The key benefits of lean methodology in the construction industry

Completing successful construction programmes has never been more challenging than it is right now. With the rising cost of materials, growing labour shortages, wage inflation and higher client expectations, construction companies are under pressure to meet projects on increasingly tight budgets and timelines. 

From years of experience supporting civil infrastructure and building projects, Elecosoft knows how important production planning is to project outcomes.  According to our Head of Innovation, Mark Chapman, “planning improvements can potentially improve confidence in on-time delivery for every project.” 

Lean methodology is a management philosophy that optimises processes, eliminates waste, and improves project efficiency so that construction companies can meet time and budget goals while delivering greater value to their customers.   

Let’s look at some of the key benefits of running lean in construction industry projects: 

Optimising efficiency 

Predictably, improved efficiency is one of the key motivations behind adopting lean methodology in construction programmes. With as many as two-thirds of construction projects not finishing on time and within budget and 70% of contractors blaming poor site coordination for missed deadlines, solutions that improve efficiency and project outcomes should be welcomed with open arms.  

Part of the problem with project planning and execution is that everyone has a different opinion on what good looks like! However, a harmonised viewpoint is hard to achieve unless teams are using up-to-date information.  

Lean methodology advocates running a live master programme, enabling your projects to run much more efficiently with fewer crossed wires and delays. The primary role of your master programme is to maintain an effective model of your delivery strategy, which may change and evolve as projects progress. While the baseline can remain static, your integrated master programme should always be live.  

Asta Connect is a highly effective collaborative management tool that uses The Last Planner® principles – a system for project production that promotes the creation of a predictable workflow for planning and managing construction projects.  

Asta Connect’s production planning capabilities also integrate with Asta Powerproject’s main strategic level programme to ensure workflows always reflect the master schedule and vice versa.  

Aligning project teams with the overall master plan and visualising all tasks in one central place enables them to work productively and efficiently, reducing downtime and delivering even the most complex construction projects on time and within budget.  

Reducing waste 

Mismanagement of a construction project can generate significant inefficiency and waste that affects the overall value to the customer. Some of the most common areas of waste in construction include: 

• Unnecessary movement of materials or equipment (which also increases the risk of damage through handling). 
• Inventory waste through overproduction. 
• Time spent waiting for material/equipment deliveries or project information.  
• Overprocessing, where there are unnecessary steps in the project chain or excessive administrative tasks. 
• Defects that result in work that needs to be redone. 
• Underutilised skills in the workforce.  

Lean construction looks to reduce waste from the very outset of the project, using smarter planning to streamline processes, cut the risk of overproduction and defects and utilise resources. Meanwhile, moving to a collaborative management tool reduces wasted effort in translating plans, reporting data and unpicking miscommunications.  

Construction waste also contributes towards air, water and noise pollution, so following lean methodology can enhance sustainability in the built environment by reducing the impact of projects on the surrounding and wider environment.   

Collaboration and teamwork 

Collaboration is a key component of lean construction, as many stakeholders are involved in building projects. Collaborative work fosters better communication, solves problems quicker and prevents construction companies from making the same mistake twice.  

To make collaboration possible, everyone needs to be on the same page. This is facilitated by solutions like Asta Connect, which places all the information about a project into a single, central management tool. Every stakeholder can access the same information, anytime and anywhere, for complete visibility of the entire project.  

Improving safety 

Maintaining a high level of health and safety is one of the biggest challenges in a building project. Construction sites are constantly evolving, hazardous environments with high-risk activities like cutting and welding.  

Accidents and injuries can occur for various reasons, including negligence, poor planning and lack of training and awareness. Staff and contractors need to be protected at all costs, yet with all the additional pressures placed on construction projects, it’s easy for things to get overlooked that could result in a team member being injured – or worse.  

The safest processes are simple, easy to understand, clearly define responsibilities and don’t overcomplicate tasks by asking stakeholders to do too much. Lean principles and tools drive clearer objectives, better communication and a culture of continuous improvement. This creates greater accountability for safety and reduces risks for both the workforce and your company.  

Keeping costs under control 

The bottom line is, well, the bottom line. Fewer than one in three construction projects are estimated to be completed within 10% of their budget. There can be many reasons why a programme fails to meet allocated costs, including: 

• Poor resource planning. 
• Resource misallocations.  
• Communication issues. 
• Defects and disputes.  

Lean construction budgets are planned around a concept called target value delivery. This more progressive practice is swiftly becoming a contractual requirement for many construction programmes, owing to its effectiveness in delivering projects within a fixed budget (while still meeting customer values and priorities).  

Better still, becoming leaner benefits project owners by making it easier to stick to timelines, reducing the risk of financial penalties and improving margins.   

Drive better outcomes with Asta Connect  

In any construction project, the ultimate focus is meeting client requirements and expectations (or even surpassing them). As a construction business, your reputation hinges heavily on your results. Yet defects and rework are common problems in mismanaged construction projects, causing avoidable delays and financial loss. 

Using a collaborative task management tool like Asta Connect can help to align people, tools and processes to avoid costly rework and ensure that each and every project sets the highest standards.  

Asta Connect brings construction teams together to improve communication and productivity to deliver lean construction programmes on time and budget without compromising quality.  

Our customers consistently report that Asta Connect is simple and intuitive to use, and many are moving away from more complex tools to adopt it.