In 2016, NBN Co. faced mounting pressure to reduce its construction cycle time of 120 business days.
The task was clear: Deliver broadband to over 300,000 premises by mid-2016 and achieve national coverage by 2020. However, delays escalated into dissatisfied customers and rising costs, making timely action crucial.
If you’ve managed large projects, you’ll relate to the stress of looming deadlines and high expectations. NBN Co.’s construction
teams encountered the same challenges—complicated workflows,
multiple stakeholders, and external delays constantly pushing deadlines further.
Reflect on the times you questioned whether your project would finish on time.
NBN Co. found itself racing against time, with an average cycle time of 120 business days. Leadership assumed node locations were the primary cause of delays, but the true challenge was identifying the real reasons behind the delays and making impactful changes to stay on track.
To our surprise, node locations weren’t the issue: In-Field Design Variations (IFDVs) were. These needed resolution before construction could proceed. To address this, we introduced Joint Field Walkouts (JFW), which brought design and construction teams together early to resolve potential issues upfront, ensuring designs were ready from the outset.
Case Study: After implementing the MSA and aligning definitions, NBN saw a significant reduction in design resubmissions. Validation times improved, and partners like KORDIA and Telstra adapted to the new standards with fewer issues.
This approach was a major breakthrough: data-driven decision-making created real, measurable results. Using Lean Six Sigma Black belt tools such as advanced statistical analysis techniques, we pinpointed the root causes of delays, improved deployment efficiency, and kept the project on track.
By transforming our deployment approach, the Joint Field Walkout initiative significantly reduced IFDVs and accelerated network rollouts. Early collaboration between construction and design teams cut costs and helped us meet NBN’s broadband deployment targets.
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