Digital Last Planner System Whiteboard for Enabling Remote Collaborative Design Process Planning and Control

The coronavirus outbreak forced design companies to consider how the flow of information and work processes could be managed in the context of remote design work. This research aims to put a digital Last Planner System (LPS) whiteboard to the test in support of remote collaborative design process planning and control and identify its benefits and challenges. The synergies between lean and digital practices were explored by developing solutions in two different case studies, one in the UK and the other in Estonia. Research results were interpreted, and the main lessons learned were articulated. The digital LPS whiteboard enabled and supported the remote planning and control of design projects and processes. The digital LPS whiteboard had the following process-related benefits, including, for example, increased transparency, understanding, engagement, flexibility, and continuous improvement. Challenges in the use of the digital whiteboard were generally due to an excess of information and meetings, the social limitations of virtual meetings, and a lack of relevant IT competencies. Recommendations for individuals interested in planning, developing, and testing a digital whiteboard for remote implementation of the LPS are made. Further research on the entangled nature of digital whiteboard functionality and LPS behaviors is needed

Automated compliance checking in healthcare building design

Regulatory frameworks associated to building design are usually complex, representing extensive sets of requirements. For healthcare projects in the UK, this includes statutory and guidance documents. Existing research indicates that they contain subjective requirements, which challenge the practical adoption of automated compliance checking, leading to limited outcomes. This paper aims to propose recommendations for the adoption of automated compliance checking in the design of healthcare buildings. Design Science Research was used to gain a detailed understanding of how information from existing regulatory requirements affects automation, through an empirical study in the design of a primary healthcare facility. In this study, a previously proposed taxonomy was implemented and refined, resulting in the identification of different types of subjective requirements. Based on empirical data emerging from the research, a set of recommendations was proposed focusing on the revision of regulatory documents, as well as to aid designers implementing automated compliance in practice

Lean Contributions to BIM Processes: The Case of Clash Management in Highways Design

Managing design is still considered a challenge and few design and construction companies apply Lean and BIM in an integrated manner to support it. The interactions of Lean and BIM have been explored for more than 10 years. Despite this, most of the practical and theoretical discussions have focused on BIM capabilities' and features' contributions to Lean goals and techniques. Therefore, this paper aims to explore and discuss Lean contributions to BIM processes, which is still missing in the analysed context. Initial findings of an ongoing research project on exploring Lean and BIM synergies in the UK are presented. The investigation adopts case study as its research strategy, while exploring the potential implementation of Lean into the BIM-based clash management in highways design. The paper contributes to knowledge by determining how Lean could reduce waste and increase value of a clash detection and resolution process. The results indicate that Lean can contribute to the BIM processes, beyond the BIM capabilities and features, to support BIM process improvements. The wide range of intervention opportunities in BIM processes from a Lean perspective needs further investigation for Lean to have a firmer place in BIM discussions

Application of Ji Koutei Kanketsu in highways design process improvement

This paper provides an introduction to ‘Ji Koutei Kanketsu’ (JKK) as a recently developed Lean method and illustrates its potential to support the improvement of BIM-based highways design work processes. JKK is developed based on the concept of jidoka to enhance the autonomation in non-physical work processes. This method provides the employees the confidence to complete their own processes without defects, while requiring a strong collaboration between the managers and their teams. The paper is based on an action research study for trialing the use of JKK in a large engineering company. It is concluded that JKK, when its prescription is compared to the current state, focuses attention to the following issues: defining individual work activities, their support factors, their pre-conditions, the judgment criteria of their outputs, and continuous improvement. JKK is also evaluated by comparing it to other, overlapping methods

A Cognitive Review for Improving the Collaboration between BIM and Lean Experts

Collaboration between Lean Construction and BIM teams is a key factor in exploiting the synergies between Lean and BIM. Although various studies have underlined the importance of team cognition and Team Mental Models (TMM) in the success or failure of collaboration amongst teams, those concepts have not been sufficiently explored from a Lean/BIM perspective. Therefore, this study attempts to introduce the concept of TMM to the Lean-BIM domain by conducting a cognitive review of the Lean-BIM joint implementation at an engineering design firm in the UK with the principal aim of developing a set of suggestions to improve the collaboration between BIM and Lean experts. To collect data, this study used a mixed research approach including secondary research, a case study and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was conducted through Thematic Analysis to find the main barriers hindering an effective Lean-BIM joint implementation. Findings also suggest that improving the components of TMM can result in an improved Lean-BIM joint implementation. A set of recommendations for Lean and BIM teams’ collaboration is also given in the paper

Book of Short Papers: 10th International Workshop: When Social Science Meets Lean and Digital Technologies: 10 years and beyond

During the last decade, the application of Lean and digital technologies has transformed the way in which construction is designed, planned, executed and operated. Advancements on the use of digital technologies have enabled exploring the application of lean principles in innovative ways, re-shaping practices and expanding frontiers. For the past 10 years, the International Workshop ‘When Social Science meets Lean & BIM’ has been a successful event, promoting a global forum for discussion on Lean Construction, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the social sciences.The previous editions of the workshop discussed important aspects related to the ongoing transformation in the construction industry, moving from traditional processes towards lean-enabled, digital and human-centred practices. In fact, social aspects consist of a key element underpinning the discussion over the years, with focus on topics such as collaboration and decision-making, and more recently, the recognition of human-centred approaches as part of the Industry 5.0, which was the theme of the last edition in Australia