Lean construction (LC) is a production system with the potential to deliver exceptional performance within any organisation. LC is possible solution to the many problems faced by construction Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, Construction SMEs lack the needed resources which constraint their lean implementation efforts. A conceptual framework for capability and capacity building of...

Buffers in the form of extra capacity, time, or inventory can help stabilizing construction workflow. From a lean construction perspective, however, buffers are recognized as waste. It presents a dichotomy in the use of buffers that calls for the establishment of a balance between the theoretical goals and the practical norms. This paper presents a...

The descriptive approaches, like case study, interview, survey, observation and document analysis, widely used by the lean construction community to investigate managerial problems in the construction industry, typically provide explanations of problems and not solutions to them, leaving a gap between theory and practice. Two prescriptive approaches-design science research and action research-are therefore recommended.

Effective removal of constraints is critical in the Last Planner System (LPS)to improve work plan reliability. While removing constraints is important, it remains unclear to project managers about which types of constraint have the highest level of uncertainty and to what extent the constraint removal discussions are efficient for improving work plan reliability. This research...

Takt planning and Takt control (TPTC) is a production system approach that is most commonly used in individual construction projects. The approach has not yet been implemented systematically in a large-scale project, like a Greenfield automotive plant (complete new plant from scratch) with all facilities. Furthermore, its use has not been documented in construction in...