Development of a Conceptual Framework of Lean Construction Principles: An Input–Output Model

Abstract

In the new global economy, Lean Construction has become an effective way to design construction systems, which aims at reducing all forms of waste and creating the maximum of value for the customer. However, previous studies have reported that there are various implementation approaches, and most construction practitioners have applied this management philosophy according to their own understanding of Lean Construction principles. The main aim of this study is to develop a conceptual model for a successful deployment of lean construction. In this paper, an original generic model has been proposed based on a rigorous analysis of six relevant Lean Construction models that have been designed, validated, and tested in several countries (USA, UK, Malaysia, Germany, and Brazil). The findings of this work show that there are nine main Lean Construction principles and which are: customer focus, supply, continuous improvement, waste elimination, people involvement, planning and scheduling, quality, standardization, and transparency. Moreover, these principles have been divided into 33 sub-principles based on an extensive literature review of reliable documents (research papers, review papers, books, conference papers, and thesis) that have been published between 1992 and 2017.