Construction firms are slowly transitioning their traditional processes and approaches to Lean construction methodology, ensuring proper implementation of techniques in each construction phase.
Read on and learn more about the widely-used Lean construction approach and the fundamental principles that make it efficient.
Lean Construction Overview
Lean construction is a construction methodology that helps construction professionals quickly and efficiently build little to no waste high-quality projects while minimizing costs from the planning and designing stages until the building’s close out.
Principles of Lean Construction
Building commercial, industrial, and residential infrastructure will undergo different phases before it reaches a closeout. In each stage, a stakeholder needs to perform their functions accordingly to ensure the quality of the structure. However, in Lean construction, the stakeholders work as a team to oversee the whole process of building the infrastructure and its life cycle.
Optimize the Construction Team
Unlike the typical construction process, all construction professionals involved in planning, designing, and building the structure will participate in the next phase, which makes it easier for the team to modify the design.
The method also encourages everyone to focus on terms, conditions, processes, and materials, including different types of access doors and panels like airtight and watertight wall access doors, as agreed upon as a team. If better ideas come along the way, the members are encouraged to voice their opinions on improving the project.
Add Value Based on The Customer’s Needs
Like any business, massive competition exists in the construction industry, and the more competitors you have, the less powerful your company is. Through this, customers usually go to construction companies that offer the best deal at a lower price.
Thus, it is essential that you need strategic plans on how to make the company stand out and entice customers to avail of your service.
Since the project will go precisely what the client needs in construction, you must add value to every project. In Lean principles, you just don’t execute the project but, at the same time, offer additional value and benefits to your customers.
Adding value means adding what your competitor can not offer or offering more than your competitor offers. It could be adding expert guidance and support throughout the life cycle of the building.
These value-added benefits the company will separate your company from the rest of the market, and it makes the company afloat for years.
Use Systematic Approach
A rules-based approach is vital in the construction industry as it allows the people involved in each phase to know the progress and the areas of opportunities.
Setting a systematic approach, transparent and predefined instructions, and processes on what and how to do it will make the building stages flow smoothly with fewer errors. Applying this approach to align the goals with performance is an efficient way to close a construction project.
However, this principle needs everyone on the construction team to commit to the project. The team’s commitment can help identify and quickly solve the issues that need immediate solutions.
Contingency Buffers
Planning a construction project involves establishing a budget for the entire project. Within this budget, you also need to consider preparing a contingency fund that will take care of the unforeseen and unfavorable financial situation the company may experience. These economic situations account for errors, omissions, project modification, and other unknown conditions.
In Lean construction, all stakeholders, members, or participants ensure a budget is intended for a contingency for each stage to counterbalance any project variabilities.
Utilize Supply Chain Management
A fragmented supply chain is typical in a laid-back construction setting where each stakeholder is responsible for outsourcing and providing materials within their budget range. But in Lean construction methodology, the whole team appropriately manages the supply chain.
Although the team hears each member’s voice, the agreed materials and prices make it to the approval stage. This process lowers the risk of material shortages, delays, and price shocks.
Utilizing the Lean method of supply chain management also gives several benefits to a construction company. The benefits include well-coordinated project planning, quality materials, a higher client satisfaction rate, and, most importantly, an excellent reputation in the construction industry. All these will lead to attracting more clients to do business with you.
Final Thoughts
Lean construction is more than just a methodology that allows a construction company to quickly build and deliver the project on time without maximizing or going beyond the project budget.
The lean construction method ensures that all parties, client, construction company, engineers, architects, and even interior designers, focus on building a quality and sustainable infrastructure that can stand for years. So next time you are working on a construction project, apply the principles of Lean Construction and get it done quickly with quality.
