34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) - Singapore, Singapore - 2026

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0149

The WIP-Push-Wave: a leading indicator for project production control

Doron S. Gabai1, Eran Haronian2, Rafael Sacks3, Mark K. Miera4 & Tabitha D. Cloyd5

1PMP, PgMP, LCI Israel Chairman, Strategic Planner, Intel Corporation, AZ Construction, USA. [email protected]
2Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, Ariel University, Ariel, 40700, Israel, [email protected]
3Professor, Virtual Construction Laboratory, Faculty of Civil and Env. Eng. Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0001-9427-5053
4PMP, Senior Director of Construction, Intel Corporation, AZ Construction, USA. [email protected]
5Director of Construction, Intel Corporation, AZ Construction, USA. [email protected]

Abstract

Project management has traditionally depended on lagging indicators, such as the ‘Earned Value’, that provide retrospective feedback and support reactive decision-making. In contrast, leading indicators that monitor production conditions and enable proactive control have been proposed in the Lean Construction body of knowledge. Metrics such as Percent Plan Complete (PPC) and subsequent flow-based measures have advanced this shift toward assessing workflow reliability and production status rather than after-the-fact outcomes. This paper introduces the WIP-Push-Wave (WPW), a novel leading indicator that captures and visualizes the wave effect created as Work in Progress (WIP) accumulates and rolls forward across planning cycles. By quantifying the degree to which the planned WIP exceeds the demonstrated capability of the production system, the WPW reveals overload conditions as they emerge, allowing intervention before performance losses occur. We present a case study of a portfolio of 1,300 projects, demonstrating the recurring wave phenomenon where unfinished work rolls forward, inflating WIP and degrading performance. We interpret this pattern as a self-reinforcing feedback loop driven by overcommitment and optimism bias in planning, and propose that a balancing loop, grounded in production principles, is needed to break this cycle and prevent such waves from forming. The WPW enables managers to identify planning biases, guiding them to improve the planning process.

Keywords

Leading indicators, optimized cycle-time flow, portfolio management, production planning and control.

Files


Full Text
 

Reference

Download: BibTeX | RIS Format

Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Gabai, D. S., Haronian, E., Sacks, R., Miera, M. K. & Cloyd, T. D.. (2026). The WIP-Push-Wave: a leading indicator for project production control. In Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M., & Garcia-Lopez,, N. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) (pp. 1547–1558). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0149

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Gabai, D. S., Haronian, E., Sacks, R., Miera, M. K. & Cloyd, T. D.. (2026). The WIP-Push-Wave: a leading indicator for project production control. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0149

 

Founded in 1993, the IGLC is an international network of researchers from practice and academia in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) who feel that the practice, education, and research of the AEC industry have to be radically renewed in order to respond to the global challenges ahead.

2015 © All Rights Reserved.