What is the Lean Methodology?
The lean methodology is a modern approach to managing construction in a way that delivers successful projects in the most time-efficient and cost-effective manner. The lean approach emphasises on maximising customer value while minimising waste through the implementation of predefined holistic practices and so, it makes perfect sense in the construction industry where timeframe, cost and safety are crucial.
The lean principles were originally developed by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage and this changed the industry’s best practices forever. Later the lean principles were adopted by various manufacturing organisations to improve productivity, increase safety and enhance quality. The lean management approach has evolved considerably over the last few decades and today it is being widely practised in different forms that include Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, Kaizen and Just-in-time.
Construction
Photo: PhotoMIX Company / Pexels
Applying Lean Principles to Construction
Whether it is manufacturing or construction, the business goals and priorities of every company remain the same – to enhance operational efficiency, lower inventory issues, reduce inaccuracies and stay on schedule. But inconsistencies are an inherent aspect of construction due to various reasons like fluctuating weather conditions, unreliable vendors, changing inventory requirements, or unavailability of labour and all of these factors adversely impact the progress of construction projects.
Applying lean principles does not completely eliminate inconsistencies but definitely helps mitigate the disruptions that are caused by internal and external factors. Lean management enables the construction crew to identify areas of improvement and act upon them in time to see tangible results. Lean construction when used in conjunction with traditional project management techniques helps everyone involved understand how information, manpower and materials can be used more efficiently to deliver desired results on time, without exceeding the budget.
Progressive construction companies that believe in constant improvement and constant change are adopting the lean methodology to optimize the way their people, practices and processes work and to improve workflow and reliability while reducing cost.
Comparing Current Construction Practices with Lean Management of Construction
- Current Practices
Construction project management is contractual in nature with predefined assignments that aim to strike a perfect balance between the objectives of various stakeholders. The coordination between the crew is essentially controlled by a centralized plan that determines the sequence of activities from conception to completion. With this approach all the costs, delays, errors, and learning take place while the activities are ongoing. Cost reduction is a result of increased productivity and the project timeframe is shortened by accelerating operations or modifying the existing workflow to include concurrent work. Waste is the extra cost incurred on rework, repairs, or extended work which could have been avoided with proper planning.
- Lean Construction
Lean construction works on a very different model wherein the operations are managed in a manner that is aligned to deliver true value to the customer. The timeframe of the project and the total estimated cost are considered a part of the production system where a centralised schedule governs all the coordination and communication while the workflow is managed by the crew that is involved in, and responsible for achieving the project goals.
The primary objectives of lean construction are maximising throughput, value to customer, and minimising waste. Constant monitoring enables the crew to make improvements and reduce waste while clear communication ensures reliable workflow and timely completion, ensuring customer requirements are met with zero delays and discrepancies.
Lean construction emphasises on generating value throughout the lifecycle of the project even as the market continues to fluctuate, tools and techniques evolve and business practices undergo advancements. With lean construction, all the action is coordinated through pulling and continuous flow unlike traditional construction where every activity is governed by the central authority and driven by a predefined schedule. The decentralised decision-making system of lean construction ensures transparency and accountability with up-to-date information, empowering everyone involved to take the right action at the right time.
A classic example of the application of lean construction that empowered the crew to stay on schedule and maximise value while minimising waste is - The $78 million Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center in California!
Six Fundamental Principles of Lean Construction
There is no cookie-cutter approach to construction project management and so it employs a number of tools and techniques to reduce construction times, material waste, and labour costs while enhancing productivity and work efficiency. However, the building blocks of lean construction are as follows:
1. Identifying Value from the Client’s Viewpoint
The traditional approach to construction solely focuses on what the customer wants and that is exactly what is included in the specifications. Lean construction, on the other hand, prioritises what the customer truly values by going beyond what is to be constructed and understanding why.
Understanding the customer’s perspective early on during the planning phase and bringing together all the stakeholders helps deliver exactly what the client wants. When the engineer, architect, home owner, contractor, supervisor, and suppliers are clearly conveyed what the client wants, they can give their inputs and helps shape the ideas into reality with on-point execution.
2. Implementing Processes that Deliver True Value
Generating a value stream is simply doing what the client values. So once you have determined value from your client’s view point, establish the processes and procedures needed to deliver it while ensuring that all the steps are meticulously mapped out. From manpower to materials to equipment, every aspect should be taken into account in your blueprint and any steps that don’t add value should be eliminated at the very onset.
3. Eliminating Waste at Every Point Possible
A fundamental goal of lean construction is eliminating waste at every given opportunity and it targets 7 major areas:
- Transportation - Transportation waste happens when manpower, materials and construction equipment are moved on site before they are needed. Using truck scales can help eliminate this unnecessary cost that adds zero value to the project. Truck scales transmit data wirelessly, and give you accurate insights into the date, time and quantity of goods while eliminating unnecessary motion, waiting and overproduction.
- Inventory - Materials that are not going to be needed immediately are considered as surplus inventory that sits idle on site, adds up cost and takes up extra storage space. Using industrial weighing scale like counting scales, forklift scales or floor scales for sorting inventory, will offer better control and reduce cost.
- Movement- Unnecessary movement of raw materials and equipment and multiple trips taken by manpower across the construction site create the waste of motion.
