Introduction to Asta Connect

Asta Connect is a collaborative task management tool that you can use to plan and manage projects according to the Last Planner© System of Production Control.

Asta Connect provides all the tools you need as you work through the five phases of the Last Planner System.

The Last Planner© System of Production Control is a workflow method that aims to increase productivity, accuracy and accountability when working on projects through a combination of tight scheduling and group planning.

The key principle of the system is to ensure that every contractor and subcontractor that is involved in a project can manage their own workload, and that they are accountable for the project work they have promised to complete. Their input into a project differs from the traditional ‘top down’ system of planning – a situation in which a schedule is produced by a top-level project planner, with little or no input from the resources who will actually carry out tasks. This top down planning can mean that project dates and milestones are unrealistic, which can result in delays.

The Last Planner System focuses on collaboration, the setting of realistic expectations, interaction between project members and commitment.

The term ‘last planner’ refers to the people responsible for assigning tasks in a project to various resources and ensuring that they have the materials, equipment and information that they need to be able to complete their tasks. During the design phase of a project, last planners tend to be architectural and engineering project managers; during the construction phase, last planners tend to be supervisors for trade contractor gangs.