Lean

Lean Construction

Connect With a Lean Leader
Lean isn’t just a series of check-boxes to us, it’s a way of life from how we interact with each other and our clients, to how we schedule and work on projects. It’s a system for people who, like us, are problem solvers looking for a better, smarter way to build.

Building Efficiencies

Our teams have been practicing Lean Construction for several years, using Lean systems and processes to manage our project schedules, collaborate with other subcontractors, and plan for safe, successful project completions.

Lean Planning (Plan)

Our team utilizes P4 planning, a new approach crafted by our own Executive Lean Director collaborating along with other Lean experts from around the country. The P4 Planning approach takes a deeper dive into every phase of our work, improving our ability to visually manage and deliver on our promises.

This first step is really about mapping out the milestones to align everyone in the room around key deliverables, dates, and conditions of satisfaction. This way everyone on the team is on the same page, working towards the same goal.

For this, we tend to use sticky notes. It may sound weird, but the sticky notes serve as a visual representation of the process. It gets people talking through the process, making sure everyone sees it the same way.

Often referred to as Takt & Flow. Put simply, it is the flow of work between floors, rooms, and common areas among each trade.

Based on the order work needs to occur in, we work with other trade partners to map out the process of work. Once that flow is identified, we can work together to determine the sequence of installation and hand-offs between each trade to maximize efficiency and flow throughout the project life cycle.

The Prepare phase is where the planning for the installation begins. This step takes the “P1 – Process” step and the “P2 – Pace” step deeper, mapping out each room/phase as identified in the Takt & Flow plan step-by-step in six-week increments. Often referred to as The Last Planner System, this is a great way to collaborate among teams and trade partners to ensure projects run smoothly.

The 4th P—Perform—centers around Conditions of Satisfaction for the project. In this phase we clearly identify the items required to know when each phase in our plan can be marked as 100% finished. This steps aligns expectations with our clients so there is no question regarding what the client expects and what we deliver.

Lean Construction (Do)

With P4 Planning we’ve seen improvements of 10% or more on our process efficiency, our time it takes on-site to get work done, and how many people we need to do the work. Better planning means we’re able to deliver:

  • Reduced waste onsite using just-in-time delivery schedules to the jobsites
  • Enhanced efficiencies eliminating unnecessary steps
  • Enhanced production
  • Reduced onsite labor
  • Enhanced safety on job-sites
  • Enhanced craftsmanship and quality
  • Reliable commitments to schedules

Continuous Improvement (Check/Act)

No Lean journey should be about change for the sake of change—it’s about using data and metrics to make smart changes.

We create standards of work that are continually tracked and measured. Pushing the boundaries forward time and time again.

When we start planning earlier in the process and use Lean systems and tools we yield a return on that—better efficiency, reduced waste, and alignment on expectations and work ultimately resulting in safer projects because of it.
Perry Thompson
ArchKey Executive Lean Director

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