Lean Project Management Research Articles

AGILE: An iron fist in a VELVET GLOVE

In a volatile economic environment where companies put customer needs at the heart of their development strategy whilst needing to implement change efficiently and in a controlled manner, a Lean and Agile project management methodology is essential. But how to integrate these approaches, which can sometimes be dest- abilizing for the company, knowing that each organizational structure may have its own specific culture and environment to be taken into account to be successful? Managers are well aware that a key critical success factor is to launch this type of initiative carefully, but they are sometimes not well prepared to accept the uncertainty that comes with implementing an Agile approach. After many experiences in the field of Agile development projects we propose some methodical advice to help address this uncertainty during the critical early stages of a new agile project. Then we present the difficulties, risks and pitfalls during the transition to production phase. Next, we offer some advice on how to establish an effective Agile governance. Finally, we focus on the human factor which remains the most important factor in order to succeed in any continuous-improvement approach.

CAN A DELIVERABLE-ORIENTED Project Management Approach be the Foundations for a LEAN APPROACH?

Through lessons learned from the management of the conception and construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Geneva, this article shows that a project management framework that is deliverable-oriented, DSM- and EVM-based, and developed in a collaborative managerial approach where all key contributors—so-called project engineers at CERN—are deeply involved, could undoubtedly set the foundation for a Lean project management framework.

A lean construction framework with Six Sigma rating

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of lean construction practices in the construction industry and develop a practical and applicable framework that incorporates Six Sigma rating into the best practices of lean construction. The objective is to help the industry reduce waste and cost, increase effectiveness, and improve quality.Design/methodology/approachA generic yet practical framework of lean construction is developed using the guidelines of project lean delivery system developed by the Lean Construction Institute (LCI). Applicable lean techniques and Six Sigma rating are integrated into the developed framework. A cyclical look‐ahead planning and execution approach is used to implement the lean construction techniques. A set of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) performance indicators is defined to measure performance, set target threshold values, and guide improvement actions. A case study of the construction industry in Abu Dhabi (AD) is used to clarify the proposed approach and identify its key practical aspects.FindingsAnalysis of wastes in AD construction industry reveals 27 types of construction wastes. These wastes were categorized into the seven types of wastes. Defects (errors and corrections) are found to be the most common type of construction waste in the surveyed companies. This calls for integrating Six Sigma rating into the proposed lean construction framework. The other common types of wastes are overprocessing and delays. Lean project management is focused on assessing a set of key performance indictors (KPIs) at the end of each “look‐ahead” period. First lean practices are employed during the period and Sigma Rating is assessed at the end of the period along with other KPIs. The proposed LSS‐KPIs were able to measure progress and guide improvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe credibility of the research findings is dependent on the accuracy and reliability of collected data from construction companies. Implementing lean construction techniques within a look‐ahead period is not expected to achieve significant project gains in terms of quality, speed, and cost without adopting the overall lean construction framework.Social implicationsThe work of construction companies largely contributes to the quality and safety of public and society at large through residential and commercial buildings, transportation, and infrastructure projects. Lean construction practices and Six Sigma rating positively impact these important aspects and often result in reducing waste and costs, improving safety, and saving energy resources in construction projects.Originality/valueResearch significance stems from the focus on increasing the effectiveness of the construction industry. Research contributions include the development of an applicable lean construction framework that integrates lean construction practices with Six Sigma rating. This contributes to the effort of applying Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the vital field of construction. This research prescribes a systematic approach for implementing the proposed framework within a cyclical look‐ahead period and highlights the practical implications of the proposed approach. Also, the research provides an effective periodic measurement system of project effectiveness based on five LSS key performance indices.

Improving the Effectiveness of New Construction Management Philosophies using the Integral Theory

Currently, most management approaches coming from engineering focus on the external world, i.e. everything that can be seen (structures-processes-outcome). This situation has created low sustainability for these management approaches and tools, because they forget central aspects of people behavior both in individual and collective domains. Therefore, some efforts to integrate the organization’s inner and outer world have been carried out, in order to design the organization’s inner world (personality-emotionality-values-culture) as a space that facilitates the incorporation of effective management practices focused on the external world, such as lean construction. This article describes and discusses the revolutionary theory of integral vision proposed by Ken Wilber, as a framework that embraces different insights, theories and practices in such a manner that strengthens the discipline of project management under the lean construction perspective. A production planning and control tool termed Last Planner System, which was based on lean construction principles, is used to illustrate the impact of integral vision over lean construction and project management. As a conclusion, it can be argued that if lean construction wants to evolve towards an effective management practice, the inclusion of some elements of the integral vision is needed, in order to make human and technical development inside the organization or project compatible. To achieve the above, lean construction must strengthen those research areas related to people, which so far has received little attention. Key words: Integral vision, last planner, lean construction.

