Perceptions of lean design management

Abstract

The importance of managing the early design phases effectively and efficiently is relatively well appreciated, although how best to do this is not so clear. The successful use of lean management in the construction phase, using the principles largely developed by Toyota, has opened up the possibility of using lean design management, thus helping to establish a systematic approach to the creative design phase. This study explores the interpretation and application of lean design management in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC). A survey questionnaire was used to obtain an understanding of current design management processes and practices in the UK. Findings from 125 responses indicate that inefficiencies are related to ineffective design management processes (e.g. management of briefing, design, etc.) as well as problems with procurement. The main conclusion drawn is that lean design management appears valid for implementation in the AEC sector, but needs to be customised according to the project context in order to achieve the desired value for all stakeholders.Keywords: lean design management; client briefing; design process waste; design process value stream; architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) IntroductionMany construction projects suffer from delays and uncertainty in terms of cost with the result that, in many cases, the customer or client is not satisfied with the final product (Egan, 1998;Latham, 1994). Research has highlighted the importance of the early design phases in helping to reduce uncertainty and improve quality; the importance of managing this stage effectively and efficiently has been made clear

An Assessment of Lean Design Management Practices in Construction Projects

“…Within this category, requirement management is usually one of the critical elements for the management of construction projects [33], where the identification and management must be conducted not only with external clients but also with all stakeholders of the project, while also considering internal clients [1,32]. To correctly manage requirements, the systematic participation of a client as a feedback agent of the proposition generated by designers is fundamental [14,23,34]. Additionally, the early involvement of specialist designers and builders will generate a design with a comprehensive value proposal; furthermore, the design will consider the knowledge and experience of these actors as internal clients, allowing them to anticipate potential incompatibility problems among designers and even consider an optimal design for future construction [6,35,36].…”

“…The participation of clients in the design phase involves the systematic participation and support during meetings concerning decision making and resolution of problems. [14,17,23,[34][35][36][37][39][40][41]43] SM 5 The design of the product and the construction process are carried out simultaneously. [21,23,[34][35][36]40,[43][44][45]48] Sustainability 2020, 12, 19…”

“…However, the problems generated in the design of construction projects cannot be solved with technology alone but require an understanding of the social phenomena related to the processing of individual and collective information [9]. For this reason, certain lean tools can allow higher interactions because they encourage the management of commitment and trust among team members [10][11][12][13].Evidence exists for the application of lean management principles and some of its tools in the design management process [14,15]. For example, Fosse & Ballard [16] presented a case study that demonstrated the change between traditional planning and planning using the last planner ® system (LPS ® ) at the design phase.…”

“…Evidence exists for the application of lean management principles and some of its tools in the design management process [14,15]. For example, Fosse & Ballard [16] presented a case study that demonstrated the change between traditional planning and planning using the last planner ® system (LPS ® ) at the design phase.…”

Planning and controlling design in engineered-to-order prefabricated building systems

“…Despite the importance of the design process for the success of construction projects, it is widely recognized that not enough attention is given to design planning and control in this industry (Choo et al, 2004;Tribelsky and Sacks, 2010;El Reifi and Emmitt, 2013). Design plans are often limited to a list of design deliverables, produced at the beginning of design process (Choo et al, 2004).…”