Lean Construction

Sam Brooks, a young superintendent with ProCon Builders, has been given responsibility for the largest and most complicated project of his career. He struggles with all of the common difficulties in construction -- lack of communication, coordination issues, and other kinds of wasteful occurrences that rob his project of time and money, while leaving him and his team frustrated and overworked. Luckily, his friend, mentor, and co-worker, Alan Phillips, brings the benefit of his experience and his knowledge of Lean Construction tools and processes to help Sam learn valuable skills for improving the operation of his project. Together, Sam and Alan discuss the merits and explore the practical applications of: Daily Huddles Visual Communication The "Eight Wastes" Managing Constraints Pull Planning The Last Planner System(TM) Percent Plan Complete

The book presents a mixed research method adopted to assess and present the Toyota Way practices within construction firms in general and for firms in China specifically. The results of an extensive structured questionnaire survey based on the Toyota Way-styled attributes identified were developed and data collected from building professionals working in construction firms is presented. The quantitative data presented in the book explains the status quo of the Toyota Way-styled practices implemented in the construction industry, as well as the extent to which these attributes were perceived for lean construction management. The book highlights all the actionable attributes derived from the Toyota Way model appreciated by the building professionals, but alerts the readers that some attributes felled short of implementation. Further findings from in-depth interviews and case studies are also presented in the book to provide to readers an understanding how these Toyota Way practices can be implemented in real-life projects. Collectively, all the empirical findings presented in this book can serve to enhance understanding of Toyota Way practices in the lean construction management context. The readers are then guided through to understand the gaps between actual practice and Toyota Way-styled practices, and the measures that they may undertake to circumvent the challenges for implementation. The book also presents to readers the SWOT analysis that addresses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats towards the implementation of the Toyota Way in the construction industry. The book prescribes the Toyota Way model for use in construction firms to strategically implement lean construction management. The checklist presented in the book enables readers to draw lessons that may be used additionally as a holistic assessment tool for measuring the maturity of firms with respect to their Toyota Way implementation. Consequent to this, management would then be in a better position to develop plans for Toyota Way implementation by focusing on weak areas, strengthening them, and thus increasing the likelihood of success in the implementation of the Toyota Way. In a nutshell, this book provides a comprehensive and valuable resource for firms not only in the construction industry but also businesses outside of the construction sector to better understand the Toyota Way and how this understanding can translate to implementation of lean construction/business management to enhance profitability and survivability in an increasingly competitive global market place.

This book is relevant to any kind of business and is currently being used by a number of multi-national companies, including AstraZeneca, Ericsson, Scania and Volvo.

This book collates the main research developments around Lean Construction over the past 25 years with contributions from many seminal authors in the field. It takes stock of developments since the publication of Koskela’s (1992) Application of the New Production Philosophy to Construction and, in doing so, challenges current thinking and progress. It also crystallises theoretical conceptualisations and practically situated learning whilst identifying future research challenges, agendas and opportunities for global collaborative actions. The contributors present the development of Lean Construction as a fundamental part of improving construction productivity, quality and delivery of value to clients and users of built infrastructure. In doing so, the book introduces the reader to the foundational principles and theories that have influenced the way we now understand Lean Construction and has provided very useful insights to students, practitioners and researchers on key junctures over the last 25 years. Highlighting the key contemporary developments and using global case study material the chapters demonstrate good practice but also help introduce new thinking to both lay readers and experienced practitioners alike. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and practitioners with an interest in Lean Construction and construction management, providing a general understanding of the area, current state of the art knowledge as well as providing an insight into areas for future research.

Non-value adding activities are otherwise known as ‘waste’ in the lean construction lexicon. The aim of this collection is to build a common understanding of the role and contribution of value-adding activities in achieving stipulated objectives and continuous improvement in construction projects, and to contrast this with waste. Although the lean approach to construction projects has been widely covered, this is the first book that explicitly provides the link between value and waste in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. This internationally researched collection seeks to create a paradigm shift, which will shape work processes and future directions for how value is conceptualized and operationalized in both the project management and business aspects of construction. The readers will gain an understanding of: The value-adding paradigm in construction How to make value-supporting decisions Waste identification and control in practice With contributions from South Africa, Brazil, Norway, and the USA, the implications of this book are globally relevant. This is essential reading for all higher level students of construction management and economics, and all professionals interested in value management.

