Method for location-based production planning and control supported by BIM

Abstract The location-based approach for production planning and control has the advantage of making explicit the workflow throughout the production units, allowing to make a connection to the Last Planner System (LPS) and 4D BIM models. However, there are still some knowledge gaps, in both practice and research, regarding the implementation of this approach. Those gaps are mainly related to the application concepts and principles of the lean production philosophy, and their interaction with BIM functionalities. Indeed, it is necessary to develop studies not only on planning and control methods that consider the partially repetitive nature of construction activities, but also on the aspects related to work and product flow management. The aim of this study is to propose a Location-Based Planning and Control method supported by BIM and explore its interface with LPS. Design Science Research was the methodological approach adopted in this investigation and two empirical studies were carried out in real estate companies. The main contributions of the proposed method are related to the tools adopted, which can potentially contribute to improve the quality of information, mainly related to workflows, and to provide support to collaborative decision-making.