Purpose: The aim was to address behaviour that led to inappropriate processing in a small design and build contracting organisation that employs direct labour. The objective was to reduce process waste and improve the value delivered to clients. This formed part of a larger knowledge transfer project (KTP) to improve performance on construction sites through the application of lean thinking.
Methodology: Action research was used to identify and bring about change within the contracting organisation. The method was applied to live construction projects in the social housing sector in the greater London area. The intervention was to raise the awareness of site personnel to the importance of finishing tasks through informal discussions and visual management techniques.
Findings: Raised awareness of the importance of finishing work to allow other trades to follow on unimpeded led to significant improvements in the quality and flow of work. This helped to contribute to significant savings in time and cost.
Practical implications: This applied research is practical and cost effective to apply to live projects managed by small and medium sized contracting organisations.
Academic implications: the observations made reveal a form of waste in construction that has not been widely recognised in the literature on Lean.
Research limitations: Findings relate to a small SME with directly employed labour, therefore the findings have limited applicability. Further applied research is required to determine the generalisation of the approach/findings to organisations that subcontract their labour
Originality/value: Provides a unique insight into the practical application of lean thinking tools and process improvement
