Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An Assessment of Lean Construction Practices in the Construction Industry

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Advances in Human Factors, Sustainable Urban Planning and Infrastructure (AHFE 2018)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 788))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

The performance of the construction industry is hampered by waste ranging from material resources, cost, time, and manpower amongst others. Hence, the need to embrace the implementation of Lean Construction (LC) practices which encompasses culture, plans, tools, and concepts to maximise value while also minimising all forms of waste. This research paper aims to assess the use of LC practices to effectively improve productivity and performance of the construction industry. A well-structured questionnaire was administered, with construction professionals as respondents. A quantitative approach to data analysis was adopted using the mean item scores of the identified variables. Findings revealed waste reduction, effective administration of materials on site, improved lifecycle cost, good project coordination, improved safety on site, and greater productivity as the top six benefits of implementing LC practices. By adopting LC practices, productivity will be increased thereby leading to successful delivery of construction projects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. PWC: Highlighting Trends in the South African Construction Industry. http://www.pwc.co.za

  2. Bohari, A.A.M., Martin, S., Bo, X., Melissa, T., Xiaoling, Z., Khairul, N.A.: The path towards greening the Malaysian construction industry. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 52, 1742–1748 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Nahmens, I., Laura, H.I.: Effects of lean construction on sustainability of modular homebuilding. J. Archit. Eng. 18(2), 155–163 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Construction Industry Institute: Application of Lean Manufacturing Principles to Construction. https://www.construction-institute.org/scriptcontent/more/rr191_11_more.cfm

  5. Hosseini, S.A., Nikakhtar, A., Wong, K., Zavichi, A.: Implementing Lean Construction Theory to Construction Processes’ Waste Management (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Alarcon, L.F., Loreto S.: Developing Incentive Strategies for Implementation of Lean Construction (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Mwacharo, F.: Challenges of Lean Management: Investigating the Challenges and Developing a Recommendation for Implementing Lean Management Techniques (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Green, S.D., Susan, C.M.: Lean construction: arenas of enactment, models of diffusion and the meaning of ‘leanness’. Build. Res. Inf. 33(6), 498–511 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Formoso, C.T., Lucio, S., De Cesare, C., Eduardo, L.I.: Material waste in building industry: main causes and prevention. J. Constr. Eng. Manag. 128(4), 316–325 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Senaratne, S., Duleesha, W.: Lean construction as a strategic option: testing its suitability and acceptability in Sri Lanka. Lean Constr. J. 34–48 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Li, H., Guo, H., Li, Y., Skitmore, M.: From IKEA model to the lean construction concept: a solution to implementation. Int. J. Constr. Manage. 12(4), 47–63 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Abdelrazig, Y.E.: Using Lean Techniques to Reduce Waste and Improve Performance in Municipal Project Delivery (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Nicholas, J.: Lean Production for Competitive Advantage: A Comprehensive Guide to Lean Methodologies and Management Practices. CRC Press, Boca Raton (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Aziz, R.F., Sherif, M.H.: Applying lean thinking in construction and performance improvement. Alexandria Eng. J. 52(4), 679–695 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Salem, O., Solomon, J., Genaidy, A., Luegring, M.: Site implementation and assessment of lean construction techniques. Lean Constr. J. 2(2), 1–21 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Tan, B.W., Hooi, H.L.: An analysis of dynamic linkages between domestic investment, exports and growth in Malaysia. Eur. J. Soc. Sci. 16(1), 150–159 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Ogunbiyi, O., Jack, S.G., Adebayo, O.: An empirical study of the impact of lean construction techniques on sustainable construction in the UK. Constr. Innov. 14(1), 88–107 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Common, G.E.J., David, G.: A Survey of the Take-Up of Lean Concepts Among UK Construction Companies (2000). Accessed 17–19 July 2000

    Google Scholar 

  19. Mossman, A.: Why isn’t the UK construction industry going lean with gusto? Lean Constr. J. 24–36 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Sarhan, S., Andrew, F.: Barriers to implementing lean construction in the UK construction industry. The Built Hum. Environ. Rev. 6, 1–17 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Rahman, H., Wang, C., Lim, I.: Waste processing framework for non-value-adding activities using lean construction. J. Front. Constr. Eng. 1(1), 8–13 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Koskela, L.: Application of the New Production Philosophy to Construction, vol. 72. Stanford University, Stanford (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Naim, M., James, B.: An innovative supply chain strategy for customized housing. Constr. Manag. Econ. 21(6), 593–602 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Koskela, L., Greg, H., Glenn, B., Iris, T.: The foundations of lean construction. In: Design and Construction: Building in Value, pp. 211–226 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Green, S.D.: The Future of Lean Construction: A Brave New World (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Antillon, E.I.: A Research Synthesis on the Interface Between Lean Construction and Safety Management. University of Colorado at Boulder (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Womack, J.P., Daniel, T.J.: Lean thinking—banish waste and create wealth in your corporation. J. Oper. Res. Soc. 48(11), 1148 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Field, A.: Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics. Sage, Thousand Oaks (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Kim, D.: Exploratory Study of Lean Construction: Assessment of Lean Implementation (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Bicheno, J., Holweg, M.: The Lean Toolbox: The Essential Guide to Lean Transformation, 4th edn (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Bashir, A.M., Subashini S., David, G.P., Rod, G.: Barriers Towards the Sustainable Implementation of Lean Construction in the United Kingdom Construction Organizations (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Horman, M.J., David, R.R., Anthony, R.L., Sinem, K., Michael, H.P., Christopher, S.M., Yupeng, L., Nevienne, H., Peter, K.D.: Delivering green buildings: process improvements for sustainable construction. J. Green Build. 1(1), 123–140 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Olatunji, J.: Lean-in-Nigerian Construction: state, barriers, strategies and “Goto-gemba” approach. In: Proceedings 16th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Manchester, United Kingdom (2008)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sustainable Human Settlement and Construction Research Centre, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Olusegun Aanuoluwapo Oguntona, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa & Gloria Ndalamba Mulongo

Authors
  1. Olusegun Aanuoluwapo Oguntona
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gloria Ndalamba Mulongo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olusegun Aanuoluwapo Oguntona .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Angelus Silesius University of Applied Sciences in Walbrzych, Walbrzych, Poland

    Jerzy Charytonowicz

  2. Catholic University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Christianne Falcão

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Oguntona, O.A., Aigbavboa, C.O., Mulongo, G.N. (2019). An Assessment of Lean Construction Practices in the Construction Industry. In: Charytonowicz, J., Falcão, C. (eds) Advances in Human Factors, Sustainable Urban Planning and Infrastructure. AHFE 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 788. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94199-8_51

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94199-8_51

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94198-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94199-8

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation