Lean Construction

Lean Production Management (LPM) combines the collaborative planning methods of Lean Construction with the best production practices of top-performing manufacturing plants to deliver highly efficient construction projects. Key concepts on LPM include 1) the work is planned by the field supervisors responsible for the work, and 2) field work on each work package does not begin until sufficient engineering, materials, equipment and site access are available to erect the work package without interruption of the planned sequence.

Plans, durations and work sequences are developed by the team of field superintendents and field supervisors from all disciplines working together with management support to identify and optimize a single, unified plan that is best for the project as a whole. The plan is not fixed; it is revisited each week by the team to incorporate new information, changes in material deliveries, and the impact of field work progress. Team members identify the necessary predecessors to work activities, and work is not released until the preceding activities are completed. Field supervisors make commitments for work activities to be performed daily and weekly. Performance against commitments is tracked to identify and remove barriers to the crews' plans.

LPM drives out the waste of traditional construction industry caused by starting on work packages too early, by working out of sequence to keep crews busy, by material shortages, by stopping work in progress because of interferences or incomplete preceding work, or by working unnecessary premium time because of impending completion targets. Experience with LPM results in more organized projects where constraints are identified early and solved, minimum interruptions in daily work, reduced premium time, strong safety performance, and on-time completion within the project budget. Supervisors attest that after a month of on-the-job learning, the methods make their jobs easier.