Task planning and control in construction: revealing workers as early and late planners

Production planning and control are critical to project success. They are conventionally understood as linking planning and production by coordinating tasks prior to installation work. However, research has highlighted workers as autonomous and decentralized planners of installation work, which challenges conventional management perspectives. Performing task-level planning and control requires resources and effort, reducing the time spent on installation work. This study explores workers’ planning practices by examining the use of higher-level plans and other information sources and by analyzing workers’ information needs and the factors determining them. A survey of Finnish construction workers was conducted. The results show that some workers prefer planning tasks before arriving at the construction site, while others prefer planning tasks during on-site work preparation. Trade- and crew-specific factors influence planning earlier or later and determine the extent to which centralized and decentralized sources and practices are used. Decentralized sources and practices are most often used to meet workers’ information needs, although centralized sources and practices are also used. These findings may help construction stakeholders better understand the information sources and practices used by workers. Thus, task planning and control activities can better meet workers’ information needs, allowing for more time for installation work.