Tool for assessing lean maturity in construction projects in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The Non-Value Adding Activities (NVAAs) generated in a construction process are recognised as one of its major weaknesses since they adversely affect performance and efficiency and produce unwanted cost. Lean construction applies lean production principles to the construction industry to minimise NVAAs in construction projects and maximise the value provided to clients. Lean is an innovative construction management approach which is linked closely to the overall life of a project to ensure its success. It is vital to measure the extent to which lean techniques have been applied in a certain project in order to implement more suitable lean techniques in future projects. This paper presents such a mechanism developed for assessing lean maturity in construction projects in Sri Lanka. A detailed literature review was carried out to identify the examples of NVAAs and to investigate the widely used lean techniques in construction projects. Quantitative research approach was adopted through three different surveys. Both surveys one and two were based on questionnaires and the data was collected from industry professionals. The first survey for project quantity surveyors, site engineers and construction engineers to identify NVAA, and the second survey for project managers in building construction projects to examine the application of lean techniques. The research technique for the third survey was semi-structured interviews for senior managers in top grade building construction companies. The data was then used to map NVAAs against lean techniques and emphasise the most suitable lean techniques in different stages of construction projects. Finally, a tool for assessing lean maturity of a construction project was developed to measure the lean implementation of completed projects in order to improve the application of lean techniques in future construction projects. The tool was thereafter validated through an expert survey and implemented in few recently completed projects.