An Assessment of Lean Design Management Practices in Construction Projects

Rodrigo F Herrera,Eugenio Pellicer,Luis Fernando Alarcón,Claudio Mourgues

doi:10.3390/su12010019

Abstract

Evidence exists for the application of lean management practices in the design process. However, there is no systematic review of this type of practice that links the design management practices to the lean construction principles. There is no tool to assess the level of use of lean design management practices in construction projects either. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the lean management practices that are performed at the design phase of construction projects. The research was divided into a literature review of design management practices; a validation of lean design management practices with a practice–principle relationship, based on an expert survey; the devolvement of a tool (questionnaire) to evaluate the lean design management practices; and an assessment in 64 construction projects (coherence, reliability, correlation, and descriptive analysis). It is concluded that evidence exists for the implementation of 19 lean design management practices. These practices are grouped into three categories: stakeholder management, planning and control, and problem solving and decision making. Additionally, in the assessment of the 64 projects, it can be observed that the lean design management practices are at initial levels of implementations, so there is a significant development gap. This research proposes a tool to assess management practices in the design phase of construction projects; then, the study identifies implementations gaps, it provides benchmarks with other projects, and it improves the design process through a taxonomy of lean design management practices.

Highlights

The infrastructure life-cycle has several phases from the inception of the idea to the dismantlement of the facility [1,2]
CFoinncallulys,iofrnosm Figure 4 it can be seen that the practices that contribute most to the development of leanInctohnisstsrtuucdtiyo,nevpirdinecnicpelewsa(sFiegnucroeu3n)tehraeddninortmheallibteerhaatuvrioerasbionutthtehreainmgpeldemefiennetdatifoonr eoarcphootefnthtieal implementation of at least 19 practices of the lean philosophy in the design process of construction projects. These practices were framed in three main areas: stakeholder management, planning and control, and problem solving and decision making
Evidence was encountered in the literature about the implementation or potential implementation of at least 19 practices of the lean philosophy in the design process of construction projects

Summary

Introduction

The infrastructure life-cycle has several phases from the inception of the idea to the dismantlement of the facility [1,2] Within this life cycle, the design phase is key because the decisions made during this phase can significantly affect the subsequent phase. Poor interactions within the work teams of the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry can result in poor performances [4]. Poor performance results from activities that do not add value and are considered project losses, such as reworks and waiting times, among others [5]. It is essential to appropriately manage the design process. Design management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing the design process to meet certain defined objectives [6]. There is no tradition of integral management of the design process, in recent years, several options have been studied to evaluate its performance [7], to implement integrated management systems and visual management tools [8], as well as to optimize this process [6]

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion