Construction Innovation: The Implementation of Lean Construction towards Sustainable Innovation

The prevalent theory of construction has been seen as a hindrance to construction innovation. The concept of lean construction is concerned with the application of lean thinking to the construction industry. However, in lean construction there are many arguments supporting the view that ‘the prevalent theory of production (or specifically, theory of construction) is counterproductive, and leads to added costs and reduced overall performance through the deficient production control principles based on the theory’. Presently, the construction industry and all other organisations face various problems as a result of the uncertainties of the global economic climate; including labour redundancies, delayed projects and zero margin contract bids. The construction industry is seen as one of the worst performing industry as regards innovation. This calls for concern about the poor state of construction innovation. The emergence of lean construction is to bring significant reform to the construction industry to achieve the objectives of sustainability within the built environment in the critical social, economic and environmental aspects. Increasingly, lean construction offers new techniques of constructing sustainable projects. It is about reducing costs by cutting waste, innovating by engaging people and organising the work-place to be more efficient. Hence, the aim of this paper is to highlight the cost and benefits of the potential contribution of lean construction to the attainment of sustainable innovation in construction. An exploratory method of investigation is adopted in achieving the aim of this paper by critically reviewing, exploring, and synthesising literature and industry case studies related to the subject matter. Evidence from the literature reveals that innovation through lean improvement in construction processes has provided proof of sustainability outcomes in terms of reduced waste, effort and time. Hence, lean construction impacts significantly on innovation by enhancing competitiveness, innovativeness, and resource efficiency within the construction industry. Keywords: Construction industry, Construction innovation, Lean construction, Sustainabilit

Towards an Operational Definition of Lean Construction Onsite

Through literature review and drawing from a combined professional experience of over 20 years of lean construction implementation, this paper investigates the key success factor for the automotive industry’s uptake of lean production to see what the construction industry can derive from it. The paper concludes that there exist a variety of definitions of lean, but no existing definition is yet satisfactory to describe lean construction in a rigorously testable method. This is a major obstacle to the successful deployment of lean construction especially when the industry does not have a standard benchmark of “what a lean site looks like”. It recommends a small-scale replication of the International Motor Vehicle Programme (IMVP) led International Automotive Plant Study (IAPS) in construction. This will be in aid of developing an operational definition of lean construction, in line with Deming’s understanding, in the form of a lean site assessment tool contributing to a Lean Index. A statistical study is also suggested to establish correlation between the degrees of lean application (Lean Index) and project performanc

Analysis framework for the interaction between lean construction and building information modelling

Building with Building Information Modelling (BIM) changes design and production processes. But can BIM be used to support process changes designed according to lean production and lean construction principles? To begin to answer this question we provide a conceptual analysis of the interaction of lean construction and BIM for improving construction. This was investigated by compiling a detailed listing of lean construction principles and BIM functionalities which are relevant from this perspective. These were drawn from a detailed literature survey. A research framework for analysis of the interaction between lean and BIM was then compiled. The goal of the framework is to both guide and stimulate research; as such, the approach adopted up to this point is constructive. Ongoing research has identified 55 such interactions, the majority of which show positive synergy between the two

Suggestions to Improve Lean Construction Planning

The Last Planner System® has been one of the most popular lean construction tools that offers a solution to tackle the problems of production management on construction sites. Since its inception almost 20 years ago, construction companies across the world have implemented Last Planner with reported success. However, even as Last Planner was originally designed to address some shortcomings of the CPM method, a particular shortcoming – namely task continuity was not addressed directly. Also, excepting PPC and Reasons for Non Completion charts, there are no explicit visual tools offered by the Last Planner system. On the other hand, Line of Balance based approaches intrinsically support the consideration of task continuity, and offer a basic visual management approach in schedule representation. With some exceptions, Line of Balance is seen as a special technique applicable only in linear or repetitive work based schedules. The authors suggest that i) there is a need for a robust theory of planning and scheduling and ii) there is a need for a more suitable approach that addresses critical aspects of planning and scheduling function for example by integrating Line of Balance and Last Planner to provide a more robust support for construction scheduling

Analysis Framework for the Interaction Between Lean Construction and Building Information Modelling

Building with Building Information Modelling (BIM) changes design and production processes. But can BIM be used to support process changes designed according to lean production and lean construction principles? To begin to answer this question we provide a conceptual analysis of the interaction of lean construction and BIM for improving construction. This was investigated by compiling a detailed listing of lean construction principles and BIM functionalities which are relevant from this perspective. These were drawn from a detailed literature survey. A research framework for analysis of the interaction between lean and BIM was then compiled. The goal of the framework is to both guide and stimulate research; as such, the approach adopted up to this point is constructive. Ongoing research has identified 55 such interactions, the majority of which show positive synergy between the two

Lean Construction Implementation: Case Study

Lean construction offers a collaborative approach to traditional construction practices and has the primary goal of increasing value to the client. With the proper use of lean construction tools on projects and the adoption of a lean culture, construction companies have recognized real benefits in terms of cost, productivity, and schedule while increasing customer satisfaction. The construction industry has been slow however in adopting the lean construction practices that have proven to be successful. The research in this study will familiarize the reader with the principles of lean construction, and address why the demand for lean construction is rising. In this case study, participants from two construction companies, a leading lean contractor and a non-lean contractor, were interviewed to evaluate the different lean construction “journeys” taken by each company. The interviews and analysis in this study primarily focus on the lean culture, use of lean construction tools, common barriers, lean education, and industry outlook from each of the companies. Suggestions for the future growth of lean construction were provided based on the interview responses

