TY - CONF TI - Interplay of Project Complexity and Lean Production Methods C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Al-Sudairi, Abdulsalam A. AU - Diekmann, James E. AU - Songer, Anthony D. AD - Ph.D. Candidate, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, alsudair@rtt.colorado.edu. AD - Professor, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, diekmann@spot.colorado.edu. AD - Assistance Professor, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado- Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, asonger@spot.colorado.edu. AB - Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of lean production methods for improving the effectiveness of construction processes. This study investigates the effect of lean production principles on construction projects that manifest different degrees of structural complexity. The importance of specific lean principles (specify value, rethink your operating methods, focus on actual objects, release resources for delivery just when needed and strive for perfection) is evaluated using discrete event simulation for three different structural steel projects. The projects' configurations range from simple to complex and include a small commercial building, a mid-rise office building and a hospital expansion. Results of simulation analysis indicate that the more complex projects exhibit increased "lean" process improvement when compared to the simpler projects. Our results also indicate that traditional production planning methods are more effective on simpler projects. In addition, domain uncertainty and project complexity are highly coupled as regards the improvements that are realized by applying lean principles. In short, project characteristics play a significant role on the impact of lean production theory when it is applied to construction processes. It is possible that hybrid construction process design approaches, such as a push-pull system, will behave better than a pure pull system. There is a need for a better understanding of how to apply lean principles to maximize improvement to construction systems. KW - Lean principles KW - process simulation KW - project characteristics KW - complexity KW - volatility KW - buffer size PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/91/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/91 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Achieving a Lean Design Process C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Freire, Javier AU - Alarcon, Luis F. AD - Graduate Student at Universidad Católica de Chile, Escuela de Ingeniería, Casilla 306, Correo 22, Santiago, Chile. jfreire@entelchile.net AD - Professor of Civil Engineering, Universidad Católica de Chile, Escuela de Ingeniería, Casilla 306, Correo 22, Santiago, Chile. lalarcon@ing.puc.cl AB - An improvement methodology is proposed for the design process in construction projects. Based on concepts and principles of Lean Production the methodology considers the design process as a set of three different models: conversion, flow, and value. Four stages are necessary to produce improvements and changes: (1) diagnosis/evaluation, (2) changes implementation, (3) control, and (4) standardization. The methodology suggests the application of seven tools in accordance to specific needs (detected and desired) on five potential areas of improvement (CAPRI): Client, Administration, Project, Resources, and Information. Results of an application included: an increase of 31% in the share of value adding activities, 44% reduction of unit errors in the products, up to 58% decrease of waiting times in the process, and an expansion of the utilization in the cycle times. In this manner, not only did the efficiency and effectiveness of internal engineering products improve, but also the whole project, by improving one of the main suppliers of construction. KW - Lean design KW - design process KW - flow KW - value KW - value stream mapping KW - CAPRI KW - improvement methodology KW - design management. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/92/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/92 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Guidelines for Managing Physical Flows in Construction Sites C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Alves, Thais da C.L. AU - Formoso, Carlos Torres AD - M.Sc., Research Assistant, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Building Innovation Research Group (NORIE), Brazil, e-mail: thaiscla@cpgec.ufrgs.br AD - Ph.D., Associate Professor, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Building Innovation Research Group (NORIE), Brazil; Visiting Scholar at the University of California at Berkeley, USA e-mail: formoso@vortex.ufrgs.br AB - The process model that has been mostly used in construction management tends to neglect the importance of flow activities in production. By contrast, the New Production Philosophy (Lean Production) states that both conversions and flows should be considered in production management. While the conversion management aspect of production seems to be relatively well defined, further research into the management of physical flows is required. This paper proposes some guidelines for managing physical flows in construction sites based on case studies carried out in small sized building companies in the South of Brazil. In this research work, physical flows refer to both material and production unit flows. The authors propose that decision making concerned with such flows should be part of the production planning and control process. This means that the flows of people, equipment, and materials must be explicitly and systematically planned and controlled, considering distinct hierarchical decision making levels. It is expected that these changes in production planning and control will increase process transparency and, at the same time, will create conditions for reducing variability in site conditions and thereby reduce waste. KW - Physical flows KW - process transparency KW - production planning and control KW - lean construction PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/93/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/93 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Failure Analysis Applied to Design Optimisation C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Andery, Paulo AU - Vanni, Claudia AU - Borges, Gisele AD - Associate Professor, Construction and Materials Department, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil, Phone + 55 31 2381856, FAX + 55 31 238 1857, paulo@demc.ufmg.br AD - Researcher, Construction and Materials Department, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil, Phone + 55 31 238 1850, FAX + 55 31 2381857, claudia@demc.ufmg.br AD - Architect, MBS Architects, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil, Phone/FAX + 55 31 2414344, myssior@myssior.com.br AB - The present work points out a procedure, conceptually based on lean thinking principles, that focuses on co-ordinating different design disciplines (architectural, structural, etc.), thus avoiding errors due to lack of design compatibility caused by inadequate management of information flow. A design protocol is developed, helping the designers to outline constructability guidelines, applied to the specific conditions of a project. The procedure is based on the application of failure analysis methods, particularly the FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), adapted to be used in building construction design. The procedure allows the detection of potential failure modes related to the coordination of different building design specifications. Thus, it looks for “what could be wrong”, leading to the improvement of the design reliability. The application of FMEA as a phase of the procedure leads to failures detection, its prioritisation and the establishment of countermeasures against those failures. A set of guidelines has been generated and can be incorporated into later design phases. Some results of the implementation of the procedure are briefly discussed. KW - Lean design KW - design coordination KW - failure analysis PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/94/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/94 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Positive Vs. Negative Iteration in Design C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Ballard, Glenn AD - Research Director, Lean Construction Institute, 4536 Fieldbrook Road, Oakland, CA 94619, 888/771-9207, FAX 510/530-2048, ballard@ce.berkeley.edu; Lecturer, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Department, 215-A McLaughlin Hall, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1712 AB - Iteration is essential for generating value in design processes. However, not all iteration generates value. Iteration that can be eliminated without value loss is waste. Moving towards lean design requires a better understanding of both value generation and waste reduction. This paper contributes to the development of lean design by examining how waste can be reduced through elimination of negative iteration. Preliminary research findings are presented regarding such design management techniques as reduced batch sizing and set-based design. Future research is proposed. KW - Iteration KW - lean design KW - set-based design KW - value KW - value generation KW - value loss KW - waste PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/95/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/95 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Design-Led