COLLABORATIVE METHOD FOR TRAINING AND IMPLEMENTING THE LINE OF BALANCE

Abstract

The Line of Balance (LOB) is a planning technique that has been used for more than 30 years in construction. However, what is rarely discussed is how the LOB should be applied in projects already in progress. This research was developed in the Design Science Research (DSR) format and sought to analyze how LOB can bring about significant changes in the management of collaboration, planning and production. This paper puts forward a collaborative method of training on LOB in projects that are already in progress for which it draws on a two case studies on multifamily residential building. The benefits of LOB for those involved in the workshop were collected by gathering multiple pieces of evidence and analyzing the correlations. In the participants' perception, there are three main benefits concerning to adopting LOB: (i) understanding the sequencing of activities and how to achieve the uninterrupted flow of teams; (ii) assessing the risk of mobilization and remobilization; (iii) assessing milestone dates and constraints. Moreover, participants' perception, the training had a excellent evaluation, and it contributed to increasing their collaboration and engagement in relation to the planning of the project.