Moving toward lean construction through automation of planning and control in last planner system: A systematic literature review

The Last Planner System (LPS) is a production planning and control system based on Lean Construction (LC) principles. Effectively implementing the LPS in the construction industry remains challenging, impeding the realization of LC principles. Automation of planning and control in the LPS has gained attention to address this challenge. However, research exploring the state-of-the-art of such automation and its impacts on realizing LC principles is still lacking. Therefore, this study performed a systematic literature review of 112 relevant studies, identifying 50 functionalities and associated benefits of automation across six LPS stages, with the lookahead planning stage having the maximum functionalities. Analyzing their interactions with LC principles revealed that automated planning and control in the LPS can support achieving ten LC principles. Future research directions are suggested in areas such as constraint management, knowledge reuse, dynamic replanning, and construction workforce training.