Innovation in the Construction Industry - Some Lean Tools to Mitigate Delays and Cost Overruns on Construction Projects

Time and cost deviations/overruns are serious global issues on construction projects.

They are frequently encountered by projects' teams across the different continents, regions, countries, and jurisdictions throughout the delivery process of major capital construction projects and infrastructure.

These issues tend to be considerable and vary in their complexities. Their impacts and implications, most likely, may lead to the arising of serious critical risks, which, in many cases, may lead to hinder the overall success of the delivery. This would occur due to deaccelerating the benefits realization and value generation processes, resulting in significant negative outcomes, restraining Owners and Contractors capabilities to complete/deliver critical complex projects, specially mega/giga construction projects, programs, or portfolios that are already exposed to a variety of other critical risks and liabilities.

Researches have been always proactive to keep innovating within this space, creating strategies, frameworks, systems, processes, tools and techniques that would improve the overall performance on the macro, as well as the micro levels.

However, the construction industry is still struggling and suffering from the lack of adoption and implementation of such innovation and innovative practices throughout the different processes. This is due to factors that are outside the scope of this article.

In 2020, researchers examined 33 research papers published between 1988 and 2018.

A list of 74 factors has been identified from the overall research papers. Moreover, their study and analysis demonstrated that these problems are still prevalent.

"A substantial number of studies worldwide have addressed this topic?to reveal the magnitude. It has been established that:

?? 9 of 10 transport infrastructure projects around the world present this deviation (Flyvbjerg et al. 2002).

?? In Australia, a study revealed a mean cost overrun of 12.22%, including civil engineering and construction projects (Love et al. 2013).

??More recently in Colombia, it was reported that public infrastructure projects had experienced delays as high as 342% and cost overruns as high as 110% (Vallejo-Borda et al. 2015)." - Lean Tools Proposal to Mitigate Delays and Cost Overruns in Construction Projects, 2020.

This research proposed creating a "Lean Implementation Proposal", proposing 5 phases to implement the Lean Plan which would be tailored to ensure the successful implementation, therefore, enhancing the success rate of the delivery and ensuring delivering successful outcomes and initiatives.

Some of the main Lean Construction Strategies, tools, methods, approaches:

?? Last Planner? System (LPS)

“System for project production planning and control, aimed at creating a workflow that achieves reliable execution, developed by Glenn Ballard and Greg Howell. LPS? is the collaborative, commitment-based planning system that integrates should-can-will-did planning: pull planning, make-ready look-ahead planning with constraint analysis, weekly work planning based upon reliable promises, and learning based upon analysis of PPC and Reasons for Variance.” - Lean Construction Institute, 2017.

?? Building Information Models (BIM)

“The process of generating and managing building data during the life cycle of a building. BIM uses three-dimensional (3D), real-time, dynamic building modeling software. BIM includes building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components. BIM can include four-dimensional or more (4D, 5D, etc.)…BIM provides the platform for simultaneous conversations related to the design of the “product” and its delivery process” - Lean Construction Institute, 2017.

?? Visual Management (VM)

“Placing tools, parts, production activities, plans, schedules, measures and performance indicators in plain view, This assures that the status of the system can be understood at a glance by everyone involved and actions taken locally in support of system objectives.” - Lean Construction Institute, 2017.

?? Value Stream Mapping (VSM)

“VSM is a paper and pen tool where a map of the complete process is drawn out with a set of standardized icons, introduced by Rother and Shook (1998). With a map of the complete process, it is easier to analyze and identify any weaknesses or waste sources. Once these are identified, changes are proposed and implemented and the new process is evaluated” - Deffense and Cachadinha, 2011.

?? Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)

“A project delivery approach that integrates people, systems, business structures, and practices into a process that collaboratively harnesses the talents and insights of all participants to reduce waste and optimize efficiency through all phases of the project, from early design through project handover” - Lean Construction Institute, 2017.

?? Target Value Design (TVD)

“TVD views AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) as a complex system, which includes the project definition, design and construction stages. TVD transforms the current design practices upside down because the costs determine the design instead of the design determining the costs” - Miron et al., 2015.

?? Linguistic Action Perspective (LAP)

“Linguistic Action Perspective was developed by F. Flores (2015) and it is basically an application of Speech Act Theory to organizational management. That conversations do not simply precede action, but rather constitute actions themselves through the commitments that emerge… Every conversation for action includes four basic speech acts: 1) request or offer, 2) promise or acceptance, 3) declaration of compliance and 4) declaration of satisfaction” - Salazar et al., 2019.

?? Choosing by Advantages (CBA)

“CBA is a tested and effective sound decision-making system developed by Jim Suhr (1999) for determining the best decision by looking at the advantages of each option” - Lean Construction Institute, 2017.

??Gemba Walk

“Gemba is the Japanese word for "actual place." This concept was developed in the Lean manufacturing paradigm into the practice of Gemba walks. It is essential to understand the importance of "go and see" for the construction process” - Taggart et al., 2019

??5S

“The 5S’s are of Japanese origin and are distributed in five actions aimed at organization and standardization of work. The 5S’s of this methodology are Seiri (Sorting), Seiton (Stabilize), Seiso (Systematic Cleaning), Seiketsu (Standardizing), and Shitsuke (Sustaining)” - Deffense and Cachadinha, 2011.

?? Just in Time (JIT)

“A system for producing or delivering the right amount of parts or product at the time it is needed for production” - Lean Construction Institute, 2017.

?? Kanban

“Japanese term meaning “a signboard.” A communication tool used in JIT production systems. The signal tells workers to pull parts or refill material to a certain quantity used in production” - Lean Construction Institute, 2017.

?? A3 Report

“A one-page report prepared on a single 11 x 17 sheet of paper that adheres to the discipline of PDCA thinking as applied to collaborative problem solving, strategy development or reporting. The A3 includes the background, problem statement, analysis, proposed actions, and the expected results” - Lean Construction Institute, 2017.

?? Set-Based Design (SBD)

“A design method whereby sets of alternative solutions to parts of the problem are kept open until their Last Responsible Moment(s), in order to find by means of set intersection the best combination that solves the problem as a whole” - Lean Construction Institute, 2017.

?? Jidoka

“Concept Japanese, translated as ‘autonomation’ in English, this form a pillar of the Toyota Production System. Autonomation refers to machines built to detect problems and stop by themselves, so as to “relieve the burden of constantly supervising a machine, and allow [people] to use their talents for more beneficial things (like adding value)” (Liker and Meier 2006 p. 177) - (Tommelein 2008).

Keep in mind, continuous improvements, sustained innovation, extensive collaboration and communication, teamwork and leadership are the main keys for all successes and successful initiatives. Stay Lean!

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