LEAN Construction versus Black Belts
Search “LEAN Construction” in Google and you will get over 11 million hits. Most of these results define LEAN Construction as a variant of the following ” Lean construction is based on the lean manufacturing popularized by the Toyota Production System developed by Taiichi Ohno after World War II. ” You will also find terms such as “black belt”, “kaizen”, and “Last Planner”. While some of this information can be useful to those learning about LEAN procurement and construction delivery, not one is a LEAN procurement and construction delivery method.
A LEAN procurement and construction delivery method is a proven framework for the consistent delivery of quality facilities and other physical infrastructure repair, renovation, maintenance, sustainability, and new construction projects on-time, on-budget, and to the mutual satisfaction of all participants and stakeholders.
Furthermore, LEAN didn’t begin with Toyota, but rather with Henry Ford. But, that’s for another time.
There are current two proven forms of LEAN procurement and construction delivery methods, Integrated Project Delivery, IPD, for major new construction, and Job Order Contracting, JOC, for repair, renovation, and “minor” new construction. Both are also forms of alliance contracting or alternative project delivery. Workflows, tools, and support services are readily available to any responsible real property owner for design implementation, and ongoing management of either of these LEAN construction delivery methods in concert with individualized organizational requirements.
The only barrier to productivity across the AECOO sector are the needs for greater awareness, education, and leadership. (AECOO – Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner, Operator)
Learn more… SImple Guide to LEAN Construction
Core Elements of LEAN Construction Services Procurement and Project Delivery
- Focus upon outcomes and clients
- Required collaboration
- Financial transparency
- Common data environment, including a locally researched detailed line item unit price book
- Mutual trust/respect
- Shared risk/reward
- Defined roles, responsibilities, deliverables, and workflows
- Initial and ongoing training
- Long-term relationships
- Global oversight with leverage of localized expertise and execution management
- Continuous improvement
- Enabling cloud technology – Program, Project, Estimate, and Document Management, as well as, Asset/Space and Workflow Management including Issues/Tasks.
Review of research and practices relative to the above and demonstration of significant measurable productivity and quality gains via these methods.