Lean Construction
Starting an article from the conclusions is perhaps an unorthodox way to do it. But very practical to invite to enter the field of philosophy Lean Construction to those who, up to now, have not done so in the «construction optimization«.
The implantation of Lean system provides numerous improvements and benefits in a wide number of aspects of the company and at the same time, highlights its usefulness as a key bet for competitiveness. In general, the advantages of applying a Lean process would be:
If we transfer the methodology and techniques of Lean to the construction sector, it begins to stand out benefits that the implementation of Lean Construction can bring at planning process of a construction site;
- Deliver the works on time or before the deadline
- Cost savings
- Risk management
- Quality improvement
- Site safety
- Reliable data
- Efficient and motivated organization
Explain the Lean construction planning process in an article it is complicated and, although here we are going to see the keys, what is Lean Construction and how it is revolutionizing the construction sector. At the end of the article, there is a complete video of a Master Class Lean Construction held this year where you can see the planning process step by step …
What is Lean Construction?
LEAN Construction is a management philosophy that seeks to provide value and customer benefits in construction project management through optimized processes applying continuous improvement.
A system based on Lean Production Its objective is to eliminate those activities that do not add value to the customer; optimize and reduce production time, reduce costs, improve product quality, etc.
The adaptation of the Lean methodology the construction sector has been represented in the system Lean Construction or «Waste-free construction»That has had a historical process in Spain that is reflected in the following infographic (Enlarge image here):
Its beginnings are the industrial sector at the end of the 20th century with Lean manufacturing and as the main exponent, the automobile factory of Toyota that I create a management model in order to minimize losses in products with the minimum amount of resources to add value to the end customer. Applying the philosophy of eliminating waste in product creation to improve quality and reduce costs and production time.
It must be understood that the construction sector has always been very traditional and quite sensitive to new changes or new forms of management. This situation, over time, has caused the works, and in general, any construction process, to have important deficiencies in many aspects and that, in addition, they are constantly repeated.
The Lean Construction objective is to minimize risks, be more effective and increase efficiency which translates, broadly speaking, into benefits for all parties involved in a work, from the beginning of the creation of the project, to the delivery of the work itself (Remember the article on how to validate projects before starting work).
How is the Lean Construction philosophy applied?… The way to optimize processes is through detection and elimination of the 8 wastes of Lean:
1.- Deliver the works on time or before the deadline from the beginning of the project
Lean is not a set of tools, it is a philosophy that must be addressed in a systemic and long-term way. However, as we know, philosophy without methodology cannot be carried out, so it is necessary to have working methods and tools that facilitate its application.
Last Planner® System (LPS) is a method of planning and monitoring of that planning based on the collaboration and commitment of subcontractors, both in the initial planning and in its weekly monitoring. The application results are very successful, saving delivery times thanks to the coordination of all contractors and / or subcontractors through initial meetings (Pull Planning) and weekly meetings.
Due to the complexity of explaining all the nuances of the Last Planner® System methodology. The following video represents the first part of six videos that explain in detail how it works and its application (The playlist of all the videos can be consulted HERE).
Remember that in our extensive article on manufactured homes we could already see significant savings in housing construction times.
2.- Cost savings in works
In Lean Manufacturing (Lean in the industrial sector), cost savings with Lean are achieved almost immediately. There are clear differences between the industrial and construction sectors:
| INDUSTRIAL SECTOR | CONSTRUCTION SECTOR |
| A product is manufactured repeatedly | Each construction is a pilot project |
| Low turnover of workers hired by the same company, thus favoring a long-term mentality and instilling the Lean culture. | Workers from different companies come and go every week, with the impossibility of fully integrating them into the Lean culture. |
| Usual collaborating companies. | A partner company is chosen for each project, usually based on cost. |
| It works in closed, controlled spaces. | You work outdoors for a long period of time in spaces that are difficult to control. |
| The product moves through the factory and the operator is static. | It is the operator who moves through the building or infrastructure. |
| The product is almost 100% defined before it is put into production. | The product is defined while it is in the production phase |
Due to these differences, Lean cannot be implemented in the same way in one industry as in another. Eliminating part of the waste such as excess inventory or overproduction are factors that can be carried out faster in a factory than in construction.
However, the philosophy is the same, and applying tools such as Last Planner System on site, the teams are ordered and coordinated among themselves, under the leadership of the Site Manager.
