https://doi.org/10.24928/2024/0159

A Fuzzy Expert System for Measuring the Degree of Lean Implementation in Construction Projects

Rana Ead¹, Kexin Liu², Amira Saleh³, Sena Assaf⁴, Vicente Gonzalez-Moret⁵ & Farook Hamzeh⁶

¹Ph.D. Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9377-2138
²Ph.D. Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1262-1440
³Ph.D. Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3835-3931
⁴Ph.D. Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3256-3310
⁵Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Digital Lean Construction, Infrastructure Human Tech Lab, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3408-3863
⁶Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3986-9534

Abstract

Lean construction has emerged as a production management philosophy that can achieve significant performance improvements within the construction industry. However, the industry has not yet achieved full potential in terms of the implementation of Lean principles as compared to other industries. Such achievement necessitates continuous improvements throughout the project lifecycle. However, it is first necessary to understand the current level of Lean implementation to identify opportunities for improvement. Previous researchers have developed frameworks for measuring the degree of Lean implementation of an organization as a means to assess continuous improvements. However, being on the organizational level, these frameworks might not provide the means for assessing the incremental improvements toward transforming into a “Lean” construction company. There is a need to gauge the level of lean implementation at the project level, serving as a crucial stepping stone for overall organizational achievement. Accordingly, this study aims to develop a framework for measuring the degree of Lean implementation in a construction project using fuzzy expert systems (FES). This system provides decision-makers with an evaluation of the current implementation of Lean in construction which, in turn, provides a direction on further opportunities for improvement.

Keywords

Lean construction, Lean implementation, fuzzy expert systems (FES).

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Reference

Ead, R. , Liu, K. , Saleh, A. , Assaf, S. , Gonzalez-Moret, V. & Hamzeh, F. 2024. A Fuzzy Expert System for Measuring the Degree of Lean Implementation in Construction Projects, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 32) , 1147-1158. doi.org/10.24928/2024/0159

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