Explore your knowledge and understanding of applying the lean approach to project management and delivery of services in the built-environment!

There’s a lot of talk about “lean” these days, and you may be wondering why.

In a nutshell, if you were an auto manufacturer right now, would you rather be GM or Toyota?

You probably remember the story about the blind men and the elephant. One man touches the beast’s leg and proclaims that an elephant is like a tree. Another grabs the tail and declares that an elephant is more like a snake. The one who touches the elephant’s side is convinced that the animal is like a wall. And so on.

On a production line, lean is about reducing waste in its many manifestations: wasted time, wasted effort, wasted materials, etc. It’s about being open to input from the people on the front line who are experienced with doing the work. Lean means continually looking for ways to do the job better, more efficiently and more cost effectively. It’s about creating value for the customer.