LEAN Construction FACTS
- Core principles of LEAN and LEAN construction predate TOYOTA and TPS.
- LEAN solutions that integrate People, Planning, Procurement, and Project Delivery and that are capable of 30%-40% cost savings are readily available.
- The following are NOT LEAN construction solutions, but span a variety of philosophies and/or individual components tools: LastPlanner System, Kaizen, Kanban, Value Stream Mapping (VPM), Construction Process Analysis (CPA), Five Whys, Pareto Analysis, 5S, BIM, Poka Yoke, Six Sigma….
- Current LEAN construction methods include Integrated Project Delivery, Job Order Contracting, Alliance Contracting…. although there are very few robust implementations.
- A short-list of LEAN construction requirements includes: Owner leadership, commitment, and support, a long-term multi-party agreement and associate operations manual/execution guide, initial and ongoing training for ALL participants and stakeholders, current locally researched detailed line-item construction cost task organization using a standard data architecture, quantitative metrics, mutually beneficial goals…
Transition from a project-based approach to a programmatic approach is critical in achieving measurable improvements in quality, cost, and overall sustainability.
Mitigate labor and materials waste!
Focus on people, process, and information!
Measurable productivity improvement is impossible without understanding individuals, organizations, and their needs.
Simple Introduction to LEAN Construction https://www.4bt.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lean_and_Sustainable_Construction_A_Syst-1.pdf
Kanban-a focus on just-in-time delivery and team load-balancing
LastPlanner System – Collaborative, commitment-centric pull planning and look-ahead planning support by regular team meetings, percentage completion, and variance analysis.