A presentation from the STEM Annual Conference 2014.
The Last Planner® System (LPS) of production planning and control is a Lean method developed and used in the construction industry. It plays a major role in managing complex projects and delivering improvement. However teaching an innovative method like LPS requires the imparting of procedural knowledge rather than declarative knowledge. A characteristic of innovative organisations is the running of experiments e.g. Google and Toyota. This presentation shows our process for enabling MSc students to gain procedural knowledge using an innovative hands-on simulation called Villego®. Integral to the process is the running of experiments and learning by doing. Villego® was run more than once and this experiment enables the learning experience for the students to be enhanced. The change in the simulation embraces scientific thinking as one variable at a time is changed to see the effect of this on student experience. The change is undertaken on the basis of findings received through collecting and analysing data from using the hands-on simulation with previous groups of students. We share in the presentation our experiences and those of the participated students with this innovative hand-on simulation for the LPS. We also provide an analysis of the result of the experiment and reports lessons to improve the simulation for future teaching projects.
