LEAN PROJECT DYNAMICS: IMPACT OF THE BULLWHIP EFFECT IN THE CONSTRUCTION STAGE

Abstract

The throughput of a Project during the construction stage is associated with control and reduction of its process variability. The Last Planner System (LPS) is a method that approaches this topic addressing control of variability during the scheduling stage. One source of inefficiencies during the application of LPS seems to be the existence of a phenomenon similar to the Bullwhip effect between the LPS applications stages. This hypothesis was tested using empirical data and its results and implications are discussed in the paper.The paper explores the dynamic of the LPS to identify patterns and characterize cycles related to the use of the LPS. To verify the existence of the Bullwhip effect during the LPS application, an analysis of the historical information about the application of the system was carried out. This paper presents the analysis of a Database related to the LPS application during the construction stage of a highway project. As a result, several dynamic characteristics of the system behavior were identified: oscillation, amplification, phase lag patterns and temporal relationships between the different steps of the LPS. The verification of this hypothesis allowed the researchers to characterize the dynamic behavior of different stages of the LPS and its impact on project performance. It is expected that further exploration of this findings will be useful to set measures that should allow early actions to prevent variability generation and help to improve project performance.