33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) - Osaka and Kyoto, Japan - 2025

https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0167

Lean Construction in Germany – Empirical Findings on the Current State of Practice

(Paul) Christian John1, Katharina Niederprüm2, Eliane Maier3 & Shervin Haghsheno4

1PhD Student, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0005 0648-9331
2Master Student, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, katharina.niederprü[email protected], orcid.org/0009-0003-8624-7927
3PhD Student, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0005 0375-147X
4Professor, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, [email protected], orcid.org/0000 0002-0602-6370

Abstract

In recent years, Lean Construction has gained notable popularity in Germany and is now used by companies in all areas along the supply chain in the construction industry. This study provides an overview of the current state of Lean Construction practice in Germany. Using a three-phase approach, 451 companies that use Lean Construction were first identified through a comprehensive industry analysis. Subsequently, 15 interviews with experienced practitioners were conducted to understand the common Lean Construction practices and their perceptions of the industry. The insights derived informed a survey, which was sent to the identified companies. A total of 97 participated. Findings reveal that Lean Construction is still predominantly applied during the execution phase, although an increasing number of companies are gaining experience in the planning phase. However, the adoption remains limited across the industry, with only a few companies achieving high maturity while most use Lean Construction on a small scale. Primary barriers to company-wide integration include a lack of expertise and the substantial time commitment required. Thus, success depends on the “right” application, which, when achieved, generally leads to positive project outcomes.

Keywords

Lean Construction, Practice, Lean Methods, Construction Industry, Germany.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

John, (. C., Niederprüm, K., Maier, E. & Haghsheno, S.. (2025). Lean Construction in Germany – Empirical Findings on the Current State of Practice. In Seppänen, O., Koskela, L., & Murata , K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) (pp. 1368–1379). https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0167

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

John, (. C., Niederprüm, K., Maier, E. & Haghsheno, S.. (2025). Lean Construction in Germany – Empirical Findings on the Current State of Practice. IGLC33. https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0167

 

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