Utilization of extra planning activities by construction companies in Sergipe, Brazil

Abstract

The peculiar characteristics of civil construction associated with obstacles to the production process result in constraints that cause downtime for workers, often filled by non value-adding activities. This research work is directed to construction companies that are already using extra planning activities, informally, to remove these constraints. We wanted to identify the tacit knowledge level of construction managers working in Sergipe, Brazil, relative to extra planning activities. We applied a structured checklist for the following knowledge areas: Learning, Work Safety, Constructability, Lean Construction, Reengineering, Theory of Constraints, Quality and Productivity, and Planning and Production Control. Major findings of this research are related to those knowledge areas most applied by the respondents: Work Safety (92.31%), Reengineering (83.59%) and Lean Construction (77.62%). We could identify that the least widespread knowledge area was Theory of Constraints (67.31%). The authors are of the opinion that the informal implementation of these activities demonstrates the lack of dissemination of knowledge among managers. With this in mind, in future research, we will focus on facilitating the implementation of activities in these areas, and particularly in the area of Theory of Constraints, seeking to formalize it.