Lean Project Management and Performance of Building Construction Firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

This researcher sought to find out the inefficiencies that could be the cause of underperformance in order to fill the gap through applications of more efficient and cost effective methods. The researcher therefore sought to analyse the experiences of construction companies in terms of the problems of wastes, high costs, bottlenecks, inventory control and how performance has been impacted. The research was done in Nairobi City County because many of the construction operation were conducted in Nairobi. The finding showed a low application of methods in the construction process. The respondent indicted no policy known to the employees of the company that connected to the waste minimization programs. The researcher also noted that most of the firms did not visualise their process, so as to identify non-value adding processes in the stream or remove the bottlenecks within the construction stream. The few big companies that were in category 1-3 had value stream maps but the mapping of most of these companies lacked the input of the experts. Most companies however, indicated to have specific methods to regulate inventory, however the methods were not good enough to help in inventory related costs like stock out costs. Most of the firms had quality management methods of ensuring a continuous improvement in the firm. This was a good indicator that training and development for most of these firms was key to solving emerging issues within the construction industry. The researcher concluded that the major costs that the respondents indicated was as a result of non-application of better operational management methods in the building construction. The researcher therefore recommended the application of the lean project management to improve the performance.

Effect of Project Management Practices on Implementation of Housing Development Projects in Kenya: A Case Study of Kenya Property Developers Association

“…The statement that certification of engineers in the construction industry provides confidence of quality implementation of projects had a mean score of 3.57 and a standard deviation of 1.450. These results concurred with Nyaga and Otieno (2018) study that found out that Projects are constrained by inadequate planning skills that are required for effective planning for project success; Project planning is complicated and risky, hence requires varying skills sets for successful project implementation and management; Increasing complexity in the projects with pressure of time and costs has led to the introduction of high quality software and hardware which requires skilled planning.…”