Lean C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Bogus, Susan AU - Songer, Anthony D. AU - Diekmann, James AD - Graduate Student, Department of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering, CB 428, University of Colorado, Boulder, 80302. susan.bogus@colorado.edu AD - Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering, CB 428, University of Colorado, Boulder, 80302. asonger@spot.colorado.edu AD - Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering, CB 428, University of Colorado, Boulder, 80302. diekmann@spot.colorado.edu AB - Lean thinking is a concept begun in Japanese manufacturing that strives to eliminate all waste from a process while pursuing perfection in the finished product. Lean thinking has been applied to the construction process in the form of lean construction. However, traditional resistance by the construction industry to manufacturing ideas has limited the extent of lean construction. When used, lean thinking has been limited to only the design process or only the construction process. This paper introduces the idea of design-led lean as a method of improving construction performance by incorporating lean principles at the earliest stage of a project – design. The goal of design-led lean is to design a project in a way that avoids, reduces, or mitigates variability during the construction process in order to facilitate flow. Design-led lean builds on the constructability concepts identified by the Construction Industry Institute through the addition of flow considerations. KW - Lean construction KW - lean production KW - constructability KW - design-build KW - design process KW - variability KW - flow PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/96/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/96 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Selecting The Right Strategy To Meet Customer Requirements C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Childerhouse, Paul AU - Hong-Minh, Séverine M. AU - Naim, Mohamed M. AD - Research Associate, Logistics Systems Dynamics Group, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, UK, FAX 029 20874301, TEL 029 20876915, childerhouse@cardiff.ac.uk AD - Research Associate, Logistics Systems Dynamics Group, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, UK, FAX 029 20874301, TEL 029 20876915, hongminhsm@cardiff.ac.uk. AD - Reader, Logistics Systems Dynamics Group, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, UK, FAX 029 20874301, TEL 029 20874635, naimmm@cardiff.ac.uk. AB - Supply chain management has received a great deal of interest during the past few years. There is a concurrent view that a ‘save all’ strategy applicable to all circumstances is available to industrialists. This paper challenges this view and puts forward alternative house building supply chain strategies for particular market circumstances. Initially a review of the UK house building value stream is presented along with a description of the way in which supply chain management plays a critical role. The general principles behind the two recent popular supply chain approaches, Lean and Agile are presented along with the combination of the two into a single holistic approach called Leagility. Customer requirements are diverse in the house building sector and as a result the supply chain must be matched to best service these alternative marketplace conditions. The Leagile strategy is expanded via different positions of the strategic stock, de-coupling point into four alternative strategies: Make to stock, fit out to order, shell and fit out to order and design to order. Each strategy is explained in depth and the paper concludes with a matrix designed to match these four alternatives with different customer requirements. Thus, a tool is provided for selecting the right supply chain strategy given any type of customer requirements. KW - UK house building KW - supply chain strategies KW - Lean KW - Agile KW - Leagile PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/97/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/97 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - WorkMovePlan: Database for Distributed Planningand Coordination C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Choo, Hyun Jeong AU - Tommelein, Iris D. AD - Ph.D. Candidate, Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt. Program, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Dept., 215 McLaughlin Hall #1712, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, choohj@ce.berkeley.edu AD - Associate Professor, Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt. Program, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Dept., 215-A McLaughlin Hall #1712, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, tommelein@ce.berkeley.edu AB - Planning during construction is a distributed process that involves many participants because needed information is usually not found within one party but is spread out among parties. As projects are becoming more dynamic and complex, and the involvement of specialty contractors is increasing, well-structured communication and coordination are more than ever essential for a project to succeed. Nevertheless, few existing planning tools provide the means to facilitate these processes. To fill this need, a new tool is presented here. This paper describes a WorkMovePlan, a database program that has been created to systematically develop lookahead plans and weekly work plans. Weekly work plans are detailed to include labor and equipment assignments as well as space use. Together with lookaheads, these plans are automatically shared so planners can detect potential conflicts and prevent expensive adjustments later on site. WorkMovePlan's distributed, bottom-up approach to planning, which complements the current centralized top-down approach, radically differs from practices supported by existing computing tools. We are currently working with general contractors and specialty contractors to identify the possibilities provided by the interactive coordination of distributed work plans in order to better coordinate work. KW - distributed planning KW - coordination KW - scheduling KW - planning KW - space scheduling KW - conflict detection KW - weekly work planning KW - lookahead planning KW - Last Planner KW - WorkMovePlan KW - WorkPlan PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/98/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/98 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Developing and Maintaining Employee Commitment and Involvement in Lean Construction C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Coffey, Michael AD - Senior Lecturer, School of Land & Construction Management, University of Greenwich, Oakfield Lane, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2SZ, U.K. +44 (0)20-8331-9327, M.W.Coffey@gre.ac.uk AB - The principles of lean production are currently being broadly adopted by firms right across the construction industry. As yet the implementation of lean construction is in its early days, with only a limited number of accounts of its operation and success emerging so far. Of these accounts few have addressed the human resource aspects of lean construction. Yet lean construction depends heavily upon the potential and abilities of employees in order to successfully perform many of its functions and achieve its potential. Two particular aspects of human resource management, upon which lean construction is dependent, are the commitment and involvement of workers, both essential contributors to many of the functions of lean construction. These aspects produce a crucial consideration for all organisations seeking to implement lean construction, that of whether they will be able to attain the necessary commitment and involvement of their employees. The issue is especially difficult, having regard to the previous record and patterns of employment in the construction industry. The paper considers the human resource requirements for the implementation of lean construction into the UK construction industry, specifically with regard to whether worker involvement and commitment can be developed and maintained. The paper draws upon the experience of organisations operating lean production in other industries, together with the results from earlier research that sought to determine the potential of workers with respect to their involvement and participation at work. The relationship between commitment and involvement is established. The role and significance of involvement in the various constituent aspects of lean production are identified and considered, together with the employee characteristics that must be developed and maintained in order to achieve the required level of employee involvement. Finally, ‘survivor syndrome’ is considered as a potential major impediment to involvement as a result of the radical change induced by the introduction of lean production and the trauma generated. Survivor syndrome is the psychological state that occurs in individuals who have survived a traumatic event but cannot rationalise the reasons for their survival. KW - Employee involvement KW - commitment KW - participation KW - HRM PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/99/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/99 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - A Survey of the Take-Up of Lean Concepts Among UK Construction Companies C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Common, Gavin AU - Johansen, Eric AU - Greenwood, David AD - Construction Manager, Keycare Northern Ltd, gcommon@compuserve.com AD - Senior Lecturer, School of the Built Environment, University of Northumbria, Ellison Place Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2, 3NN, UK. 0191-227-4691, eric.johasen@unn.ac.uk. AD - Senior Lecturer, School of the Built Environment, University of Northumbria, Ellison Place Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2, 3NN, UK. 0191-227-4691, david.greenwood@unn.ac.uk. AB - There are a number of initiatives designed to encourage the take-up of lean principles in construction. The aim of this research was to test the transfer of lean principles to construction by investigating their penetration into large construction companies in the UK. A conceptual framework with key indicators was developed and a survey carried out among a sample of general contractors. The first objective was to explore whether there was any consensus on what constituted lean construction. Then the indicators that had been selected were tested for validity. The third objective was to explore whether the indicators were indeed present in the study organisations, and if so, whether lean principles were restricted to board level, or had actually filtered down into the site production process. Finally, the respondents, were questioned about the likelihood of lean production techniques being adopted in the construction process. The survey revealed only a limited knowledge of lean construction techniques at both boardroom and site levels. There has been some adoption of lean techniques, but these exist side-by-side with traditional approaches. There was a great variation in perceptions: only a minority recognised the importance of the issues of design and planning. Many respondents professed to have embraced lean culture while further questioning suggested otherwise. Further research should investigate the reasons for this, and ultimately address the fundamental question of the transferability of lean principles to construction. KW - Lean production KW - take-up KW - transferability KW - survey. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/100/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/100 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Innovation and Culture Change Within a Medium-Sized Construction Company: Success Through the Process of Action Learning C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Davey, C.L. AU - Powell, J.A. AU - Cooper, I. AU - Hirota, E. AD - Projects Manager, Academic Enterprise, University of Salford. AD - Director of Academic Enterprise, Academic Enterprise, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT Tel. 0161-295 5000 , j.a.powell@salford.ac.uk (correspondence author). AD - Architect and Consultant, Eclipse Research Consultants. AD - Post-doctoral Researcher, Construction. AB - This paper examines the role of Action Learning in promoting innovation and culture change within one medium-sized construction company. Its adoption by that company – George and Harding – was an exemplary part of a larger study involving a total of 28 construction professionals. This larger study, stimulated by the CIOB’s Innovation and Research Committee, was prompted by the desire to encourage the construction industry, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to engage in life-long learning and implement good practice, without falling into the trap of an unthinking adoption of the latest management fashion. Action Learning has been shown to drive significant and sustainable cultural change in other engineering disciplines, along the lines proposed by both Latham (1994) and Egan (1998). It has also been used with the construction industry in Brazil (Hirota and Formoso, 2000). Our detailed case study focuses on middle managers from different divisions of the same company who wanted to become more innovative on the one hand and 'leaner' on the other. It shows that Action Learning is able to generate a motivated, committed and innovative workforce, as well as better site management and leadership. Continuous Staff Development (CSD), an in-house training course developed by the company’s Action Learning SET, produced over 100 ideas for improving company performance, which are being implemented by many different groups of staff. The Chairman of George and Harding estimates that CSD has given his company a 12-month lead over its competitors. Action Learning gave middle managers “time to think” about strategic issues and empowered them to collaborate with the Chairman in overcoming personal and political barriers to change. Furthermore, as a result of discussions during SET meetings and contact with a consultant from the University of Salford specialising in transparency on construction sites, the managers were prepared to actually implement some of the concepts of 'lean production'. Thus, Action Learning is shown to have helped middle managers overcome any resistance to change, as well as drive innovation and real cultural change within a construction SME. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/101/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/101 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - A Non-Deterministic Investigation of the Concrete Placing System C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Dunlop, Paul AU - Smith, Simon AD - Postgraduate student, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, The King’s Building, Edinburgh, UK, EH9 3JN, Tel: 0131 650 5790, P.Dunlop@ed.ac.uk. AD - Lecturer in Project Management, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Edinburgh AB - Many areas of the construction industry rely heavily upon cyclical processes, some of which do not always deliver a satisfactory level of performance. One such area is the system involved in concrete placing operations. A deterministic analysis of these processes may not allow for the random distribution of system actions, resulting in unrealistic system attributes. The process of concrete batching, transport and finally placement is subject to interruption, irregularity and fluctuation and can be treated as a stochastic system. To enable contractors to deliver the highest quality of service it is fundamental that these uncertainties are managed as best as possible. Accordingly, this paper follows the flow and transfer of the concrete placing process and “lean” techniques can be applied in order to investigate the process efficiency. For this study, examples are presented using data gathered over a two-year period from a major civil engineering project in the North-West of England. The data consists of the relevant times from over seventy concrete pours. The majority of concrete operations observed involved concrete being pumped into formwork, which was seen to be a complex queueing system. KW - Concreting operations KW - queueing systems KW - stochastic systems KW - concreting productivity KW - construction simulation PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/102/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/102 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Contribution of Specialty Contractor Knowledge to Early Design C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Gil, N. AU - Tommelein, I.D. AU - Kirkendall, R.L. AU - Ballard, G. AD - PhD Candidate, Constr. Engrg. & Mgmt. Program, Civil & Envir. Engrg. Dept., 215 McLaughlin Hall, U.C. Berkeley, CA 94720-1712, USA, ngil@uclink4.berkeley.edu, http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~nunogil/ AD - Associate Prof., Constr. Engrg. & Mgmt. Program, Civil & Envir. Engrg. Dept., 215 McLaughlin Hall, U.C. Berkeley, CA 94720-1712 , USA, tommelein@ce.berkeley.edu, http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~tommelein/ AD - Sr. Interior Designer, Industrial Design Corporation, 2020 S.W. Fourth Avenue, 3rd Floor, Portland, OR 97201, USA, robert.kirkendall@idc-ch2m.com AD - Lecturer, Constr. Engrg. & Mgmt. Program, Civil & Envir. Engrg. Dept., 215, McLaughlin Hall, U.C. Berkeley, CA 94720-1712, USA, and Research Director, Lean Construction Institute, 4536 Fieldbrook Road, Oakland, CA 94619, ballard@ce.berkeley.edu AB - This paper discusses what knowledge specialty contractors may contribute to the early design of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) products. In current practice in the United States, specialty contractors are seldom involved in the early design effort, but their early involvement is increasing. The paper reports on research that focused on the processes for designing and building semiconductor facilities. The research consisted of conducting a series of one-to-one interviews with experienced practitioners, ranging from labour managers to lead designers and owner representatives. The aim was to unveil what kinds of knowledge specialty contractor may contribute to early design in order to improve process efficiency and product quality. We catagorize this knowledge and provide examples that stem from current practice or that present opportunities for implementation. We discuss reasons why specialty contractor knowledge may be ignored. Changes taking place in the AEC industry nevertheless suggest that organisations are creating conditions to increase the interaction between designers and specialty contractors. Such interactions may help AEC organisations retain and share the knowledge of individuals as well as develop new knowledge and thereby increase their competitive advantage. KW - Specialty contractor KW - knowledge KW - lean construction KW - early design KW - concurrent engineering KW - product development KW - process improvement PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/103/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/103 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - The Future of Lean Construction: A Brave New World C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Green, Stuart D. AD - Department of Construction Management & Engineering, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 219, Reading, RG6 6AW, UK AB - Lean construction is considered from a human resource management (HRM) perspective. It is contended that the UK construction sector is characterised by an institutionalised regressive approach to HRM. In the face of rapidly declining recruitment rates for built environment courses, the dominant HRM philosophy of utilitarian instrumentalism does little to attract the intelligent and creative young people that the industry so badly needs. Given this broader context, there is a danger that an uncritical acceptance of lean construction will exacerbate the industry's reputation for unrewarding jobs. Construction academics have strangely ignored the extensive literature that equates lean production to a HRM regime of control, exploitation and surveillance. The emphasis of lean thinking on eliminating waste and improving efficiency makes it easy to absorb into the best practice agenda because it conforms to the existing dominant way of thinking. 