LEAN CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURES (LCP®)

Goals and Objectives

Define Scope & Objectives (Establish Success Criteria)

A leader in LEAN needs to review and reflect on the criteria to make the Project a "success" and this will vary.

These objectives will form the focus of working backwards from a vision of "what good looks like" to achieve a recognised target of achievements for the project. Only when targets are visible and quantified can success be achieved.

ENABLERS	DESCRIPTION
Work	The collaborative attributes of employees form a symbiotic relationship Groups
The People	Skills and experience of employees adapt to change within the paradigm of family culture
Formal Arrangements	Robust Quality and Reporting procedures output to centre parental control, that behaves
Informal Arrangements	Empowered and innovative staff actively manages change and seek clarity in strategy and risk systems.

 

Develop Implementation Plan

Below are the core activities required for lean process implementation Build a LEAN ROAD map.  Will LEAN initiatives be implemented by the site team?

Define Core Team and Ownership

Who will be the driving force? Who has ownership of what area,supplier, topic etc. How do we ensure a common focus from Site, Client and Supply Chain? Who is key? Who is represented on the Core Team to resolve issues and help remove project constraints.

Identify the Constraints and apply TOC

Construction complexity stems from several sources. From the nature of the unique product and from the associated undocumented production process, from the temporary production system where resources are shared between projects by subcontractors working on several projects at the same time, and from the ad-hoc organisation â€" not least the clients organisation which must be understood as a complex social system. (Sven Bertelsen 2004)

The whole thrust of the strategic planning exercise is to separate formulation from implementation, thinking from doing. (Mintzberg, 1994)

The gap in this context is revealed under momentum for change. Tushman (1997) suggests consideration of four components within an organization that are key to creating output to meet strategic objectives. These are, The Work, The People, Formal organisation arrangements and Informal arrangements.

Within this model, Congruence between components defines effectiveness of the organisation to meet strategic objectives. A blend of these controls is required, but some will dominate due to the strategic challenge (Johnson & Scholes, 2005).

Establishing a Project Review Process

A regular project review of lean working practices is necessary to facilitate challenge and maintain focus on continual improvement.

The review process should allow the timely feed back of all lessons learnt in to the future management of the project.

Celebrate and reward improvements.

Kaizen is a structured process to engage those closest to the process to improve both the effectiveness and efficiency of the process. Its goals are often to remove waste and add standardisation.

Ask the question about where the gaps are in the projects procedure? Would this be a good place to start improving? Many organisations focus on easy wins or areas that are performing well. Why? The managers can boast of success - and usually are promoted to another area, only to repeat the tactic!

Seeking perfection is an important drive but first it is necessary to identify the constraints and waste

The first step is the hardest and most effective if a radical improvement is to take place.

What prevents this first step succeeding?

We refuse to see Waste or don't recognise it

It is uncomfortable to admit that the process is less than effective

Blame culture prevents honesty and trust

You may look foolish and attract ridicule

You will unsettle others and effect upstream and downstream process

What is in it for you?

The second step is to make this sustainable within the organisation or project.

Construction Myths and Legends

Football has goals - not construction. We do what we need to no more no less - and it gets built. Management haven't a clue how we do it? More work is done when we are left alone than when the clip board kings are strutting about. We are more geared up than anyone thinks. No one asks us our opinion?