Consistent on-time, on-budget delivery of quality repair, renovation, maintenance, sustainability, and new construction projects is possible only when owners have the requisite levels of leadership and competency.
Robust LEAN construction planning, procurement, and project delivery tools and services are readily available. They enable a proven outcome-focused approach that integrates People, Process, Information, and Technology to drive BEST VALUE for all participants and stakeholders.
Various forms of LEAN construction planning, procurement, and project delivery have a track record spanning as long as decades and include integrated project delivery, IPD, LEAN job order contracting, JOC, and alliance contracting.
In each of these, everyone (owners, builders, AEs, building users, procurement, FMers…) are involved in the “Program”. The work “Program” is used specifically here, as LEAN construction planning, procurement, and project delivery is a well-defined, process and workflow based environment, within which Projects and Work Orders can be executed. While Projects begin and end, a Program is continuous in nature and is always adapting.
Within the Program, all participants and stakeholders share a clearly defined common vision. This includes granular articulation of roles, responsibilities, costs, and schedules as well as physical and functional outcomes. Key performance indicators, KPIs, are used to define success for all.
While owners provide leadership, builders and other “on-site” service providers are relied upon to provide localized, domain-specific expertise to drive better outcomes. Global support doesn’t dictate local action from a command and control perspective, but rather helps to assure common knowledge, goals, and anticipated outcomes.
Project definition of the Scope of Work is critical. It therefore should come as no surprise that poorly defined or poorly communicated Scope of Work is the primary cause of project failure. Efficient early and on-going involvement of participants is central to Scope of Work development and requires a common data environment (example: locally researched detailed unit price cost data organized using CSI Masterformat), joint site-visits, and additional defined phases, workflow elements, forms, approvals, etc.
A LEAN construction planning, procurement, and project delivery environment enables service providers to earn a reasonable return on their work over the duration of the program. This is an environment within with risks and rewards are shared. Performance management, while ultimately the owner’s responsibility, is shared and is accomplished at a systemic level.
An Operations Manual, or Execution Guide, is a written document that is part of a multi-party agreement, serves to articulate roles, responsibilities, data environments, workflows, metrics, etc. It integrates internal and external resources within a process-centric environment.
Henry Ford, the true father of LEAN, said it best… “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” – Henry Ford
LEAN is a process by which participants and stakeholders jointly define their common goals, define each individual’s/organization’s major areas of responsibility in terms of results expected and use these measures as guides for planning, procurement, and execution, and assessing the contribution of each participant.
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via – Four BT, LLC (4BT) is the AEC industry’s innovative integrated project delivery, construction cost data, and SAAS technology provider. We help guide organizations to achieve accelerated improvement of their facilities repair, renovation, and construction outcomes through the development of a culture centered upon delivering customer value, supported by proven LEAN processes, actionable data, enabling cloud technology, and ongoing training. www.4bt.us
