Forum

This is a big question! why wont companies really get into the idea that Lean applies to most construction projects, even after so many examples / case studies showing how it has worked and the benefits it can bring. I worked with one client recently who doubled profits on a project due to the improvement work carried out. I revisited a year later, to find that they hadnt continued to adopt the techniques on any other projects. The reason given was that they felt it was a one off, possibly luck, and anyway they they were so busy, they couldnt afford the time to roll out and train the techniques to their overstretched staff. I made the point, if they worked smarter i.e. double the profit, may mean they didnt have to work so hard, in effect they could reduce the number of projects they took on, significantly, if the profit was doubled. In my view, the acceptance of Lean will come from many sources, here are some examples: 1. the well known client source (i.e. they demand it), 2. the sense of urgency source (recession makes companies more cost aware), 3. critical mass (so many companies do it, you must do it to win contracts) 4. The trailblazer (the comany that gest so good at it, the rest must & will follow) - difficulty here is all comanies dip into the same supply chain, so establishing a competitive advantage in a mature industry is problematic 5. Creep (companies do it, but over a long time period i.e. the techniques seep into industry) 6. The university and colleges route (new entrants to the industry learn new skills., although i believe not a great deal of construction courses actually teach lean at the moment) 7. the institutes make it part of the curriculum - interestingly much of the influence on proffesionals does not come from the company but from the institute, so if they took a more positive stance, then maybe this would impact on the professions 8. And many more...................... Sounds complex, but this shouldnt put companies off trying, afterall if they dont keep trying, one day they will wake up and find they dont have any work, not because they got worse, they just didnt get as good as the others.

I agree with may of the points Andrew posted in response to my original Forum point. I believe if a company has 'constancy of purpose', continually and consistently moving towards a vision of really delivering better value, following a strategy that has 'Lean Thinking and practcies' as a core element, then that Company will reap the benefits. Surely, if it was your company you would be interested in delivering the levels of improved profit and project performance to which Andrew alluded. These benefits are there for the taking, but as Andrew pointed out, there are some potential 'barriers' to the successful implementation of Lean & Continuous Improvement. I believe that a key enabler to overcoming such barriers is the need for strong leadership, from business leaders who 'see the light' and understand that to really relaise the benefits achieveable through Lean, they need to be in it for the long term, and involve all other project stakeholders including Clients, Designers and a rationalised Supply Chain. With the current economic climate, the application of 'Lean' to deliver better value, better projects and to enhance profitability is increasingly important. Lean will not only help companies 'survive' but also 'thrive' when markey conditions improve.