'Best practice' is seemingly judged by the extent to which it serves the interests of the industry's technocratic elite. Hence it acts as a conservative force in favour of maintaining the status quo. In this respect, lean construction is the latest manifestation of a long established trend. In common with countless other improvement initiatives, the rhetoric is heavy in the machine metaphor whilst exhorting others to be more efficient. If current trends in lean construction are extrapolated into the future the ultimate destination may be uncomfortably close to Aldous Huxley's apocalyptic vision of a Brave New World. In the face of these trends, the lean construction research community pleads neutrality whilst confining its attention to the rational high ground. The future of lean construction is not yet predetermined. Many choices remain to be made. The challenge for the research community is to improve practice whilst avoiding the dehumanising tendencies of high utilitarianism. KW - Lean construction KW - human resource management KW - utilitarian instrumentalism KW - propaganda KW - best practice. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/104/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/104 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Integrating Design Planning, Scheduling, and Control With DePlan C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Hammond, Jamie AU - Choo, Hyun Jeong AU - Austin, Simon AU - Tommelein, Iris D. AU - Ballard, Glenn AD - Research Assistant, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics, LE11 3TU, FAX +1509 223981, j.w.hammond@lboro.ac.uk AD - Ph.D. Candidate, Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt. Program, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Dept., 215 McLaughlin Hall #1712, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, choohj@ce.berkeley.edu AD - Professor of Structural Engineering, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics, LE11 3TU, FAX +1509 223981, s.a.austin@lboro.ac.uk AD - Associate Professor, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Department, 215-A McLaughlin Hall, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1712, 510/643-8678, FAX 510/643-8919, tommelein@ce.berkeley.edu AD - Director of Research, Lean Construction Institute, and Lecturer, Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt. Program, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Dept., Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, ballard@ce.berkeley.edu AB - The planning and management of building design has historically focused upon traditional methods of planning such as Critical Path Method (CPM). Little effort is made to understand the complexities of the design process; instead design managers focus on allocating work packages where the planned output is a set of deliverables. All too often there is no attempt to understand and control the flow of information that gives rise to these deliverables. This paper proposes the combined use of the Analytical Design Planning Technique (ADePT) and Last Planner methodology as a tool called DePlan to improve the planning, scheduling and control of design. ADePT is applied during the early planning stages to provide the design team with an improved design programme that takes into account the complex relationships that exist between designers, and the information flows that flows between them. Then the Last Planner methodology is employed, through a program called ProPlan, to schedule and control the design environment. DePlan has been implemented as a PC-based computer program with web interface. KW - Design Management KW - ADePT KW - ProPlan KW - Last Planner KW - Production Management KW - Planning KW - Scheduling KW - Control KW - Dependency Structure Matrix. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/105/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/105 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Materials and Information Flows for HVAC Ductwork Fabrication and Site Installation C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Holzemer, Matt AU - Tommelein, Iris D. AU - Lin, Shih-Lun (Aaron) AD - Master of Science, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Department, 215 McLaughlin Hall, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1712, USA, 510/845-6486, FAX 810/592-8112, holge@uclink4.berkeley.edu AD - Associate Professor, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Department, 215-A McLaughlin Hall, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1712, 510/643-8678, FAX 510/643-8919, tommelein@ce.berkeley.edu AD - Master of Engineering, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Department, 215 McLaughlin Hall, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1712, USA, shihlunl@uclink4.berkeley.edu AB - Designing and building heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems requires a set of complex activities and handoffs between multiple architecture-, engineering-, and construction practitioners. This paper highlights one part of the HVAC production network, namely the information and materials flow between fabrication shop workers and field installers. The presented work aims to contribute to lean construction theory by describing current practices and strategies contractors use to cope with interacting sub-cycles and the upstream flexibility needed to accommodate downstream uncertainty. Accordingly, this paper explains what HVAC materials are handled and how. It then builds on qualitative data from several companies to illustrate two different production models used to fabricate and install HVAC components. One scenario describes how materials are “pushed” to the site. A second scenario describes how some materials are “pushed” and others “pulled.” Scenarios vary because each contractor has to meet several project demands at the same time, because they have a specific business market niche and fabrication capabilities, different from competitors’. The exploratory research described here paves the way for research into means to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of planning, the development of production system metrics to evaluate and promote better system-wide performance for fabricators and installers, and the implementation of heuristic- or optimisation tools for researchers to experiment with alternative production control scenarios in order to improve system-wide performance. Ultimately, our aim is to create explicit knowledge on how to increase the efficiency, reliability, and profitability of HVAC production systems. KW - Supply chain mapping KW - HVAC contractors KW - specialty contracting KW - push-driven scheduling KW - pull-driven scheduling KW - kanban KW - lean construction. