How to Handle Horizontal Buildouts in Takt Zone Planning
When creating zone maps, you’ll often run into a challenge: horizontal buildouts like duct runs, electrical home runs, or ceiling grids that stretch across multiple zones. These don’t always fit neatly into smaller zone planning, and if not handled well, they can disrupt your takt sequence.
I’ve seen this on many projects. At the Bioscience Research Laboratory, for example, we had long duct runs, medical gas piping to zone valve boxes, and rigid conduit under the roof for air handlers. Each of these required careful sequencing to avoid bottlenecks.
Here are strategies I’ve used successfully:
1. Work Ahead of the Takt Sequence
If a trade knows a bottleneck is coming, have them get in early. On one project, the electrician installed rigid conduit under the roof before the main flow of work reached that area, working concurrently with other trades.
2. Assign Multiple Wagons
When a trade’s operation takes longer (like large duct installation), give them more wagons, meaning they work in multiple zones at the same time, to keep pace with the main sequence.
3. Leave Built-In Comeback Areas
Sometimes inspections or specialized work will delay closing up a space. Plan for this by allowing most of the work to proceed, but leave small, strategic areas open for later completion. This avoids tearing out finished work.
4. Change Zone Sizes by Phase
Consider larger zones in certain phases, such as interstitial overhead work or under raised floors for electrical, then return to smaller zones for wall framing and finishes. You can also create separate phases with different takt zone sizes for different scopes.
5. Mix Methods for Flexibility
Sometimes the best solution is a combination: work ahead where possible, run concurrently when needed, adjust zone sizes by phase, and give extra wagons to slow operations.
The key is that even if you have to interrupt the sequence for a slower, horizontal buildout, keeping smaller zones overall still gains time in the project. I’ve yet to see a case where it didn’t. Smaller zones give you better control, faster feedback, and more opportunities to adjust.
Key Takeaway:
Don’t let long horizontal runs force you into oversized zones for the whole job. Use phase-specific zone sizes, multiple wagons, early starts, and planned comeback areas to integrate these buildouts without losing takt efficiency.
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