With the Last Planner System the teams are ordered and coordinated to optimize work costs
Although it is true that this methodology (LPS) achieves cost savings on site, the true potential is in the project writing phase. If we involve contractors and subcontractors in the project drafting phase, we will achieve that the project is designed to be put into production and with an optimal level of detail to build without the need to stop production due to lack of definition.
3.- Better risk management in projects
One of the keys in project management is risk management and how we should manage them.
In design phase:
In this phase, under the Lean philosophy, the methodologies of Lean Integrated Project Delivery (LIPD). At this point, we can get the risks to be much lower, since the 3 parts they design with production in mind.
However, under this methodology other types of risks are generated. For example, decision-making among all, team coordination or achieving the cultural change of the participants in the collaborative contract. For this, Lean and Lean Construction in particular, has created tools that help us such as:
- A3 report
- Ishikawa's diagram
- Contracts like the IFOA
- Choosing by Advantages
- Value Stream Mapping
- Target Value Design
- Set Based Design
In construction phase:
In Last Planner® System (LPS), a restriction is considered to be everything that prevents me from carrying out the activities that generate transformation (formwork, rebar, concreting, etc.). Until now, a systematic method has not been used on site to manage restrictions (not having construction details, lack of municipal permits, lack of personnel or material, etc.).
LPS offers you the restriction worksheet, where weekly through the weekly meeting, the subcontractors detect everything that they will need to be able to carry out the work activities that begin within 6 weeks.
We are able to continue the continuous workflow without causing downtime. Lean key point, generate continuous flow
4.- Quality improvement
As a consequence of the application of Last Planner on site… can quality be affected? Some people wonder if quality has been affected by getting the works completed faster. If we take real after-sales data that we have consulted, we can categorically say NO. Sometimes coordination between the unions can even improve the quality of execution.
On the other hand, where great quality can be generated is in the design phaseor. At this point, input from contractors and subcontractors can be key to improving quality.
In Lean quality is not based on inspection but on seeking the absence of error, that is, quality at the source. For this, there is a tool for the generation of anti-error systems called "Poka Yoke”
5.- Improved safety on site
The 5 S's application represents a very useful tool. It is about 5 words that start with "s" in Japanese. It is a methodology that makes you follow in a sequential way the different "eses" to reach the goal of creating orderly and clean workspaces that help eliminate waste and create safe workspaces.
Without a doubt, it is easier to apply it in a static environment such as a factory or an office, than in a construction site, but it can and we can see it in the following video …
6.- Advantages in obtaining reliable data
“What is not measured can not be improved”Phrase attributed to Peter Drucker that makes sense in the subject we address. Lean seeks perfection, so you have to apply "Kaizen" or continuous improvement. But for this we must measure and obtain reliable data and key indicators that help us improve.
There are several key indicators within the Last Planner System such as:
- PPC: Percentage of Promises Fulfilled or Percentage of Plan Completed weekly
- Days of advance and delay: Know weekly how many days of advance and delay
- CNC: Causes of non-compliance. Every week the activities completed and those not completed are analyzed. When one of them has not been fulfilled, we have to know the cause. We typically use 16 causes of non-compliance.
- Number of restrictions open and closed each week.
In order to obtain the data and be able to handle it, different softwares are used. We know COCOPLAN because some colleagues use and recommend it, we assume that in the Spanish-speaking market there will be others.
7.- Efficient motivated organization
So far, the advantages of applying Lean in the construction sector, but especially in projects. Once the effectiveness of philosophy has already been proven through any of its methodologies and / or tools, fundamentally Last Planner for construction companies, companies tend to want to turn their organization into a Lean company, a Lean Construction Company.
There are countless companies that apply this philosophy to be successful, that try to generate the greatest value for the customer, eliminating everything that does not generate value and applying continuous improvement in search of perfection, so that their customers are as satisfied as possible. .
To achieve this objective, the way of thinking of each and every one of the workers and suppliers must be transformed. However, Lean offers you a number of methodology and tools that allow us to carry it out.
Probably at this point one is already aware that Lean takes people into account and makes them participate in every action. Indeed, Lean is also respect for people, they are taken into account and also makes their motivation greater.
How to apply the Lean Construction methodology
It is evident that with an article it is impossible to detail all the steps, but, to fully understand how the Lean Construction methodology works We want to contribute a video that corresponds to an online Master Class organized by Think Productivity where all the planning points are detailed step by step.
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