A Comparative Analysis of Lean Approaches Among Trade-Contractors

Abstract

Question: Q1) What capabilities assist trade contractors in successfully implementing Lean Construction? Q2) How do different trade contractor organizations implement and sustain lean practices and initiatives? Q3) What distinguishes excellent adopters from their peers? Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare how trade contractors adopt and sustain lean processes, training, and methods, based upon a framework of Lean Construction principles in their organizations. Research Method: Seven case studies were selected from successful lean adopters among trade contractor companies to illustrate how a trade contractor can employ lean initiatives to improve their operations and construction processes. The paper presents a comparative analysis of each contractor’s approaches to present common elements of successful contractors and highlight some variations among the firms. Findings: The study identified eight categories common across trade contractor organizations to successfully implement Lean Construction for their projects. The results of the comparative analysis further indicate that although there are many similarities in how each company consolidates lean approaches into their activities, some variations in how they implement these approaches were recognized, differentiating highly successful firms from their peers. The attributes observed in the most successful firms that differentiated them from their peers are their emphases on continuous improvement, people, and process. Limitations: Lack of a clear population of lean adopters among trade contractors necessitated purposeful sampling techniques rather than random sampling. Moreover, due to the time-intensive nature of the case study process, the results were drawn based on seven case studies. Implications: By highlighting similarities and differences in how each organization pursues its methods and improvement process, the path to achieving continuous improvement for the trade contractor community can be more clearly identified. Value for authors: All trade contractor organizations can consider the provided approaches to start their transformation or become more successful adopters. Keywords: Lean Adoption, Case Study, Trade Partners Paper type: Full paper