The Last Planner System® Standard Reasons for Variance In Design.

A key component of using the Last Planner System involves the team holding themselves accountable for missed commitments. When there is a “miss”, the team should perform the Five Why or Root Cause Analysis process to understand the underlying reason(s) why.

Is labor consistently a problem? Or are submittals repeatedly holding things up? It is helpful to categorize these reasons to enable the tracking of trends over time to address the most significant sources of unreliable commitments.

1- Poor Planning (unrealistic initial estimates, unidentified constraint)

2- Lack of Coordination (not understanding level of detail required by trades, misaligned expectations, competing priorities)

3- Prerequisite Design Work Not Complete

4- Study or Technical Data Not Provided

5- Late Stakeholder Comments

6- People Not Available

7- Key Members Not On Board At Same/Right Time (new members not up to speed)

8- Contracts / Change Orders

9- Third Party Influence (AHJ, regulatory bodies – but make sure it’s not just #1 or #2!)

10- I Forgot (lost track of plan)

11- No Update (missing Info: may or may not have been late)

12- Unforeseen Conditions

13- Other (explain – but make sure it’s really a separate reason for variance, have you done 5-Why?)