What Is Lean In Construction? What Are The Benefits Of Lean Construction?
What Is Lean In Construction?
Lean Construction is an approach to designing and building that combines operational research and practical development with the principles and practices of lean manufacturing. It seeks to improve the construction process by delivering maximum value with minimum cost, while considering the customer’s needs.
The focus is on continuous improvement across all aspects of the built and natural environment, including design, construction, activation, maintenance, salvaging, and recycling.
Historical Development Of Lean Construction
The roots of Lean Construction can be traced back to the 1450s when the concept of a production process was first integrated, with Henry Ford being a major contributor to the development of the core elements of Lean.
In the 1990s, Lauri Koskela challenged the construction management industry to re-examine its inadequate time-cost-quality tradeoff paradigm, while evidence of project plan failures led to the realization that the principles of construction management needed to be revisited.
The historical development of Lean Construction has seen several paradigm-breaking anomalies, with the focus shifting from just flow to the integration of planning, procurement, and project delivery within a common data environment.
The tools and techniques used in traditional construction management, such as the work breakdown structure, critical path method, and earned value management, were found to be inadequate in delivering projects ‘on-time, at budget, and at desired quality.’
As a result, there has been growing concern about the cost of inefficiency in the management of construction projects and the need for a new approach.
Lean Construction Principles
Lean construction is a project management approach that places a focus on collaboration, process optimization, and continuous improvement. Unlike traditional construction methods, lean construction focuses on all stakeholders working together as a team to achieve a common goal. The following are some of the key principles of lean construction:
Focus on the Process: In traditional construction projects, each participant focuses on their own role and the transactions that define it. In lean construction, however, all stakeholders focus on the process of construction. This means that everyone is involved in the design process, regardless of their role, and that the building method and materials used are optimized for the final product.
Planning More Than Reacting: In traditional construction projects, there is often a tendency to focus on the short term and to react to issues as they arise. In a lean construction project, participants consider the entire life cycle of the structure during the design phase and align their short-term and long-term interests to the benefit of the project. Additionally, participants learn from past projects and incorporate these lessons into the current project.
Creating Structures to Achieve Goals: In a lean construction project, a systemic approach is taken to prepare for and begin each activity. Everyone involved in the work makes a commitment to complete it following the requirements, and they work together to solve any problems that may arise. The goal is to start work “at the last responsible moment.”
Focus on the Project Supply Chain: In traditional construction projects, the supply chain is often fragmented, with each participant managing their own materials and equipment. In lean construction, participants work together to improve supply chain performance and reduce the impact of market variabilities, price shocks, shortages, and lead times.
Using Realistic Contingencies: Contingencies are used to cushion the project from surprises, but in traditional construction projects, these often build up in proportion to the risk. In a lean construction project, contingencies are assigned to offset project variabilities and are allocated in the right amount. The group effort helps to ensure that necessary buffers are included and that unnecessary ones are avoided.
In conclusion, lean construction is a project management approach that focuses on collaboration, process optimization, and continuous improvement. By applying these principles, construction projects can be completed with better quality, increased efficiency, and lower costs.
What Are The Benefits Of Lean Construction?
Lean construction offers numerous benefits to companies and teams involved in the construction process. This philosophy involves close collaboration and integration of innovation into every project, streamlining operations and reducing inefficiencies.
As a result, companies can expect to see on-time project completion, high-quality work, increased worker satisfaction, and better risk management. With lean construction, teams are able to complete projects faster, even with fewer workers on-site.
Standardization, continuous improvement, and effective communication lead to fewer mistakes and exceptional results. Workers are also more engaged and motivated when they have more control over the process and spend less time on unnecessary tasks.
In addition, lean construction emphasizes planning for problems before they occur, reducing panic and ensuring effective decision-making during challenges.