Lean Construction

Further to my previous post regarding “The Future”, I was introduced to the Lean Construction Institute by Alan Mossman co-Editor at the Lean Construction Journal. Please visit the Lean Construction Institute website www.leanconstruction.org/ to learn more and to read the Lean Construction Journal. I was intrigued, by the wealth of information on the site. those of you in the UK can also go to http://www.leanconstruction.org.uk/ So what is Lean Construction? Lean Construction is a production management-based approach to project delivery. It can be seen as a new way to design and build a building, infrastructure or other facility. Applied to construction, Lean changes the way work is done throughout the design and delivery process. Maximize value and minimize waste.

As a result:

Positive iteration within the process is supported and negative iteration reduced.  

Work is structured throughout the process to maximize value and to reduce waste at the project delivery level. 

Efforts to manage and improve performance are aimed at improving overall project performance because it is more important than reducing the cost or increasing the speed of any activity (optimizing the piece sub-optimizes the whole). 

"Control" is redefined from "monitoring results" to "making things happen." The performance of the planning and control systems are measured and improved.

The reliable release of work between specialists in design, supply and assembly assures value is delivered to the customer and waste is reduced. Lean Construction is particularly useful on complex, uncertain and quick projects. Interestingly it challenges the belief that there must always be a trade between time, cost, and quality. As Dr W.E. Deming showed with his 'quality chain reaction' if you improve quality, cost and time can fall.