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

https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0138

Geotechnical Insights for a Proactive Production System for Earthwork

Kim Simmons1, Thomas LaMay2 & Paz Arroyo3

1Program Manager, Kleinfelder, San Jose, CA, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0007-1773-5758
2Quality Leader - Southeast, DPR Construction, Atlanta, GA, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0005-5163-2088
3Quality Leader, DPR Construction, San Francisco, CA, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-8098-8172

Abstract

Risk mitigation through production system design and clear communication is critical to the success of complex projects and their sustainability. This paper presents a case study describing how a team building a multi-million-dollar, mission-critical data center project decreased risks associated with geotechnical soil conditions by creating a production system design using Lean methodologies such as location-based management, takt planning, and a behavior-based quality system tailored to the demands of earthwork and civil construction. The implementation of stacking these Lean methods improved communications, accelerated information flow, and reduced feedback loop durations, which increased the predictability of earthwork operations. Also, the paper discusses how the production system design fostered a culture of collaboration, trust, and continuous improvement. The authors advocate for new industry standards in job-sequencing, work structuring, and quality management within earthwork construction, emphasizing how stakeholders’ collaborative involvement is crucial to project success. This partnership highlights the foundational importance of soil construction and establishes frameworks for trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Keywords

Production system design, location-based management (LBM), takt planning (TP), work structuring, behavior-based quality system (BBQS)

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Simmons, K., LaMay, T. & Arroyo, P.. (2025). Geotechnical Insights for a Proactive Production System for Earthwork. In Seppänen, O., Koskela, L., & Murata , K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) (pp. 318–329). https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0138

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Simmons, K., LaMay, T. & Arroyo, P.. (2025). Geotechnical Insights for a Proactive Production System for Earthwork. IGLC33. https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0138

 

Founded in 1993, the IGLC is an international network of researchers from practice and academia in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) who feel that the practice, education, and research of the AEC industry have to be radically renewed in order to respond to the global challenges ahead.

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