Project Information Management (PIM) software specialists Newforma has launched its Newforma LeanPlanner product in the UK.

The software is powered by LeanKit and provides visual production planning software for design and construction companies utilising collaborative planning methods of project delivery.

In addition, Newforma LeanPlanner has been tailored towards the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries to provide designers and construction companies with technology that improves production schedule reliability for more predictable project outcomes.

A recent Newforma-survey of 100 UK-based professionals working for organisations in the AEC sector found that only 4% of construction managers say their organisations are collaborating effectively. With such deficiencies further hampered by the growing skills gap, there is an evident need for tools that enable AEC organisations to better collaborate with partners and customers.


By using LeanPlanner, project team members can identify near-term constraints and track progress of work from "to do" to "doing" to "done," anytime, anywhere. LeanPlanner’s advanced analytics and reporting capabilities accelerate the collaborative planning journey and promote continuous improvement through deep understanding and insights, including plan percent complete (PPC) and at-risk milestones.

"With Newforma LeanPlanner, we have seen additional improvements in the way we deliver our strategies for Lean construction and Factory Thinking," said Gavin Pearce, Production Control Manager of Costain, who are utilising the software.

"With virtual collaborative task boards, we have improved the planning and issue resolution with our project teams and partners. Through improved visibility of tasks in defined work periods and shortening the interval of control, we have achieved greater efficiency in project delivery, with an audit trail that enables precise construction status and productivity reporting to our clients."

Paul Daynes, Regional Director UK & Northern Europe at Newforma, added: "Applying collaborative planning principles to the design and construction industries has delivered both improvements to customer satisfaction and a boost to the overall bottom line. The current process of sticky notes on a wall has been a good first step in the past, but it quickly shows its many limitations."

"The rapidly growing interest in collaborative planning methodologies indicates that visual planning tools like LeanPlanner will have just as large an impact on our industry as Building Information Modelling (BIM) is set to have."

www.newforma.co.uk