Lean constructionFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search Lean Construction is a combination of original research and development in design and construction with an adaption of lean manufacturing principles and practices to the end-to-end design and construction process. Unlike manufacturing, construction is a project based-production process. Lean construction is concerned with the holistic pursuit of concurrent and continuous improvements in all dimensions of the built and natural environment: design, construction, activation, maintenance, salvaging, and recycling (Abdelhamid 2007). This approach tries to manage and improve construction processes with minimum cost and maximum value by considering customer needs. (Koskela et al. 2002)The term Lean Construction was coined by the International Group for Lean Construction in its first meeting in 1993. (Gleeson et al. 2007)Contentshide 1 Historical Development o A New Paradigm 2 What is lean construction? 3 Integrated Project Delivery 4 Practical applications 5 Last Planner System 6 Differences between Lean Construction approach and Project Management Institute (PMI) approach 7 Lean Construction FAQs 8 Commercial arrangements that support IPD and Lean Project Delivery 9 LC Networks, Teaching and Research 10 References edit Historical DevelopmentThe seminal work of Lauri Koskela in 1992 challenged the Construction Management community to consider the inadequacies of the time-cost-quality tradeoff paradigm. Another paradigm-breaking anomaly was that observed by Ballard (1994), Ballard and Howell (1994a and 1994b), Howell and Ballard (1994a and 1994b) and Howell (1998). Analysis of project plan failures indicated that “normally only about 50% of the tasks on weekly work plans are completed by the end of the plan week” and that constructors could mitigate most of the problems through “active management of variability, starting with the structuring of the project (temporary production system) and continuing through its operation and improvement.” (Ballard and Howell 2003).Evidence from research and observations indicated that the conceptual models of Construction Management and the tools it utilizes (work breakdown structure, critical path method, and earned value management) fail to deliver projects on-time, at budget, and at desired quality (Abdelhamid 2004). With recurring negative experiences on projects, evidenced by endemic quality problems and rising litigation, it became evident that the governing principles of construction management needed revisiting. In fact, a respondentwho? to the 6th annual Survey of Construction Owners by CMAA (2006) included a comment: While the cost of steel and cement are making headlines, the less publicized failures in the management of construction projects can be disastrous. Listen carefully to the message in this comment. We are not talking about just materials, methods, equipment, or contract documents. We are talking about how we work to deliver successful capital projects and how we manage the costs of inefficiency.edit A New ParadigmKoskela (2000) argued that the mismatch between the conceptual models and observed reality underscored the lack of robustness in the existing constructs and signaled the need for a theory of production in construction. Koskela then used the ideal production system embodied in the Toyota Production System to develop a more overarching production management paradigm for project-based production systems where production is conceptualized in three complementary ways, namely, as a Transformation (T), as a Flow(F), and as Value generation(V). Koskela and Howell (2002) have also presented a comprehensive review of the shortcomings existing management theory specifically as related to the planning, execution, and control paradigms in project-based production systems. Both conceptualizations provide a solid intellectual foundation of Lean Construction as evident from both research and practice (Abdelhamid 2004).Recognizing that construction sites reflect prototypical behavior of complex and chaotic systems, especially in the flow of both material and information on and off site, Bertelsen (2003a and 2003b) suggested that construction should be modeled using chaos and complex systems theory. Bertelsen (2003b) specifically argues that construction could and should be understood in three complimentary ways, namely, as a project-based production process, as an industry that provides autonomous agents, and as a social system. With more developments in this line of thinking, it is very likely that the Lean Construction governing paradigm will change to it. And so, the process will keep on repeating!edit What is lean construction?Lean construction is a “way to design production systems to minimize waste of materials, time, and effort in order to generate the maximum possible amount of value (Kos