Takt Time
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Introduction to Takt time
This Lean Topic article was written by the LCI team in collaboration with Jason Schroeder, Chief Operating Officer at Elevate Construction, CEO of Lean Takt and author of Takt Planning.
When you hear the word Takt in construction, think of these concepts:
- The speed of the Trades on your project.
- The pace of production.
Takt is an older German word for rhythm or baton, and in the world of design and construction, it symbolizes the pace or beat of the project or phase.
Takt Time Analogy
The general contractor or project leader is the orchestra conductor, and the trade partners are the individual musicians who are masters of their instruments. Each person can play their instrument well, but they need someone to bring them together at the right time signature to create a beautiful symphony. The time signature tells the orchestra how many beats are in a measure and how each member participates with that beat and for what duration.
The role of a conductor in an orchestra is:
- To provide the environment where the orchestra can play their music.
- To provide them with the rhythm and synchronicity so they can bring their talents together.
Similarly, the role of a general contractor or project leader is:
- To provide the environment where all trade partners can be successful.
- To provide the trades with a production system that allows them to work in synchronicity, going the same speed at the same distance apart.
Takt planning, steering, & control is the process of creating an environment where trades can flow through the project instead of randomly dispatching them to work without the right supportive elements and plan. There can be no production system without Takt planning.
Key Definitions
- Takt is the branded term for this type of planning.
- Takt planning is the process of planning your project production system.
- Takt steering is the process of steering the train of trades around project constraints.
- Takt control is the process of controlling the environment on site and removing roadblocks ahead of the train of trades.
“Takt Construction” is often referred to as Takt planning, steering, and control.
Takt planning, steering, and control have been combined into what is called the “Takt Production System®.” The Takt Production System is the system that pulls Line of Balance, Location Based Scheduling, Takt Planning Takt Control (TPTC) and industry concepts of Takt into one system.
For more information, please reference the book Takt Planning by Jason Schroeder.
Below are some questions that are often asked about this topic:
What is a Takt Planning?
According to Elevate Construction, Takt planning is “a scheduling method that is highly visual, shows all three types of flow, is scheduled with rhythm, continuity, and consistency, that has buffers, in one-process flow, which limits work-in-process, and has a reasonable project duration.”
How Does Takt Time Work?
Takt time is the beat at which trades flow. As you can see in the example below, by correctly sizing the zone sizes on a project and adjusting the Takt time accordingly, you can dramatically improve the overall duration—and here is the best part—without ever hurting or overburdening trade partners.
In the example, I’ll show you a Takt phase with 7 zones, 12 Takt wagons, and a Takt time of 4 days,then what happens if you divide each zone in half and end up with 14 zones, 12 Takt wagons, and a Takt time of 2.
The overall gain for the phase is considerable as you can see. Additionally, look at the first trade (shown in purple) on the top and compare it to the optimized phase on the bottom. You will see they have the same amount of time for each scenario – and the labor, amount of work, sequence, and flow are all the same.
Your Takt time is an indicator of the rhythm trades start work, finish work, and work together. This is important because work only flows when trades are working the same speed and same distance apart from each other. That happens when:
- Trades are leveled in their durations.
- Zones are leveled according to the amount of work in each zone.
- You have the right number of zones.
The Takt time allows us to do that by providing the time parameter to identify crew durations and zone sizes in addition to the right number of zones by using Dlouhy and Binninger’s Takt time formula of ((Takt Wagons + Takt Zones -1) Takt time) = Duration. Without the Takt component, none of this works and it is not possible for a project to flow.
Takt Time vs. Cycle Time (What's the Difference?)
The Takt time is the pace the trades flow from zone to zone and the cycle time is how long it takes for one work package to be completed in a zone from start to finish.
How to Calculate Takt Time
Calculating Takt time is not a simple equation. But, it can be accomplished by following these steps:
- Identify your milestones.
- Identify your phases.
- Break your phases into zones.
- Identify phase sequences.
- Confirm you have the right ratio of zones to Takt time with the Takt Calculator.
- Do this for each phase.
- Tie your phases together.
- Add buffers in the system.
- Identify your path of critical flow.
- Fully review and revise your plan.
