Purpose -The purpose of this study is to identify how the newly emerging UK practice of "Collaborative Planning" (CP) for construction project delivery aligns with the advocated principles of the Last Planner System (LPS) of production planning and control. Design/methodology/approach -A mixed, qualitative, exploratory approach was adopted for the study. This entailed qualitative data through three techniques namely: semi-structured interviews, documents analysis, and structured observation. Thirty in-depth-interviews were conducted over a 12 month period with lean construction consultants, clients, main contractors, and subcontractors drawn from the building, highways and infrastructure and rail sector. Fifteen projects were visited where practices were observed. Findings -The study reveals that the current practice of CP in the UK partially aligns with the LPS principles. Where practitioners have heard of the LPS they believe it to be the same practice as CP. Limitation: This study is limited to 30 interviews, observation of 15 projects and document analysis. The aim of the study is not to generalise the findings, however, since the study examined top construction companies and practitioners in the UK and the findings were consistent across the sample, some conclusions could be made. The study is also limited to examining the construction phase only, future studies should incorporate the design phase. Practical Implication-A clear identification of the elements of current practice compared to the components of the LPS provides a contribution to the future practice of project production planning and management in the construction industry. Social implication -The study highlights a continuing resistance to collaboration within the industry. This resistance is subtly embedded within implemented practices even though they are based on collaborative working for their success. Originality and Value -This is among the first studies in the UK that comprehensively examines and reports the application of Last Planner System/Collaborative Planning practice in construction across the major construction sectors. Future studies could build on the findings from this work to develop an approach/methodology to improve the current practice.

The implementation of the Last Planner System (LPS) has gained prominence in the construction industry and its influence on the production system seems to be rapid and significant. However, recent studies reveal that the application of LPS principles on projects is fragmented. The aim of the current study, therefore, is to develop an approach to support construction stakeholders in the implementation of the LPS. Thirty semi-structured interviews and three in-depth case studies were conducted with construction stakeholders. The study developed a non-prescriptive but all-inclusive approach for supporting construction stakeholders in the implementation of the LPS on construction projects. This study contributes to knowledge in engineering management as it provides a new insight into how to apply the LPS holistically in the management of engineering projects. The study further provides evidence into the current practice and performance of the LPS in the management of civil engineering project as demonstrated in the case studies. Finally, the identification of the three "levels of support" (organisational, project, and external enabler) provides a focal point for

The changing face of construction projects has resulted in a movement towards the use of technology as a primary means of communication. The consequences of this rise in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is a loss of interpersonal communication skills. A number of resulting issues within the human -electronic and human -human interfaces are identified in an attempt to define the efficiency of communication in projects. The research shows how ICT effects the social environment of construction project teams and the project outcome. The study seeks to confirm the need for further work in order to develop new forms of communication protocols and behaviour. An initial literature review was undertaken to develop a theoretical review of the impacts of ICT on construction project teams. This review identified a number of issues that were then tested in the field through an observation and two verification interviews. The research confirms the existence of tensions and conflicts in the human -electronic and human -human communication interfaces within the studies environment. It is proposed that the increasing use of ICT occur at the expense of soft system communication. The principal impact of this is a form of 'human distraction' which adversely affects the performance of project teams. There is limited theory exploring these issues that suggests the problems identified are not well understood and consequently indicates a gap in knowledge.1368 organization, technology and management in construction · an international journal · 7(3)2015

Previous studies have examined various factors that influence the implementation of the Last Planner System (LPS) in construction projects. However, there is limited documented evidence on the influence of procurement methods on the implementation of the LPS. The aim of this study, therefore; is to understand the influence of some selected procurement methods on the implementation of the LPS using case study approach. Three in-depth case studies were conducted on building and highways projects in the UK. The projects were managed with the LPS principles with dissimilar procurement methods. In addition to document analysis and physical observation, 28 in-depth-interviews were conducted.The investigation shows that the prevailing traditional mindset exhibited by the designers in the traditional design bid build (DBB) influences the quality of promises and commitments that could be made during the lookahead planning. From the study, it seems no single procurement method is a sure way to the full application of the LPS process on a project. The study observes that irrespective of the procurement route used, a mindset change towards collaboration among the different stakeholders on the project is fundamental to successful LPS implementation. For instance, on projects where DBB was used and the subcontractors were in framework agreement, the LPS implementation worked well among the subcontractors. The study recommends that the procurement approach to be used on LPS projects should not be too firm, but lithe enough to integrate collaborative working among the different stakeholders on the project for a smooth workflow.

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