This book introduces and develops the novel concept of Lean Construction 4.0. The capability of Lean Construction to effectively adapt the architecture-engineering-construction (AEC) industry to this new era of digital transformation requires a reconceptualization of the triad people-processes-technology as a foundation for the theoretical and practical framework of Lean Construction. Therefore, a shift towards Lean Construction 4.0 is required. Lean Construction 4.0 is a new systems-wide thinking approach where synergies and overlaps between Lean Construction and digital/smart technologies go far beyond BIM to reshape the way we design, manage, and operate capital projects in the modern age of automation. This pioneering new book brings together the views of world experts at the interface of Lean Construction and digital/smart technologies, in order to channel research efforts, to introduce and discuss current research and practice, challenges and drivers, and future perspectives of Lean Construction 4.0. It is not the aim of the book to keep adding digits to the term ‘Lean Construction’ to ‘catch up’ with the industry revolutions as they go on. Instead, after reading this book, it will be undeniable for readers that the triad process-people-technology as proposed by Lean Construction 4.0 is required to achieve an effective, long-lasting digital transformation of the AEC industry. Thus, the aim of Lean Construction 4.0 is better explained by what it evokes: a future vision of construction systems comprising people, processes, and technology using Industry 4.0/5.0 as a basis for technological innovation in the AEC industry coupled with Lean Construction theory and practice as a jettison for improved processes and systems integration. The Lean Construction 4.0 concept coined and developed in this edited book is unique and the chapters provide practitioners and academics with a provocative reflection on the theoretical and practical aspects that shape the Lean Construction 4.0 concept. More importantly, Lean Construction 4.0 proposes a rationale for the AEC industry not only to survive, but to thrive!

Lean Project Delivery - Building Championship Project Teams This book was inspired by the need for an integrated resource for those in the design and construction industry wanting to better understand how Lean can improve project performance and outcomes. In eye-opening stories and brilliant color graphics, David and Dan share the value proposition and mechanics of Lean design and construction. The authors have broken the book into bite-size units on the origins of Lean, the compelling case for the need for Lean, a history of Lean as it has evolved in the AEC industry, Lean thinking and various Lean tools with specific applications and examples in design and construction, making learning Lean fun, and how to effectively establish an organizational and project culture that will enable and sustain Lean practices. In the spirit of Lean visual management, this book is purposefully designed with color illustrations. Whether you are a design professional, site superintendent, project manager, or C-suite executive, this book will help all understand how Lean can make your team perform at a championship level.

Lean Project Delivery and Integrated Practices in Modern Construction is the new and enhanced edition of the pioneering book Modern Construction by Lincoln H. Forbes and Syed M. Ahmed. This book provides a multi-faceted approach for applying lean methodologies to improve design and construction processes. Recognizing the wide diversity in the landscape of projects, and encompassing private and public sector activity, buildings and infrastructure, the book expands upon the detailed coverage of integrated project delivery and new lean tools and techniques to include: Greater emphasis on the importance of creating a lean culture and the initiatives required to transform the industry; Expanded discussions of the foundational writings in lean construction theory; Exploration of the synergies between "lean" and "green" initiatives; Specific procedures for modifying planning and scheduling activities to improve the performance of the project team; Expanded sections on quality, and topics that have become a part of the lean lexicon, such as Choosing by Advantages, "line of balance"/location-based scheduling, virtual design teams, takt time planning and set-based design; Discussion questions for beginners and advanced lean practitioners; and Improved cross-referencing within the text to help the reader navigate the frameworks, techniques and tools to support the application of lean principles. The techniques described here enhance the use of resources, reducing waste, minimizing delays, increasing quality and reducing overall costs. They enable practitioners to improve the quality of the built environment, secure higher levels of customer/owner satisfaction, and simultaneously improve their profitability. This book is essential reading for all those wanting to be at the forefront of construction management and lean thinking.