The cool thing is that we can come up with different strategies. The three that are typically used are Macro, Norm, and the project backup.
What is Needed for a Takt Production Plan?
When you create your production plan you should have…
- A Macro: This is your contractual promise.
- A Norm: This is your projection plan target.
- A Backup: This is your go to if there is a massive delay or the building owner moves forward the deadline.
Implementing Takt Planning
Takt planning allows you to target three different speeds without ever affecting your trades negatively or spending more money. The Macro strategy which is your promise, your norm which is your target, and your backup. The picture below shows a Macro schedule.
As you can see, the production plan below can be pulled back quite a bit just by rezoning it. The only thing to remember is that your team will need buffers at the end of your phases, so you cannot give away all the time gained to the owner. You must leave two thirds of the time gained for buffers in the schedule.
Keep in mind that you will always want a backup zoning strategy in case your project ever gets in trouble.
So, there are a lot of steps involved in choosing your Takt time. At Lean Takt, we have this amazing calculator to help you as you do so in the Takt template. You can access it here.
Why is Takt Time Important?
Takt time allows us to implement:
Pace
Takt time allows us to simulate all available options for the pace of a phase and to hold the line with clear expectations and accountability.
Shortening project durations
Takt time allows us to rezone a project and shorten phase and project durations without reducing trade durations.
Flow
Takt time allows us to monitor the flow of the project and to control work optimally.
Managing handoffs
Takt time provides indicators for us to check handoffs between trades which is a main indicator of flow.
More Benefits of Utilizing Takt Time
Takt time becomes the basis for the construction project. It is the indicator of flow. With the Takt time beat we can measure how well we are flowing and to immediately see when we are not flowing. Additionally, when we are not flowing, we are able to recover delays through a series of strategies that never hurt trade partners.
What Lean Methods Support Takt Time?
It is hard to distinguish between the Takt Production System and the Lean concepts that support it and are supported by it, given how interwoven the two are. Takt planning in Lean design and construction usually manifests in these key concepts:
Respect for People
Takt planning is all about respecting people. Not only is the respect of people pivotal in implementing the system, Takt planning enables crews to work in one-process flow by zone in a stable and safe manner.
5s
Having a clean, safe, and organized project is key to supporting the Takt Production System. We must be able to see and focus on the work and not chaos. Not only does 5S help us to implement Takt, but Takt helps 5S by breaking down work areas into manageable portions where workers can implement 5S effectively.
One Process Flow
Having work in a Takt time by Takt zone enables all crews to plan, build and finish their work by zone. This enables project teams to start zones with a plan, focus while there without being overextended, and finishing as they go. The Takt system supports one process flow.
Flow Together
Most crucially, the Takt Production System allows trades to work in one process flow going the same speed and same distance apart by its very nature.
Visual Systems
Takt plans are like 4D schedules on one page. They help the team see as a group, know as a group, and act as a group. They are highly visual, and tie into the Last Planner System® well.
Continuous Improvement
Because Takt breaks down the work into zones and allows project teams to measure work zone by zone, they can improve zone by zone with continuous improvement.
How Does Takt Work With the Last Planner System?
Takt and the Last Planner System are like peanut butter and jelly. They go together in a classical way.
Every project will start with a Macro level Takt plan or master schedule. Again, this is the contractual promise. When you approach a phase, you will immediately begin your pull plan by identifying the right number of zones with our calculator.
Your Norm level production plan will be the schedule that represents the target for you and your trades. You will filter your look-ahead and weekly work plans directly from this plan.
The Day Plan is then created from the Weekly Work Plan and formatted in a way that can be easily communicated to workers the next day. KPIs are then tracked daily.
This production system allows teams to control the sequences, line of balance, buffers, and milestones at the Macro and Norm levels. This plan then triggers the need for pull plans, quality pre-con meetings, and material procurement.
Improving Design & Construction Projects With Takt Planning
There is so much more to Takt time than initially meets the eye. The bottom line take-aways are these:
- Master schedules should be Takt plans.
- Takt planning enables Trade flow which reduces your WIP and allows you to comply with all known production laws.
- The Last Planner System is best implemented with Takt.
Additional Takt Planning Resources
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