With more than $1.6 billion in school construction on our resume, Flintco knows that the ritual of back-to-school is like a force of nature that cannot be stopped. There is no “Plan B.”

The most recent example of this phenomenon comes from our Springdale office in Northwest Arkansas. The Gentry Intermediate School team in Gentry used Lean2.0^® to shave 80 days from their project schedule. That’s an amazing testament to the team, and their ability to bring our Vision to life: Unwavering pursuit of the perfect construction experience.

Our Flintco team not only got teachers in early, and the school opened to celebrate back-to-school with the rest of Gentry, they also returned contingency that enhanced the finished product. The $9.2M project was delivered in 2-phases: demolition of existing structures and construction of a new 48,000 SF school for grades 3rd through 5th. Our local Gentry trade partners contributed mightily to hitting the early move-in date.

With a contractual substantial completion date of October 22, 2018, the team reset the target date for completion to August 1st prior to contracting any trade partners for the building phase. Using the five core Lean practices and one elective (5+1), which is the foundation of our successful use of Lean, the Gentry team allowed for furniture move-in on July 25th accelerating back-to-school preparations.

Teachers moved in on August 1st, and school started at Gentry IS along with everybody else across the city on August 13th – right on the District’s schedule.

In her After Action Review (AAR) Lean Manager Melanie Gilbertson noted that future teams who want to turn over well ahead of schedule need to identify the target date for completion early and stick with it throughout construction like they did at Gentry IS. Advertise the date to encourage accountability. Using the Last Planner System, Phase planning and weekly work plans were essential to the team’s success. The team kept a milestone tracker with weekly and average Percent Plan Complete (PPC) prominently displayed for all team members to see.

Flintco kept the Gentry IS project on track during major construction – a hallmark of what Lean2.0^® and the 5+1 approach can do.