Takt Glossary - inTakt's Guide
Uncover key construction takt planning terms and concepts with inTakt's comprehensive glossary.
Takt
a beat or pulse in music, tempo
Zone
a geographical space that is determined by its repeatability and ability to fit into a rhythm with other areas to balance the overall production schedule; increased or decreased to achieve flow
Schedule
a written or graphical representation on how a construction project is to be completed or constructed; a timeline for every task and event in a construction project; a fundamental part of the project planning phase, as it also defines the resources needed and the teams responsible for each task in the construction process
Linear Scheduling
method of scheduling in two dimensions, such as time and distance; graphical scheduling method focusing on continuous resource utilization in repetitive activities
Work Task
specific, defined item of work; often used interchangeably with "activity"
Takt Time
(in manufacturing) required product assembly duration that is needed to match the demand; (in construction) overall progress rate at which all construction task are ideally supposed to move; the maximum time allowed for a task at any stage of the project
Zone Map
inTakt's proprietary feature that allows users to upload floor plans and create visual zones with intuitive drawing tools
Construction Management
a professional service that provides a project’s owner(s) with effective management of the project's schedule, cost, quality, safety, scope, and function
Critical Path Method (CPM)
method of depicting a construction plan in a network consisting of activities and logic relationships that determine the overall sequence of construction; the combination of work activities, durations,logic, and a mathematical formula predicts a project’s finish date
Lean Production
philosophy that strips down a process to essentials through ideas and systems
Takt Time Planning
a work structuring method that aims to achieve the lean principle of continuous flow. Successful Takt time planning on a construction site results in trades working on activities at the same rate to release work areas at standardized times. Takt planning is a scheduling method that is highly visual, consistent, and reasonable timelines.
inTakt
the best small software application that you’ve never heard of…takes the process and tediousness of creating a Takt plan and lets you get back to doing the actual work
Time/Space Scheduling
method of allocating space to resources governed by a construction schedule, changing the schedule when space availability is inadequate; shows the connections of activities, duration times, and spaces
Little's Law
L = λW
theorem invented in 1954 by John Little, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor; anything that can queue is applicable to Little’s law, which is the long-term average number L of customers in a stationary system is equal to the long-term average effective arrival rate λ multiplied by the average time W that a customer spends in the system; (in project management) L= work in progress, λ= throughput, W= lead time
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Work in Progress (L) is the number of items in process in any system
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Throughput (λ) represents the rate at which items arrive in/out of the system
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Lead time (W) is the average time one item spends in the system
Lean Construction
people-based philosophy that looks to minimize weaknesses and maximize strengths; overarching methodology that encompasses many different approaches and tools to reduce inefficiencies in cost, time, effort, and materials
