What Is The Last Planner System PPC?

Understanding Percent Plan Complete in the Last Planner System

What is Percent Plan Complete (PPC), and why does it matter in the Last Planner System?

In this blog, we’ll dive into how to measure your PPC, what it means when working with CPM or Takt, and the key performance indicators (KPIs) that can help your project team truly win. You’ll also see real examples from our book that will clarify concepts you may have never encountered before.

What is Percent Plan Complete?

PPC, also known as Percent of Promises Complete, is a metric used to track how many planned tasks were actually completed as promised. It’s calculated using a simple formula:

PPC = (Completed Activities ÷ Promised Activities) x 100

For example, if you planned 10 activities and completed 8, your PPC is 80%.

In the traditional CPM-based Last Planner System, you typically aim for a PPC above 80%. Hitting 100% might indicate you’re playing it too safe, a concept known as sandbagging. However, with Takt, your goal should be to consistently hit 100%, since production leveling and targets have already been optimized.

How PPC Works on the Jobsite:

Let’s say on January 16th, your daily plan had six promised tasks. If only five were completed, your PPC would be:

5 ÷ 6 = 83%

But it doesn’t stop at just tracking the number. It’s critical to understand why a task wasn’t completed. That’s where root cause analysis comes in.

Root Cause Analysis: Constraints vs. Roadblocks:

Every time a task isn’t completed, you need to ask: was it a constraint or a roadblock?

• Constraints are system-level problems.
• Roadblocks are physical or immediate issues in your way.

We provide a comprehensive list of both, backed by solid research, to help you diagnose problems effectively. Once identified, you can adjust your planning system, trade flow, zones, or site operations to avoid those issues in the future.

From Macro to Micro: Takt Planning in Action:

Starting at the macro level with your overall Takt plan, you drill down to the norm level and then to your look-ahead plan. This plan helps you remove roadblocks in advance and prepare activities to be “make ready.”

Your weekly work plan lives within this structure. It identifies task handoffs and sets the stage for measuring PPC at the daily level. By the time you get to your day plan, it should be mostly free of constraints and roadblocks.

Improving PPC Through Daily Review:

When you review the daily plan and mark off what was completed, you not only get your PPC percentage—you also pinpoint specific missed tasks and analyze what caused the variance.

If two tasks were missed, ask:

• What happened?
• Was it a constraint or a roadblock?
• What can we change in the system to prevent this next time?

This constant feedback loop improves your workflow and supports lean construction principles.

Beyond PPC: Other KPIs You Can Track:

While PPC is important, it’s just one of four KPIs we recommend tracking in the Takt Production System:

1. Perfect Handoff Percentage – How often you hit the planned handoffs in your weekly work plan (target: 80%+).
2. Remaining Buffer Ratio – Do you have enough time buffer to absorb delays?
3. Roadblock Removal Average – On average, how many days before impact are roadblocks removed? The higher this number, the better.

These metrics together give a more complete picture of project health and flow efficiency.

Wrapping Up:

To summarize:

• PPC measures the percentage of promised tasks completed.
• For CPM-based systems, aim above 80%. For Takt, target 100%.
• Always follow missed tasks with root cause analysis.
• Identify whether the issue was a constraint (system problem) or a roadblock (immediate obstacle).
• Use additional KPIs like handoff percentage and roadblock removal average to improve performance further.

Key Takeaway:

Percent Plan Complete (PPC) isn’t just a number—it’s a powerful indicator of reliability in your planning system. By tracking PPC and analyzing missed tasks through root cause analysis, you can uncover system weaknesses, eliminate recurring roadblocks, and drive consistent improvement in project performance.