Evaluation of the Implementation of Lean Techniques to Reduce Construction Process Waste in Real Estate Firms in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Waste in the construction industry is the loss produced by activities that generate direct or indirect costs but do not add any value. In recent years, waste in the construction industry has been the subject of several research studies around the world; however, it still continues to be a critical issue. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop an analytical hierarchical model for the implementation of lean techniques for the reduction of construction waste in real estate companies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study was conducted on seven private residential real estate companies which were actively involved in the construction sector at the time, by targeting decision-makers as respondents. Analytical hierarchical process-based questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were conducted for the collection of primary data. Thus, comparison-based surveys and data analyses were used to quantify the relative priorities for a given set of alternatives on a ratio scale based on the judgment of the construction professionals. According to the data analyses, poor material handling, poor site management, and frequent changes in the design were identified to be the three most dominant sources of construction waste. It was found that the real estate companies do not have any waste reduction strategies or practices. Furthermore, the concerned professionals have limited awareness of the lean techniques and their implementation. Based on the findings, the construction companies are recommended to give proper attention to construction waste minimization and a huge task is ahead of the policymakers for lean techniques implementation.