and which tasks are not specifically related to construction activities. 

 

Q:   How do you deal with distribution concerning the building process - many buildings in different locations with different floor numbers?

 

A:  Both the hierarchies and the numbers of locations within each building project are incredibly flexible. We also have a concept called location systems which is a way of breaking down buildings for the same floor... So if you have a distribution system and you want to plan in a different location structure compared to your internal walls, for example, then you can just use a different location system for that so it’s entirely possible and very flexible to work with many different location structures with different floor numbers etc.

 

Q:  Interesting that when drywall got behind (in webinar example) you added more people. How could you be sure that the problem was not due to unreliable material or another resource flow?

 

A:  I think we were showing a target that was a higher production than what was achieved by the drywall team (and the example we showed was a very simple example). Essentially that could be based on many, many problems… Many areas that haven’t been discussed in that simple slide... We would obviously have that piece of information in the weekly sessions. So in subcontractor meetings we would have that discussion and that would be facilitated by both using the flow line and also the weekly work plan so the causes of deviation would certainly be tracked and discussed in those meetings.

 

And certainly we see people using Control for their procurement schedules as well so that those materials would have been on site on time. We track the quantity of material required per location and that is tied to its demand for the task that consumes it and we have a series of milestone checks that will be carried out in order to hopefully have a very reliable just in time procurement and delivery mechanism.

 

Q:   What do you do when the owner wants a phased bidding process which uncovers more items that should be done in earlier phases of construction?

 

A:   It’s something that we’re going to deal with in all systems. But one of the ways to incorporate this is to use 4D and 5D together in Vico Office (5D Cost Planner and 4D Schedule Planner work hand-in-hand). It really helps because there are so many more questions asked so much earlier in the process. So because of this social and collaborative nature we find that there are a significant number of “Oh, I didn’t even think about that” responses to questions. So I’d say that hopefully we would uncover more than traditionally, but we’re always going to be faced with the same ways to deal with new information.

 

So new information can be added to the system and there are many different ways so that’s probably a full day discussion rather than a quick succinct answer.

 

Q:   How does Vico propose the concurrent scheduling of the non-location-based activities that enter into project scheduling such as design and procurement and closeouts?

 

A:   Essentially it can be a non-location-based task. You can put those in and collect those on their own and make them non-location-based tasks or you could put them when desired in relation to a certain item in a certain location it can be shown in that location. So we would definitely say that the closeout process, inspections and sign off, would definitely be all in that location following the task that you have just completed.

 

People would have different preferences on how they manage design and procurement. We have a specific procurement section to the schedule and the design can be all as non-location-based tasks or if you want to you can incorporate them into the overall flowline.

 

Q:   I work in a bioengineering and pharmaceutical construction industry. Often the design teams have not taken into account the physical size of equipment, commissioning requirements per system and even FDA and GMT qualification criteria. These are the things that come out in a phase bidding process. In other words, we do a lot of firefighting due to lack of planning and design.

 

A:   There are two sides to this… One is that we actually incorporate the BIM modeling side of things into location based management. So BIM does have a number of areas where you could mitigate some of those problems. So say, taking into account that the physical side of equipment, maybe that doesn’t come to light until after more people are brought on and more details are provided. But from the planning side of things we can incorporate lead times and long lead items. We can incorporate some of the design schedule, some of the drop dead dates for the design requirements into the procurement scheduling for the flowline. So we can get more accuracy on when we need certain decisions to be made, but I know that there are many problems that a process such as this can help. But it probably has more to do with the social side of asking more questions and getting the answers that can be partly due to bringing the Last Planner System a lot earlier in the process… a lot earlier in the planning.

 

In the BIM Master class series webinar (BIM 201) we speak about a particular hospital where the owner had mandated that there would be no change orders on the construction and the element that made it the most difficult was that doctors and technicians typically wait until the last moment to give their specifications for equipment because they always want the latest model. And model sizes change year to year so it was very difficult to plan the case work around different pieces of equipment. So I would recommend that anyone interested in synchronizing the specification process for materials along with the flow of the schedule should take a look at that particular webinar. Because what we say at Vico is true… Coordination doesn’t just happen in 3D. Coordination happens in 2D, then in 3D and finally we coordinate the schedule.

