Takt production has recently received increased attention in both the construction industry and academia. However, the research on takt production has focused on documenting single successful cases, while attempts to holistically explore the impact of takt production on construction production flow are scarce. To address this knowledge gap, this study aimed to build a theoretical model of how takt production contributes to construction production flow. A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted to validate propositions based on a literature review, and the results were discussed and synthesized in the form of a theoretical model. The findings indicate that while takt production is a viable method to increase flow, it requires significant effort in terms of planning, control, and continuous improvement. While having a positive impact on process flow (location flow), the effects on operations flow (trade flow) are contradictory. The study has implications for further comprehensive evaluation of the effects of takt production on construction production flow while facilitating more predictable, systemic implementation of takt production across projects.

Interest in takt production has grown globally amongst lean practitioners within the last decade. In Finland, several successful takt implementation cases within the last five years have radically increased the interest in leveraging takted production systems. However, the discussion on how to transform the first success stories of takt production to the systemic improvement of productivity has remained scarce. This study aimed to conceptualize the requirements for systemically implementing takt production within projects and organizations in the form of a maturity level model. The study was conducted as an explorative, qualitative multiple case study. Through synthesizing the learnings of 24 takt implementation cases in Finland, we propose fifteen requirements for effectively implementing takt production, structured in the form of three maturity levels: i) technical takt planning, ii) social integration & takt control, and iii) continuous improvement. The study has implications for the industry players and researchers to develop an understanding of where they are now and where they should focus next to improve their takt production processes to achieve a systemic change. For further research and development, the proposed model should be validated by testing the model with the industry players.

Takt production has gained increased attention over the past decade inside the Lean Construction community. Several case studies have shown that implementing takt has positive effects on construction production, increasing flow by decreasing various types of waste. However, evidence on how takt production actually affects the flow of trades has been contradictory. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how implementing takt production, which heavily focuses on improving the flow of processes, affects the flow of trades. This was conducted as a single case study. We collected and analyzed 650 hours of video material by observing one takt area over a period of six weeks, in addition to document observation and nine semi-structured interviews, including general contractor and trade partner personnel. We then classified and analyzed the results in light of propositions based on a literature review. Lastly, we drew our conclusions regarding what effects takt implementation has on trade flow. The observations showed that even though the beginnings of the takt production resembled the traditional firefighting way of working, this more structured method stabilized production and positively impacted trade flow.

This study addresses the possible ways to improve takt implementation in projects. The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge of the stakeholder commitment and collaboration in takt projects where takt production is implemented. The study aims to explore which enablers and barriers affect collaboration in takt implementation projects, and how they differ between cases in Finland and California.The study was conducted as a qualitative multiple case study. The case projects were purposefully chosen for this study. The data collection was conducted as a triangulation of interview, observation and documentation observation. The enablers and barriers from different cases were clustered into plusses, deltas, and drivers between Finnish and Californian cases as well as jointly. The results were then analysed in a workshop and recommendations for further takt implementations as well as further research were made.Recommended actions for further takt implementation cases of more complete Lean understanding, and more transparent partnership between trade partners. However, the results and recommendations are based on a single study with a limited amount of cases, and therefore further research inside the topic is needed.