The Last Planner® System
Make work flow. Reliably.
Ireland’s trusted Last Planner® System training and consultancy. Improve Percent Plan Complete scores, eliminate delays, and build a culture of collaborative planning on your construction projects.
A Smarter Way to Plan Construction Work
The Last Planner® System (LPS) is a collaborative, commitment-based planning and production control methodology developed by the Lean Construction Institute. It replaces traditional top-down push-scheduling with a team-driven, pull-based approach.
The system involves those closest to the work—the “last planners”—in both planning and executing tasks. As work approaches execution, plans become progressively more refined and precise, creating unobstructed, reliable workflows.
“It’s all about making the workflow unobstructed — from the master programme to the daily task.”
By focusing on what can be done rather than what should be done, the Last Planner® System dramatically improves Percent Plan Complete (PPC) rates and drives collaborative accountability across every trade on site.
Master Scheduling
High-level milestones & programme
Phase Scheduling
Pull planning by phase or handoff
Lookahead Planning
6-week constraint removal
Weekly Work Planning
Reliable commitments from the team
Learning from PPC
Root-cause analysis & improvement
Who Are the Last Planners on Site?
The "Last planners" are the professionals who make task-level commitments and coordinate work at the field level. LPS training is designed for the following roles.
Directing crews & daily task execution on the ground
Overseeing trade packages & resource allocation
Managing site-wide coordination & sequencing
Responsible for programme, cost & client delivery
Coordinating design information release & RFIs
Subcontractor leads planning & committing to tasks
These professionals are responsible for planning and organizing the work for the crews on the ground, ensuring daily tasks align with project goals and timelines.
Structured Planning That Delivers Results
The core objective of the Last Planner® System is to make work flow — smoothly, collaboratively, and without interruptions. It creates a structured environment where all teams align their efforts to achieve:
Collaborative weekly planning and constraint removal ensures projects stay on programme with fewer reactive scrambles.
Reduced rework, fewer delays, and better resource utilisation directly lower the cost of construction delivery.
Work that is properly planned and sequenced is completed right the first time, reducing snagging and defects.
Planned, predictable workflows reduce on-site chaos and the safety incidents that arise from rushed, reactive working.
When teams plan together and make visible commitments, trust builds across trades and organisations.
Predictable, on-time handovers and higher-quality finishes consistently improve client confidence and repeat business.
Six Lean Principles Reinforced by LPS
Implementing the Last Planner® System supports and amplifies six core Lean Construction fundamentals — transforming not just how you plan, but how the whole project system performs
Collaboration across trades fosters mutual respect, encouraging open communication and shared problem-solving among all project stakeholders.
Tasks done right first time minimise rework, idle time, and material waste — improving resource efficiency across every trade package.
Just-in-time planning ensures smoother handoffs and uninterrupted progress, keeping the project moving at a steady, predictable pace.
Focusing efforts on what truly matters to the client directs more time and resources toward value-adding activities, boosting quality and satisfaction.
The system promotes a feedback loop where teams learn from plan failures, enabling them to refine future planning cycles and raise PPC scores.
As collaboration and learning improve over time, the entire project delivery system becomes more efficient, delivering better outcomes at lower cost.
System Optimisation
As collaboration and learning improve, the entire project delivery system becomes more efficient, resulting in better performance outcomes and cost savings.
The 5 Planning Conversations of LPS
The Last Planner® System is structured around five interconnected planning conversations, each one zooming in closer to the work and making commitments more reliable.
High-level project milestones, durations, and handovers agreed by the project team as an overall programme.
Pull planning sessions where trades work backwards from a handover milestone to define the sequence of work.
A 4–6 week rolling window to identify and actively remove constraints before they block work on site.
Specific, reliable commitments made by last planners for the coming week — only committing to what CAN be done.
Measuring Percent Plan Complete, identifying reasons for non-completion, and taking action to prevent recurrence.
READY TO START ?
Book Your Last Planner® System Training Course
Industry-trusted, LCI-aligned Last Planner System training delivered in Ireland and on-site across Europe. Half-day awareness sessions to full-day practitioner programmes — we tailor training to your project needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Last Planner® System training.
Last Planner System (LPS) training teaches construction professionals how to implement a collaborative, commitment-based planning methodology that replaces traditional push-scheduling. It is designed for site managers, project managers, foremen, planners, and subcontractor leads who want to reduce waste, improve workflow reliability, and increase Percent Plan Complete (PPC) on construction projects.
A comprehensive LPS course covers the five planning conversations: Master Scheduling, Phase Scheduling, Lookahead Planning, Weekly Work Planning, and Learning from PPC data. Participants learn how to run collaborative planning sessions, identify and remove constraints, make reliable commitments, and build a culture of continuous improvement on site
LPS training typically ranges from a half-day awareness workshop to a 1 day practitioner programme, depending on the depth required. Many providers also offer on-site coaching alongside classroom learning so teams can implement LPS in real time on their live projects.
Teams trained in LPS consistently report higher PPC scores (typically 70–85%+), fewer programme delays, reduced rework, improved subcontractor engagement, and better on-site morale. The system creates a shared language for planning that aligns all trades toward reliable workflow and on-time handovers.
Yes. The Last Planner System is a registered trademark of the Lean Construction Institute (LCI) and is widely recognised as the global standard for collaborative construction planning. Many training providers deliver LPS courses aligned with LCI principles, and participants can pursue further accreditation through the LCI or associated bodies.
Absolutely. On-site LPS training is often the most effective format because participants can apply planning tools to their actual live project during the session. Trainers facilitate real lookahead sessions, constraint logs, and weekly planning meetings with the project team, creating immediate and lasting impact.
Related Lean Construction Services
Takt Planning works best as part of a broader lean construction strategy. Explore our other services to build a complete lean programme.
Visualise and eliminate waste across your full project delivery process
Learn more →