Lean Management in the Construction Field

Lean Management in the Construction Field

Everywhere you look, there are new construction projects being started and built. Construction is one of the top industries in the world, and with that, the construction industry is one of the largest contributors of waste and pollution. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2004), “the U.S. building industry accounts for 39% of total energy use, 12% of total water consumption, 68% of total electricity consumption, and 38% of carbon dioxide emissions.” (Nahmens & Ikuma 2012, p 155) To counteract large waste and pollution statistics, the construction industry is now slowly implementing a new construction concept of lean and green construction. Green construction and lean construction coincide with one another in terms of sustainability, and cost reduction. Through running projects with lean and green in mind, waste can be drastically reduced at both the project, and the management level of construction and have positive effects on both the economic and environmental dimensions.

Waste at a project level can come in many different forms from wasted materials to wasted time. Waste is so rampant on a construction project that most people have a hard time noticing construction project waste. A scrap of extra material that was cut down to size and can’t be used for another part of the project is an example of material waste at the project waste. Usually on large projects, there are multiple companies working on single project, each with a specific task that the company must accomplish. Delays and space conflicts can take place between the different companies if the project isn’t planned out properly leading to wasted time and wasted money. Also, if the subcontracted companies only focus on their own specific tasks and don’t effectively communicate and work with other subcontractors, work conflict can occur. Often on a large construction project, it is nearly impossible to coordinate the different types of work occurring, which is way prestaging and planning are the two most important activities of a construction project.

Along with project waste, waste can also occur at an operations level. “Industry research suggests that approximately 30%-35% of construction costs are wasted and do not add value for clients” (Song & Liang 2011). Poor coordination between the construction office and workers out in the field, and lack of proper scheduling are examples of wastes that occur at an operations level. Ineffective planning at an operations level can cause both operations waste, and project waste later down the line. Operations staff needs to make sure that all the proper planning is complete and have all the materials procured on time to prevent unwanted delays. Although the operations staff is in charge of ordering the materials for the job,