Project Management for New Product Development

This article examines the intersection of the project management body of knowledge with new product development (NPD). The area under examination is the development of consumer products that have a significant engineering production content. It is concluded that the project management method, with its structured task definition and software tools, is gen-erally useful for managing NPD projects. However, in some areas, project management incom-pletely meets the needs of NPD. Specifically, NPD is characterized by complex interrelated activities and large uncertainties about precisely which solution path will be taken, such that the full scope of the project can often not be anticipated beforehand. The article identifies that more research is required to validate the stage-gate and lean project management methods. Whereas cost is the primary focus in project management, with NPD there is a need to consider both cost and income (from product sales) in making strategic decisions. Communication and human resource management are important factors in NPD success, but existing project management perspectives have little to say about the social and behavioral aspects, such as organizational culture, team dynamics, and leadership styles, especially not for NPD. Current project management practices are very much based on “output control” (targets, appraisal, rewards, management by objectives), which the human resource management literature identifies as inhibiting innovation. There is also likely to exist an intersection, as yet poorly understood, between project management and knowledge management, particularly for innovation processes such as NPD. For practitioners, the main message is that the project management method provides a basic, but imperfect, tool for managing NPD. The relevance for researchers is that gaps have been identified in the project management method as it is cur-rently applied to NPD. Several places are identified where further research is required to (a) better understand the causality between factors (e.g., human resource management) and project success and (b) adapt project management methods to better serve the NPD process.

Book Review: "Building a Project-driven Enterprise: How to Slash Waste and Boost Profits through Lean Project Management", Robert Mascitelli (2002)

Book Review: "Building a Project-driven Enterprise: How to Slash Waste and Boost Profits through Lean Project Management", Robert Mascitelli (2002)

Building a Project‐driven Enterprise: How to Slash Waste and Boost Profits through Lean Project Management

Building a Project‐driven Enterprise: How to Slash Waste and Boost Profits through Lean Project Management

Lean project management

Projects are temporary production systems. When those systems are structured to deliver the product while maximizing value and minimizing waste, they are said to be ‘lean’ projects. Lean project management differs from traditional project management not only in the goals it pursues, but also in the structure of its phases, the relationship between phases and the participants in each phase. This paper presents a model of lean project management and contrasts lean and traditional approaches. Four tools or interventions are presented as illustrations of lean concepts in action. Les projets sont des systèmes de production temporaires. Lorsque ces systèmes sont organisés pour fournir le produit tout en optimisant la valeur et en minimisant les gaspillages, on dit qu'il s'agit de projets ≪au plus juste≫. La gestion de ce type de projet diffère de celle des projets classiques non seulement au niveau des objectifs visés mais aussi à celui de la structure des phases, des relations entre les phases et des participants à chaque phase. Cet article propose un modèle de gestion de projet au plus juste et oppose les deux approches. Quatre outils ou interventions sont présentés pour illustrer l'application des concepts ≪au plus juste≫.

Building a Project‐driven Enterprise: How to Slash Waste and Boost Profits through Lean Project Management

Building a Project‐driven Enterprise: How to Slash Waste and Boost Profits through Lean Project Management

Building a Project-Driven Enterprise: How to Slash Waste and Boost Profits through Lean Project Management

Building a Project-Driven Enterprise: How to Slash Waste and Boost Profits through Lean Project Management

The lean approach to project management

The early work in project management introduced project-oriented systems and methodologies, previously lacking in the project direct participants. The emphasis inevitably was on centralised project teams owning the systems. The paper illustrates through case studies the developed concept of lean project management, which recognises that the system and philosophy is now better understood by participants, who themselves provide and contribute to the project control mechanisms. The project manager becomes an individual client-based leader of the project team, the source of decision making and the conduit for communication. The approach has been successful on complex public arts buildings over 10 years and could be of general application in a wide range of project management and management by project environments.