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/106/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/106 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Reforming Project Management: The Role of Lean Construction C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Howell, Gregory A. AU - Koskela, Lauri AD - Director, Lean Construction Institute. Box 1003, Ketchum, Id, 208/726-9989, FAX 707/248-1369, ghowell@micron.net. AD - Senior Research Scientist, VTT Building Technology, Concurrent Engineering, P.O.Box 1801, FIN-02044 VTT, Finland, Phone +358 9 4564556, Fax +358 9 4566251, E-mail lauri.koskela@vtt.fi AB - Project management as taught by professional societies and applied in current practice must be reformed because it is inadequate today and its performance will continue to decline as projects become more uncertain, complex and pressed for speed. Project management is failing because of flawed assumptions and idealized theory: it rests on a faulty understanding of the nature or work in projects, and a deficient definition of control. It is argued that a reform of project management will be driven by theories from production management that add the management of workflow and the creation and delivery of value to the current emphasis on activities. Of all the approaches to production management, the theory and principles drawn from Lean Production seem to be best suited for project management. Promising results in this regard have been reached already in one project management area, namely in Lean Construction. KW - Project Management KW - Lean Production KW - Theory KW - Construction PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/107/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/107 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Is the Earned-Value Method an Enemy of Work Flow? C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Kim, Yong-Woo AU - Ballard, Glenn AD - Ph.D Student, Constr. Engrg. And Mgmt. Program, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Dept., 215 McLaughlin Hall #1712, University of California at Berkeley, CA 94720, ywkim@uclink4.berkeley.edu AD - Director of Research, Lean Construction Institute; Lecturer, Construction Engineering and Mangement Program, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Dept., University of California at Berkeley, 4536 Fieldbrook Road, Oakland, CA 94619, ballard@ce.berkeley.edu AB - Project control tools are commonly used in the construction industry. Unfortunately, many projects run over budget and behind schedule, which suggests that there is something wrong in our project control system. The earned-value method (EVM) is a project control technique that provides a quantitative measure of work performance. It is considered the most advanced technique for integration of schedule and cost. Work flow can be defined as the movement of information and materials through a network of production units. Current construction control systems focus on local speed and cost rather than reliable release of work downstream; i.e., reliable work flow. This paper presents potential problems of the earned-value method with a brief review of the cost management concept. Traditional cost systems are reviewed in this paper from the viewpoint of work flow. Critique of the earned-value method includes: 1) While each cost account or activity is assumed to be independent in the earned-value method, they should be considered dependent. 2) Managers can manipulate work sequences when releasing work to the field and it is possible to release work assignments that are not shielded from uncertainty. 3) In order to make cost variance (CV) positive, managers try to decrease the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) as much as possible. Overload resulting from reduced capacity can make work flow less reliable, which in turn can impact the performance of downstream production units (PUs). KW - Earned value KW - dependence KW - work flow KW - quality assignment PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/108/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/108 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - The Prevalent Theory of Construction a Hindrance for Innovation C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Koskela, Lauri AU - Vrijhoef, Ruben AD - Senior Researcher, VTT Building Technology, Concurrent Engineering, P.O.Box 1801, FIN-02044 VTT, Finland, Phone +358 9 4564556, Fax +358 9 4566251, E-mail lauri.koskela@vtt.fi AD - Research Scientist, TNO Building and Construction Research, Department of Strategic Studies, Quality Assurance and Building Regulations, P.O.Box 2600, NL-2600 AA Delft, The Netherlands, Phone +31 15 2695228, Fax +31 15 2695335, E-mail r.vrijhoef@bouw.tno.nl AB - It is argued that construction innovation is significantly hindered by the prevalent theory of construction, which is implicit and deficient. There are three main mechanisms through which this hindrance is being caused. Firstly, because production theories in general, as well as construction theories specifically, have been implicit, it has not been possible to transfer such radical managerial innovation as mass production or lean production from manufacturing to construction. Direct application of these production templates in construction has been limited due to different context in construction in correspondence to manufacturing. On the other hand, without explicit theories, it has not been possible to access core ideas of concepts and methods of these templates, and to recreate them in construction environment. In consequence, theory and practice of construction has not progressed as in manufacturing. Secondly, it is argued that the underlying, even if implicit, theoretical model of construction is the transformation model of production. There are two first principles in the transformation model. First, the total transformation can be achieved only by realising all parts of it. Thus, we decompose the total transformation into parts, finally into tasks, ensure that all inputs are available and assign these tasks to operatives or workstations. Second, minimising the cost of each task, i.e. each decomposed transformation, minimises the cost of production. It is argued that these principles, in which uncertainty and time are abstracted away, are counterproductive, and lead to myopic control and inflated variability. Practical examples show that these deficiencies and related practical constraints hinder the top-down implementation of innovations. Thirdly, empirical research shows that also bottom-up innovation - systematic learning and problem solving - is hindered by this deficient theory. Thus, the advancement of construction innovation requires that a new, explicit and valid theory of construction is created, and business models and control methods based on it are developed. KW - Production theory KW - innovation in construction KW - radical innovation KW - top-down innovation KW - bottom-up innovation KW - diffusion of manufacturing templates PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/109/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/109 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - “Wicked Problems, Righteous Solutions” Back to the Future on Large Complex Projects C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Lane, Robert AU - Woodman, Graham AD - Airside Civil Engineering Delivery Manager, BAA Terminal 5 Project Team, PO Box 620, Longford House, 420 Bath Road, Longford, West Drayton, England UB7 0NX (44)208 745 1628 FAX (44)208 745 2379, boblane@T5.co.uk AD - Associate Director TPS Consult, The Landsdowne Building, Landsdowne Road, Croydon, CR0 2BX, England, (44)208 256 4226, FAX (44)208 256 4572, woodman.graham@tpsconsult.ltd.uk AB - Most large, long and complex projects are “Wicked” Problems. To deal with change and uncertainty on such projects, the project Delivery Process (Definition, Design, Manufacture and Assembly) needs to be considered with the Development Process (Business case, statement of need, Functional Brief) as a total system. The Development Process needs to deliver a minimum usable subset of Business, Customer and Operational requirements to enable the Delivery process to start. In return the Delivery Process needs to improve flexibility to allow the Business, Customer and Operator to respond to changes due to technology improvements or market conditions and still improve efficiency and be “lean”. The project team for Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport has identified tools and techniques to help solve the wicked problems of Project Development and also to improve flexibility of Delivery through the use of Last Responsible Moment (LRM) for information transfer and decisions. These are established by working backwards from completion. The LRM concept together with lean techniques and “decoupled” project delivery systems has given a new view on traditional Project Management techniques and project processes. “The world’s most refreshing Interchange” project of Terminal 5 at Heathrow costing some £1.9Billion is starting the delivery process utilising LRM concepts in an information driven project system developed in-house using simple rules and a simple visual basic programme which links process mapping, planning & programming and information control KW - Last Responsible Moment KW - Information Driven Project System PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/110/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/110 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Improving Performance Through Measurement: The Application of Lean Production and Organisational Learning Principles C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Lantelme, Elvira AU - Formoso, Carlos T. AD - MSc, PhD candidate at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Building Innovation Research Group (NORIE), Brazil, e-mail: lantelme@cpgec.ufrgs.br. AD - PhD., Associate Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Building Innovation Research Group (NORIE), Brazil, Visiting Scholar at the University of California at Berkeley, USA, e-mail: formoso@vortex.ufrgs.br AB - Performance measurement is an essential element of production management. It provides the necessary information for process control, and makes it possible to establish challenging and feasible goals. It is also necessary to support the implementation of business strategies. Despite the fact that construction managers recognise the importance of performance measurement, it has not been widely implemented in this industry. Most managers still make decisions mostly based on their intuition and common sense, and on a few broad financial measures which are no longer adequate in today’s competitive environment. In the Lean Construction theoretical framework, performance measurement plays an important role in terms of providing process transparency. It makes visible attributes that are usually invisible, and