The Concept of Lean Construction

Cities have always been considered engines of growth, and the ballooning demand for infrastructure has a strong association with the growth in cities.

As cities are advancing, so is the construction industry. Against this backdrop, the concept of ‘Lean Construction’ is resonating in the construction industry, while examples from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been quite significant.

A series of blogs have already been written on managing construction activities and materials during the construction process. Graana.com analyses and discusses the concept of ‘lean construction in the construction sector. The idea of poor construction also signals the exact incidence but with new thinking.

What is Lean Construction?

At the most initial level, the concept of Lean Construction revolves around reducing construction waste and consumption during construction. The idea also talks about improving the delivery systems, which increases financial management and cost-efficiency.

Thus, it can be said that the lean construction methods are not only restricted to controlling the construction waste; instead, it talks about incorporating sustainable and efficient practices at every step of the construction.

Moreover, the phenomenon also talks about diminishing those activities that do not produce any value but are a burden in the whole process.

Elaborating Waste

Under the concept of lean construction, waste is not only the material that has been wasted or destroyed in production; instead, the term also incorporates ‘overproduction’ as a waster, slack in the process, unnecessary transportation, and lack of safety termed as waste.

Therefore, waste hurts the construction process, whether in delays, poor management, or long waiting times. Lean construction is rapidly gaining significance in the construction industry as it introduces efficiency in the whole process.

Overproduction

Overproduction is also identified as waste if a quantity is produced more than required. Since the specifications have to meet the client’s requirements, the procedures and the project manager should be done such that the material is not wasted on the overproduction.

This also increases the quantity and quality issues which compromises the overall quality of the project. Furthermore, the resource allocation owing to the overproduction is also compromised along with the incurred wages and labor costs.

Time Lapses and Waiting

Time Lapses and Waiting also qualify as waste in lean construction as both factors contribute to the delay in projects which is not encouraging from the client’s perspective. It is mostly caused by poor synchronization between the various groups working on the same tasks.

Often the contractors are blacklisted by the government for not meeting the deadlines and for not streamlining the project. This also results in the increased duration of the projects caused by the delayed provision of raw materials, engineering, and quality assurance results.

Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management is an integral part of lean construction. The coordination among the groups is of the utmost importance since all the coordination in lean production depends on this tenant. Often the delayed supplies by the contractors contribute to the delays in the projects.

Therefore, while identifying the value streams in the project management supply chain is given special attention to eliminate time delays and the efficient disbursement of resources.

Material Management is also an essential determinant in lean construction since it ensures that the materials used are as per the client’s requirement and no substitute materials are used. Bill of Quantities is often used in project management to estimate the cost, quantities, and time correctly.

 



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