Ballard

Glenn Ballard is the research director of Project Production Systems Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM; a master’s of philosophy from UC-Davis; a master’s in production management from Holy Names College, Oakland, CA; and a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

He began as a school teacher, and then started in the construction trades as a welder’s helper at Brown & Root. This unique background helped Glenn make a huge impact at the intersection of academia and industry.  At Bechtel, he invented the Last Planner®, a system of production control that is used by construction firms worldwide.

He is co-founder of the Lean Construction Institute, which includes some of the largest owner firms in the U.S. as well as international participation. In addition, he co-founded the International Group for Lean Construction. He was the principal investigator on two research teams at the Construction Industry Institute. His innovations have also dealt with design management and with relational contracting. His impact on students can be seen through their teaching and research globally.