helps the employees to see how they are performing, creating conditions for decentralised control to be implemented. A number of studies have investigated the use of measures for evaluating the impact of improvement programs in production systems. However, few them are concerned with the problem of implementing measurement systems in organisations. Although choosing the right measures is important, it is also necessary to enable people to use measures in their routine work, so that root causes of problems are identified and corrective action implemented. This article proposes a number of guidelines to implement performance measurement systems in construction firms, considering both the lean construction theoretical framework and organisational learning principles. This study is based on the development of a system of performance indicators developed for the construction industry in Brazil, and also on a number of interviews carried out with managers who have been involved in the implementation of measures in their companies. KW - Performance measurement KW - organisational learning KW - lean construction PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/111/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/111 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - The House of the Rising Value C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Leinonen, Jarkko AU - Huovila, Pekka AD - Research Scientist, VTT Building Technology, P.O. Box 1801, FIN-02044 VTT, + 358 9 456 4555 (voice), +358 9 456 6251, jarkko.leinonen@vtt.fi AD - Group Manager, VTT Building Technology, P.O. Box 1801, FIN-02044 VTT, + 358 9 456 5903 (voice), +358 9 456 6251, pekka.huovila@vtt.fi AB - Construction is a practice-oriented business, partly due to its long history. The practice-oriented approach leads to the fact that the focus of management is on getting the building constructed i.e. on transforming inputs to outputs. When the focus has been heavily on transformation, enough weight has not been given to value generation process to fulfill customers’ needs and expectations. Recently a new vision of the theory of construction has provided us the basis to understand the problems and essence of value generation. Value process consists of three phases: (1) finding out the customers’ requirements, (2) creating solutions to conform these requirements and (3) verifying during the project that these requirements are met in the best possible manner. Even though interest in value generation is rising among practitioners, lack of practical and applicable tools still causes problems. This paper presents the current problems in the value generation of the design phase and discusses their consequences to the project and to the end product. A tool providing assistance in the project definition phase is introduced. Experiences from piloting the tool, EcoProP, in building construction projects are described. The tool is based on a generic classification of building properties. The tool supports documentation of requirements in a form of values or classes so that their conformity in design can be verified. Its intended use is to produce the design brief and to serve as a guide for designers. The decision-making procedure with EcoProP is transparent and the well-documented objectives can be revisited in need of change. The tool is currently implemented in projects of different building types with the emphasis on eco-efficient facilities. KW - Construction KW - value KW - performance approach KW - customer KW - ecoefficiency PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/112/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/112 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Construction Process Models – Enabling a Shared Project Understanding C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Leiringer, Roine AD - Doctoral Researcher, Construction Management and Economics, Royal Institute of Technology, Drottning Kristinas väg 30, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden, roine@recm.kth.se AB - The search for improvement in construction continues, with many novel as well as longstanding initiatives applied to the process in attempts to drive down cost and raise quality. Success is often claimed, but it is not always possible to reproduce the same result elsewhere. Research for the Swedish government on a ‘design and build’ housing project has examined the underlying process and has found a series of discrepancies between what is claimed and what appears to have happened. A comprehensive computer-based model was created in order to pinpoint inconsistencies and omissions in the process. Whilst this ‘lean project’ was judged overall to have been a success, questions remain not least in relation to the synchronisation of off-site production with on-site construction. Areas of concern include the project definition stage in particular the mismatch between the project programme and the detailed workings that lie behind it. The programme appears to present construction personnel with insufficient insight into the detailed steps that are needed to undertake some key activities. The paper concludes by arguing for a much more detailed analysis of the process and one that integrates the efforts of specialist contractors and off-site production with on-site construction. By doing so, it would help to balance resources and increase the likelihood of achieving a project’s cost, quality and time objectives. KW - Process modelling KW - project planning KW - supply chain PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/113/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/113 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Value Chain Management in Construction: Controlling the Housebuilding Process C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Lindfors, Christian T. AD - Researcher, Department of Construction Management and Economics, The Royal Institute of Technology, Drottning Kristinas väg 30, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden, lindfors@recm.kth.se AB - Managing the complexity of the housebuilding process, in terms of differentiating between value and non-value adding activities, forms part of the current work in the research project ‘Value chain management in construction’. The research project includes an investigation of the possibilities for improvement in the value chain, in terms of time, cost, and quality within a major housebuilding company in Sweden. One hypothesis is that project success is linked to the extent to which the company is able to manipulate its value chain to add value for the customer, whilst improving its internal management. In order to be in a position to understand the true extent and complexity of a project process, extensive functional models have been created using a computer-based tool. This first pass through the organisational infrastructure has produced detailed ‘as-is’ models of the functions needed to perform a project. Other techniques and tools have been used during this first mapping of the process, for instance analysis and auditing of company specific documentation and structured interviews with process actors. The preliminary results of this project already point to areas of considerable scope for improvement, which are under examination. KW - Value chain management KW - process modelling KW - process initiatives KW - housebuilding KW - information flows KW - Total Commitment PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/114/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/114 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - The Development Of a Neo - Industrial Organisation Methodology for Describing & Comparing Construction Supply Chains C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - London, K. AU - Kenley, R. AD - Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia AD - Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia AB - The model draws from theories of industrial economics and supply chain literature, and is an attempt to advance the construction supply chain field through the development of an industrial organisational methodology to describe construction supply chains. Empirical studies have examined the industrial organisation of other industries, typically forming descriptions based upon vertical integration and horizontal market concentration. A review of the trends in the supply chain literature indicate there is a need to develop a model to describe the industrial organisation of the construction industry through supply chain structure. The merging of the supply chain concept with the industrial organisation model as a methodology for understanding the structural characteristics is an important contribution to construction economic theory. The paper begins to develop a language for describing the structure and behaviour of supply chains specific to the construction industry and is so doing suggests a neo-industrial organisation approach. KW - industrial organisation KW - supply chain management KW - subcontracting PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/115/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/115 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - A Planning Approach Oriented to a Technical and Organisational Risk Analysis of Flow Management C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Mecca, Saverio AU - Masera, Marco AD - Associate Professor, Construction Management, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Università di Pisa, Via Diotisalvi 2, 56126 Pisa, Italy, saverio.mecca@ing.unipi.it