- Wait Time - This is the most common scenario at a construction site when the manpower is all ready to take on work but the necessary raw materials and construction machinery needed to perform the job have not been delivered. Integrating industrial weighing scales in construction equipment (like forklift scales to a forklift, crane scales to cranes, conveyor belt scales to conveyor belt) helps reduce waste like waiting and motion.
- Utilisation of Resources - The construction crew has a wide range of skills and experience but if the right person is not performing the right job, their expertise and knowledge go waste.
- Excess Processing - Over processing takes place when additional features or tasks are added to the schedule but they add no value to the project. This often happens when steps are taken to avoid other types of construction waste, involuntarily leading to over processing.
- Over Production - Over production occurs when a task is completed prior to its schedule or before the next task in the schedule can be started.
4. Achieving a Collaborative and Continuous Workflow from Start to Finish
The ultimate purpose of implementing lean construction is achieving a speedy, streamlined workflow that is consistent and reliable. With lean construction, every stage is preplanned and performed in a sequential manner. For instance, the construction crew would not start hanging drywall in a space until all the plumbing and electrical work has been roughed in. To achieve an organised and predictable workflow, everyone involved needs to consistently communicate and collaborate at every stage to avoid interruptions and delays.
Dividing a construction project into predefined zones can help workers and contractors ensure that they have the time and resources to complete each task on schedule. This also enables them to make timely adjustments in case any stage falls behind schedule or gets completed ahead of time.
5. Using Pull Planning and Scheduling for a Streamlined Approach
Creating a reliable and predictable workflow also depends on the construction work that is being executed according to downstream demand. Lean construction ensures that this is best done by using pull planning or scheduling where participants work in close collaboration with each other and make sure that the work is done sequentially. This requires starting with a specific target date and staying on schedule.
With lean construction, pull planning is accomplished by those who are actually performing the work. This is because they are best suited to determine their capabilities and dictate the task schedule; working in coordination with subcontractors and customers for timely handoffs based on downstream demands.
6. Continuous Monitoring and Optimisation
Waste reduction and continuous improvement are the core philosophies of lean construction. These opportunities for improvement are identified and acted upon through real-time monitoring of the tasks and applied to future construction projects for better business outcomes.
Lean construction emphasises on making continuous improvements which in turn brings the following benefits:
- Enhanced safety
- High-quality construction
- Improved productivity
- Reduced waste
- Better risk management
- Fast track project delivery
- Greater customer satisfaction
- Maximum returns
Achieving continuous improvement however, comes with conscious, consistent practice of lean principles. Lean principles are based on the ideology that excellence is achieved only when companies strive to learn, grow and optimise their operations on an ongoing basis. It is through this holistic concept that the construction crew is empowered to be more efficient and effective, thereby making construction projects more economical and profitable.
In any construction project, the lifecycle is usually longer as the value stream is complicated and so, any modifications to the original blueprint have a downstream effect which makes it crucial that changes are communicated to all stakeholders across the different parts of the project.
To ensure progressing with consistent improvements, lean construction follows a stable strategy of planning and control. The loop includes predefined criteria for success and the strategies for achieving the desired outcome. Control is a standard process that lays out the events to ensure they conform to the plan, creating opportunities for identifying areas that need re-planning or adjustments. A consistent loop of planning and control enables the crew to stay on track, improve processes and eliminate waste throughout the build.
Like every industry, the construction industry is also more inclined to old school techniques and averse to change but adopting lean principles has many benefits and this is compelling construction companies to take on the challenge, change the existing approach and upgrade construction equipment. This can have far reaching effects which are clearly visible when projects are successfully accomplished on time at the given budget and deliver complete customer satisfaction.
The Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building in Arizona is another real life example of continuous improvement that combined lean construction with BIM to save $2 Million and 16 weeks!
Leveraging the Lean Approach to Achieve Project Success
Construction companies can follow these 5 simple steps to implement lean concepts on site:
Step 1: Clearly Define the Value Stream
Get all the major players who are involved in the project, on the same page – from owners and architects to the construction crew and the engineers. Clearly define the value stream and create the master schedule for an amazing start to the project.
Step 2: Build a Sense of Team and Trust
Stay consistent by reinforcing team spirit, collaboration and communication throughout the project from ideation to completion. Focusing on team, relationships and trust makes it easier to embrace the ideology of continual improvement.
Step 3: Make Continual Improvement the Benchmark
Give everyone the necessary tools and technology needed to achieve optimal operational efficiency and peak performance. A high stakes construction project exerts crushing stress without the necessary tools so if you want it to run smooth like a well-oiled machine, make sure you are providing all the resources necessary to restore energy and focus.
Step 4: Prioritise Waste Elimination at Every Point Possible
Organise periodic sessions to address the needs of the project at every stage – from eliminating waste to overcoming communication barriers to ensuring that there are no unhealthy conflicts that can affect the quality of workmanship.
Step 5: Constantly Monitor and Make Adjustments
The is the most important point where you check in with the goals and make sure things are not getting off track. You can also assign a project coach who can help address issues immediately or help resolve issues concerning the people working on the project. This will prevent issues from becoming bigger problems and allow true value to flow systematically by eliminating all points of tension in real-time.
Taking the learning from one project to another also allows for continual innovation and value addition while making everyone involved better at optimising the whole.
The author, Kevin Hill, heads up the marketing efforts at Quality Scales Unlimited in Byron, CA. Besides his day job, he loves to write about the different types of scales and their importance in various industries. He also writes about how to care for and get optimised performance from different scales in different situations. He enjoys spending time with family and going on camping trips.
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