Reforming project management: the role of lean construction

Project management as taught by professional societies and applied in current practice must be reformed because it is inadequate today and its performance will continue to decline as projects become more uncertain, complex and pressed for speed. Project management is failing because of flawed assumptions and idealized theory: it rests on a faulty understanding of the nature or work in projects, and a deficient definition of control. It is argued that a reform of project management will be driven by theories from production management that add the management of workflow and the creation and delivery of value to the current emphasis on activities. Of all the approaches to production management, the theory and principles drawn from Lean Production seem to be best suited for project management. Promising results in this regard have been reached already in one project management area, namely in Lean Construction

Lean construction versus Project Management in road projects : scheduling comparison

Lean Construction is regarded as an innovative approach of management for various types of projects in the field of construction. As much as it is currently applied in some countries, its expansion is inevitable, for better overall results are obtained and the projects’ objectives are met more precisely. Despite the fact that Lean Construction offers solutions to many problems occurring under the traditional management approach known as the Project Management (PM), the scope of its application is not as promising. Countries where Lean Construction is minimally applied include the United States of America and the United Kingdom besides other countries in Europe and Latin America. However, it is still not applied to a more exhaustive extent in these countries and is completely missing in many others around the world. This study primarily focuses on the application of Lean Construction to Infrastructure, specifically road projects; investigating Lean Construction solutions to the time wastes. Through conducting a case study research, this work focuses on investigating the impact of applying Last Planner System as a Lean Construction tool on the elimination of Non-Value Added (NVA) activities, that is, wastes in a highway project in Cairo, Egypt. This study includes a State of Art on both Project Management approach and Lean Construction. The study applies a comparative approach between the application of Project Management approach and Lean Construction in road projects. Hence, the researcher conducted different simulations of the studied road project, taking into account the two approaches (Project Management and Lean Construction), then obtaining the simulations results. Two parameters are used as comparison criteria: Percentage Plan Complete (PPC) and Percentage Activity Waste (PAW). The later (PAW) is a new parameter introduced by the researcher to investigate its results before/after applying the Lean Construction tools. Findings of the study support the research hypothesis that the application of Lean Construction approach to road projects enhances productivity through eliminating time-related wastes and decreasing the project duration. This research supports the argument that road projects can benefit greatly from the application of Lean Construction instead of the traditional approach.Lean Construction es considerado como un enfoque innovador para la gestión de diversos tipos de proyectos en el campo de la construcción. Por más que se aplique actualmente en algunos países, su expansión es inevitable, ya que se obtienen mejores resultados generales y los objetivos de los proyectos se cumplen con mayor precisión. A pesar del hecho de que Lean Construction ofrece soluciones a muchos problemas que ocurren bajo el enfoque de administración tradicional conocido como Gestión de Proyectos (Project Management, PM), el alcance de su aplicación no es tan prometedor. Los países en los que se aplica mínimamente el Lean Construction son los Estados Unidos de América y el Reino Unido, además de otros países de Europa y América Latina. Sin embargo, todavía no se aplica de manera más exhaustiva en estos países y está completamente ausente en muchos otros en todo el mundo. Este estudio se centra principalmente en la aplicación de el Lean Construction a Infraestructura, específicamente en proyectos viales; Investigando soluciones de Lean Construction para los desperdicios del tiempo. A través de la realización de una investigación de estudio de caso, este trabajo se enfoca en investigar el impacto de la aplicación del Sistema Last Planner como una herramienta Lean Construction en la eliminación de actividades sin valor agregado (NVA), es decir, desechos en un proyecto vial en El Cairo, Egipto. Este estudio incluye un estado del arte tanto en el enfoque de gestión tradicional de proyectos Project Management como en Lean Construction. El estudio se aplica a un enfoque comparativo entre la aplicación del enfoque de el Project Management y el Lean Construction en proyectos viales. Por lo tanto, el investigador realizó diferentes simulaciones del proyecto de carretera estudiado, teniendo en cuenta los dos enfoques (Project Management y Lean Construction), y luego obtuvo los resultados de las simulaciones. Se utilizan dos parámetros como criterios de comparación: Plan de porcentaje completado (PPC) y Porcentaje de residuos de actividad (PAW). El último (PAW) es un nuevo parámetro introducido por el investigador para investigar sus resultados antes / después de aplicar las herramientas de el Lean Construction. Los hallazgos del estudio apoyan la hipótesis de la investigación de que la aplicación del enfoque de Lean Construction a los proyectos viales aumenta la productividad al eliminar los desechos relacionados con el tiempo y disminuir la duración del proyecto. Esta investigación apoya el argumento de que los proyectos viales pueden mejorarse en gran medida con la aplicación de el Lean Construction en lugar del enfoque tradicional el Project Management.Postprint (published version

Lean construction, building information modelling and sustainability

This paper investigates the mutual relations of three current drivers of construction: lean construction, building information modelling and sustainability. These drivers are based on infrequently occurring changes, only incidentally simultaneous, in their respective domains. It is contended that the drivers are mutually supportive and thus synergistic. They are aligned in the sense that all require, promote or enable collaboration. It is argued that these three drivers should be implemented in a unified manner for rapid and robust improvements in construction industry performance and the quality of the constructed facilities and their benefits for stakeholders and wider society