Using Lean Principles as a Framework to Study Information Technology in Construction

L. Rischmoller¹ & L.F. Alarcón²

Abstract

Information Technology (IT) in Construction is currently a hot topic in research and practice. However, there is need for a theoretical framework to support the analysis of how IT impact construction processes. Research developed by the authors, that considered participation of the first author in IT implementation in real projects, explored the relationship between design and production theory principles, and the prevalent (transformation) and new production models (flow and value). A Transformation-Flow-Value (TFV) model of the design process provided important basis to understand the forces of change that IT offers to the construction industry, describing the impact of Computer Advanced Visualization Tools (CAVT) and attaining a synergistic effect between IT and Lean Principles. The research combined empirical evidence with lean theoretical background and developed a quantitative framework based in Freire and Alarcón (2000) and a qualitative framework adapted from Koskela (2000) to analyze the impact of IT CAVT. This paper presents both frameworks and discusses how the impact of IT CAVT to the design and construction processes can be studied using Lean Principles as a theoretical framework.

Keywords

Lean Principles, Information Technology

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Reference

Rischmoller, L. & Alarcón, L. 2005. Using Lean Principles as a Framework to Study Information Technology in Construction, 13th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction , 171-178. doi.org/

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