 

Q:   In the implementation of LPS how long can it take for these sticky note meetings? Do subs generally object to spending this time in the early planning or even giving their production rates?

 

A:   A few years ago, subs would have objected as they were falling over themselves … they couldn’t get away from all of these bids that they were winning and work was so abundant that it meant that they wouldn’t want to spend any more time planning. They just needed to increase turnover by bidding on a few more jobs and they’d win more than they’d win now.

 

Essentially, in this environment there are two ways to look at it… One is that people are hungrier to win the work and they are more likely to put commitment in earlier and show they are really willing and committed to carry out the work... as well as describe how they are going to and help you understand so you can plan better.

 

The other side is that from the production data point of view - is it difficult to get their production information? Well, if they understand how it’s going to be used and the purpose of having everybody’s production data is so that we can protect people's workflow and make sure that they are not going to have conflicting disruptive behavior from other trades because we have done the same with them then they are going to be much happier to hand over the information.

 

Caption: Vico Services leading a Last Planner sticky note sessions with Subs and the GC.

 

As Clay Freeman always says, "If you ask one subcontractor for their data then they are likely to say, 'Hell no!'  But if you ask everyone and you tell them why you are asking for that data and that you are going to manage all of his predecessors in the same way then they are a lot more open and they understand the reason behind it and therefore are able to provide the information."

 

Q:  If we were to commit to this software how long would it take to implement on the jobsite?

 

A:    So we’ve seen some great implementations in the workshop series… you can have a phased schedule planning discussion supported by the flowline data gathering and optimization and that can be a two day session spread out over a couple of weeks where the data would be collected and homework assignments go out to the subcontractors to provide the production information.

 

And the information comes back; we go back in and optimize the schedule… That can happen in a couple of weeks. But then the important stage starts and that’s the implementation of the plan.

 

So going into the controlling phase really does take a lot more interaction and a lot more support. It can be as simple as ticking boxes and sending updates to us for update, but if you are truly looking to get the best out of the system then there would be a person on site doing that. In order to get them up to speed there is a three day (two days planning and one day controlling course) We would then start the project based workshops and then we could be up and running having useable outputs within a month and then the learning process to start implementing in the weekly work meetings to ensure that things are going to plan would probably be an ongoing series of minor visits or web meetings to be able to ensure that everything is going on and that could last 6 months.

 

We also have FAQ pages for each piece of the Vico Office schedule solution.  Please be sure to check out LBS Manager FAQs, Schedule Planner FAQs, Production Controller FAQs, and 4D Manager FAQs.  Each of these products is powered by Location-Based Management principles and specifically designed for BIM-based construciton. 

 

Please also check out the following links to continue diving deeper into the subject matter:

 

Products: Vico Office LBS Manager

Products: Vico Office Schedule Planner

Products: Vico Office Production Controller

Products: Vico Office 4D Manager

 

Web Page: What Is Location-Based Management System

Web Page: What Is Flowline Scheduling

Web Page: What Is 4D BIM

Web Page: How LBMS and LPS Compare

 

Webinar: An Introduction to LBMS and Last Planner System

Webinar: An Introduction to Location Breakdown Structures in Vico Office

Webinar: Planning AND Controlling the Schedule in Vico Office

 

Blog Post: Scheduling with Lean Principles (Part 1)
Blog Post: Scheduling with Lean Principles (Part 2)

Blog Post: Why the Schedule MUST Be More than a Movie

Blog Post: 4 Best Practices for 4D BIM Schedule Simulations

 

Whitepaper: A Comparison of Tradition CPM to Location-Based Scheduling

Whitepaper: The Combination of Last Planner System and Location-Based Management System

 

Glossary: Sorting through the Acronyms of Construction Scheduling

 

We also offer a step-by-step guide to our 5D virtual construction workflow with video tutorials. These videos are just 2-5 minutes in length, but illustrate how to use a particular piece of functionality. You can access the video library index and view just what you need, or download the complete set of training videos. We have training videos for Estimators, Schedulers, Supers, and anyone who does CM Reporting.