  Based on the knowledge of dynamic systems, the shorter the transient
response, or the faster a system reaches the steady-state after the
introduction of the change, the smaller will be the output variability. In lean
manufacturing, the principle of reducing set-up times has the same purpose:
reduce the transient time and improve production flow. Analogously, the
analysis of the transient response of project-driven systems may provide
crucial information about how fast these systems react to a change and how that
change affects their production output. Although some studies have investigated
flow variability in projects, few have looked at variability from the
perspective that the transient state represents the changeovers on
project-driven production systems and how the transient state affects the
process' flow variability. The purpose of this study is to investigate the
effect of changes in project-driven production systems from a conceptual point
of view, furthermore, measuring and correlating the transient response of five
cases to their flow variability. Results showed a proportional relationship
between the percentile transient time and flow variability of a process. That
means that the quicker the production system reacts to change; the less the
distress in the production output, consequently, lower levels of flow
variability. As practical implications, lean practices focusing on reducing
set-up times (transient time) can have their effects measured on project-driven
production flow.
