The benchmark

I once heard DEGW's Frank Duffy take a darker view of the adage "God is in the detail". "The devil is in the detail" was how he expressed the frustration we all sometimes feel when we try to improve the construction process. Perhaps Frank has given us a caveat for project managers everywhere: the best laid plans … are often not good enough.

Activity Based Planning, with its detailed, task-by-task approach, offers something of a panacea, but at a price. The highly detailed nature of the system is one of the main reasons why it is not often used in the construction industry, although it is not a new concept.

Mace has been courageous to use it on this baggage reclaim project, and appears to have achieved cost savings and a reduction in defects at handover that are close to the Egan targets. A key benefit is the way in which detailed information supports good site communications and helps avoid disputes and claims.

The real challenge lies in improving communication between trades without the detailed, labour-intensive monitoring of tasks needed with this approach.

Martyn Jones is principal lecturer in construction management at the Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of the West of England.

Significant improvements in performance can be made by using this relatively simple and inexpensive tool to manage site-based activities and processes, and the work areas in which they take place.

Activity Based Planning has helped to make the relationship between the construction manager and the specialists more transparent. The requirements of the construction manager can be clearly defined, negotiated and agreed on.

It also encourages frequent and direct communication between the construction manager and the specialists – and among the specialists themselves. This provides a way of exchanging ideas, sharing learning and developing greater levels of trust – essential elements for the continuous improvement in the quality of service and product.

Darryl Sheath is a researcher at the University of Bath's Agile Construction Initiative This technique highlights the fact that the information needed to meet Egan targets is out there, but goes largely untapped. We estimate that 50% of a project's weekly costs can be saved by tackling the inefficiencies highlighted by a monitoring method such as Activity Based Planning.

Colin Gray is a researcher at the University of Reading's Department of Construction Management & Engineering On this project, Activity Based Planning has helped achieve close to Egan targets, particularly on defects and accidents. One key issue seems to be the early identification of problems at the interface between trades. Many have seen this as a weakness of construction management.