AD - Research Assistant, Università di Pisa, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Università di Pisa Via Diotisalvi 2, 56126 Pisa, Italy, marco.masera@ing.unipi.it AB - A lean approach to the planning of the construction process is a strategic challenge to analyse and manage organisational and technical factors that characterise decisions. Towards a non-schematic, non-repetitive, shared planning, construction managers need a flexible technique, tailored to the organisational process and able to represent an articulated semantic of the construction process. The in-progress research aims at the application of a planning technique, that permits flow processes to be represented through plan state sequences . Based on a careful description of activities, it may be possible to manage an interface analysis and to explicitly outline the complex frame of constraints put backward by every activities sequence. The objective is to support the contractors and the construction managers at the planning stage, paying attention to risk factors influencing quality and constructability performances. A planning system model representing interrelated construction activity requirement and performance data sets of is proposed. The aim is to extend the temporal and resource constraint of traditional planning techniques to sets of detailed constraints, formally described as conditions and effects, logically connected to pursue a quality goal. Quality planning requires clear decision traceability, planning consistency related to information availability, partial planning integration and flexible replanning while respecting external constraints. Related work and an experimental schema of integrated techniques oriented to a quality management implementation program are presented. KW - Technical Risk Analysis KW - Planning KW - Lean Construction PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/116/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/116 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Lean Design Management Applied to Concrete Structures for Retaining Aqueous Liquids: A Redesign Process Model to Portuguese Design Companies C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Mendonca, Luis Viega AU - McDermott, Peter AD - Research Center for the Built and Human Environment, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, UK. AD - Research Center for the Built and Human Environment, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, UK. AB - This paper refers to the need of reengineering the design process in Portugal. It’s a paper that derives from a research project (course of advanced study and research for the degree of PhD, in the University of Salford) to redesign the process management of Portuguese construction design companies. Nowadays, the companies present design projects with poor construction details, long cycle times and low profits. We don’t see long-time partnerships, which could generate synergies and would allow a knowledge management approach. The research project intends to create, initially, a more generalist model, which may be applied to design projects in general, and a more specific one, to the design of reinforced concrete liquid retaining structures. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/117/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/117 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Multi-Project Resource Allocation: Parametric Models and Managerial Implications C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - O'Brien, William J. AD - Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil and Coastal Engineering, 345 Weil Hall/PO Box 116580, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-6580,USA, 352/392-7213, FAX 352/392-3394, wjob@ce.ufl.edu AB - Subcontractors have finite resources they must allocate to multiple projects, often in conditions of competing demand and uncertainty about project schedule. Subcontractors will shift resources fluidly between projects to meet demand, seeking to optimize productivity across projects. Choices about resource allocation are perhaps the most important operational decision that subcontractors make. Despite this, construction research has only recently begun to appreciate the multi-project environment of subcontractors, taking instead a view of production in the context of single projects. As a starting point for a multi-project model, this paper presents a parametric model of subcontractor productivity on a work package. The model relates site conditions, resource allocation, and productivity, allowing quantitative assessment of the impact of shifting resources to or from the work package. An application of the model is presented for one subcontractor with calibrated parametric functions. Use of the model for multi-project resource allocation decision is discussed, and several implications for subcontractor and site management are developed. Many of the central implications are derived from the shape of the productivity modifying functions in work area and resource balance, suggesting a natural categorization of subcontractor technologies. KW - Subcontractor production KW - resource allocation KW - multi-project coordination KW - supply chain management. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/118/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/118 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Lean Principles and the Construction Main Flows C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Picchi, Flavio A. AD - Consultant, Picchi Consultoria S/C Ltda, R. Vergueiro, 3086 cj. 112 - São Paulo - CEP 04102-001, Brazil, +55-11-570-9613, FAX +55-11-570-9613, piccon@xpnet.com.br. Starting on July 2000, the author will be developing and applying some of the ideas presented in this paper in a research project, at MIT, in collaboration with Lean Enterprise Institute. AB - This paper will discuss the five lean principles (value, value stream, flow, pull, perfection) and some specific construction characteristics, proposing three main flows for the analysis of construction: business, job site and supply flows. In manufacturing, the three flows (from order to cash, from concept to launch, from raw materials to customer) can be well characterized inside one plant, inside one corporation, or within the total value chain. Considering the total value stream in construction, "from order to cash" has an strong interface with the cycle "from concept to launch". This cycle was named "Business Flow", or "from business concept to keys delivery", and includes the design flow as a sub-flow. The "raw materials to customer" main cycles are: the "Supply Flow" (within the total value stream) and the "Job Site Flow" (door to door on a job site). KW - Lean principles KW - flow KW - lean construction. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/119/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/119 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Reduction of Work-in-Progress in the Construction Environment C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Santos, Aguinaldo AU - Powell, James Andrew AU - Sarshar, Marjan AD - Lecturer at the Civil Engineering Postgraduate Programme, Paraná Federal University, Jardim das Américas C.P: 19011 CEP: 81531-990, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil Fax: 005541 2669174 Phone: 0055 322 3535 ext: 6402, asantos@cesec.ufpr.br AD - Professor and Director of the Academic Enterprise. The University of Salford, M54WT, England, Fax: 0044 2955999, Phone: 0044 2955000, , j.a.powell@enterprise.salford.ac.uk AD - Lecturer at the Bridgewater Building M54WT Salford School of Construction and Property Management, The University of Salford, England, Fax: 0044 295 5011, Phone: 0044 161 295 5317 m.sarshar@salford.ac.uk AB - “Reduction of work-in-progress” is one of the core heuristic approaches for reducing production cycle time according to modern production management theories. However, traditional management sees production as a transformation of inputs and outputs and, thus, usually ignores the large quantities of waste generated by excessive work-in-progress. In this context, this research has investigated the degree in which English and Brazilian construction companies currently apply this heuristic in construction. The analysis of empirical evidence confirmed that “reduction of work-in-progress” is not well understood among construction managers and there is great misunderstanding regarding the actual effects of work-in-progress on cycle time. The high process variability, the sequential mode of production and poor interface design between processes were major factors contributing to the poor performance of case studies in this respect. KW - Reduction of Cycle Time KW - Reduction of Work-in-progress KW - Lean Production PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/120/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/120 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Commitment Planning and Reasons Analysis C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Seymour, David AU - Rooke, John AD - AD - AB - The paper contrasts the Planning Model, identified by Suchman (1987), which posits that planning precedes action (evidence of the application of which is to be found in many aspects of organisational practice and research), with an Alternative Model which emphasises the situated, interactive nature of planning and action. It argues that the logic which underlies Commitment Planning and Reasons Analysis, as developed by the LCI, implicitly embraces this Alternative Model. Some practical and theoretical considerations concerning the use of these tools for process improvement and for the understanding of organisational change are discussed. KW - Lean construction KW - planning KW - commitment planning KW - reasons analysis. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/121/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/121 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Distributed Scheduling With Integrated Production Scheduler C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Ju, SHEN Li AU - Chua, David H.K. AU - Hwee, BOK Shung AD - Research Scholar, Dept. of Civil Engrg., National Univ. of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119260, 65/874-6498, engp8591@nus.edu.sg AD - Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engrg., National Univ. of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119260, 65/874-2195, FAX 65/779-1635, cvedavid@nus.edu.sg AD - Senior CAD/CAM Specialist, National Univ. of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore, 119260, 65/874-2599, engboksh@nus.edu.sg AB - Construction process is vulnerable to uncertainties if the constraints at bottlenecks cannot be effectively identified and removed in advance. The present means of look-ahead planning does poorly in locating constraints hidden in the processes, the supply chain, and the information flow. This problem becomes more acute when the project is very complex and project players are distributed over a large scale. With the intention of implementing Lean Construction principles and the Theory of Constraints, a distributed scheduling tool, i.e. Integrated Production Scheduler (IPS), is proposed to improve the reliability of look-ahead plans, reduce uncertainties in supplies, resolve resource conflicts and alleviate delays in processes. The types of constraints modeled in the IPS are specified and a new method for look-ahead planning called Integrated Constraints Modeling is introduced. By presenting a three-layered structural model, the IPS planning process is addressed in details and the role of distributed systems is also discussed. The full implementation of IPS is based on the Internet technology, especially Java and XML. PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/122/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/122 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Generating Construction Knowledge With Knowledge Discovery in Databases C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Soibelman, Lucio AU - Kim, Hyunjoo AD - Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 AD - Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 AB - As the construction industry is adapting to new computer technologies in terms of hardware and software, computerized construction data becomes increasingly available. Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) and Data Mining (DM) are tools that allow us to identify novel patterns in construction projects through analyzing the large amount of construction project data. Those technologies combine techniques from machine learning, artificial intelligence, pattern recognition, statistics, databases and visualization to automatically extract concepts, interrelationships, and patterns of interest from large databases. This paper presents both the steps required for the implementation of KDD and DM tools on large construction database and one case study demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed approach. In order to test the feasibility of the proposed approach, a prototype of Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) system was developed and tested with a database, RMS (Resident Management System), provided by the US Corps of Engineers. KW - Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) KW - Data Mining KW - Machine Learning KW - Lean Construction KW - Knowledge KW - Decision Trees KW - Neural Networks PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/123/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/123 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Applying Lean Thinking Principles in the UK Roofing and Cladding Industry C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Swain, Brian AU - Martin, Jeff AD - Brian Swain and Jeff Martin are members of Rubicon Associates AD - Brian Swain and Jeff Martin are members of Rubicon Associates AB - Through the description of a case study, which comprises a number of lean transformation projects, this paper discusses an approach to the implementation of lean thinking principles and techniques within the roofing and cladding tributary of a construction value stream – from inquiry through estimation, contract, design, fabrication, materials delivery and site management to installation. KW - Lean Thinking KW - value stream analysis KW - current and future state maps KW - lean transformation policy deployment PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/124/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/124 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Case Study for Work Structuring: Installation of Metal Door Frames C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Tsao, Cynthia C.Y. AU - Tommelein, Iris D. AU - Swanlund, Eric AU - Howell, Gregory A. AD - Ph.D. Student, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Department, 215 McLaughlin Hall, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1712, USA, Mobile: 510/593-4884, FAX: 510/643-8919, ccytsao@alum.calberkeley.org AD - Associate Professor, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Department, 215-A McLaughlin Hall, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1712, USA, 510/643-8678, FAX: 510/643-8919, tommelein@ce.berkeley.edu AD - Project Engineer, Oscar J. Boldt Construction Company, Redgranite Correctional Institution Job Site, 1008 County Road EE, Redgranite, WI 54970, USA, 920/566-0453, FAX: 920/566-0568, eswanlun@boldt.com AD - Director, Lean Construction Institute, Box 1003, Ketchum, ID 83340, USA, Mobile: 206/660-2216, FAX: 707/248-1369, ghowell@micron.net, www.leanconstruction.org AB - Work structuring means developing a project’s process design while trying to align engineering design, supply chain, resource allocation, and assembly efforts. The goal of work structuring is to make work flow more reliable and quick while delivering value to the customer. Current work structuring practices are driven by contracts, the history of trades, and the traditions of craft. As a result, they rarely consider alternatives for making the construction process more efficient. To illustrate current practice and the opportunities provided by work structuring, this case study discusses the installation of metal door frames at a prison project. Because the project is a correctional facility, the door frame installation process involves a special grouting procedure which makes the installation process less routine. Those involved recognized the difficulty of the situation but better solutions were impeded by normal practice. This case study thus provided the opportunity to illustrate how one may come up with alternative ways to perform the work without being constrained by contractual agreements and trade boundaries. By doing so, we illustrate what work structuring means. Local and global fixes for the system comprising walls and doors are explored. In addition, we discuss the importance of dimensional tolerances in construction and how these affect the handoff of work chunks from one production unit to the next. KW - lean construction KW - work structuring KW - process design KW - operations design KW - first run study KW - methods analysis KW - precast concrete KW - door installation KW - planning KW - coordination PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/125/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/125 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER - TY - CONF TI - Lean Function Deployment C1 - Brighton, UK C3 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2000 AU - Tyagi, A. AU - Chua, D.K.H. AD - Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering , National University Of Singapore, Singapore – 119260, Ph: (65) 874-4857 , engp9818@nus.edu.sg AD - Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering , National University Of Singapore, Singapore – 119260, Ph: (65) 874-2195 , cvedavid@nus.edu.sg AB - This paper introduces and formalises a technique for minimising the share of non-value adding activities by improving the workflow reliability in AEC processes. The technique has been named Lean Function Deployment (LFD). Its framework is built upon the existing system of QFD and draws its essence from the principles of the new construction philosophy which views the construction to be composed of conversion processes and material and information flow processes. Ways to implement this technique as well as to use it for analysing the wastes has been discussed. It is proposed that LFD can play a significant role in rationalising and re-engineering the workflow processes of the AEC sector thereby allowing for preventive actions against occurrence of wastes in the flow processes. KW - LFD KW - workflow KW - wastes KW - conversion processes KW - flow processes PB - T2 - 8th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2000/07/17 CY - Brighton, UK L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/126/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/126 N1 - Export Date: 29 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER -