Lean Construction Leaders: A Trade Partner’s Guide

Do you work in construction? Do you see the need for improvement? Do you want an easy-to-understand guide towards becoming Lean? This book is for you. You will have access to over 200 videos on the topic of Lean and Lean in construction. As a coach you can use these videos to develop yourself, and then others, towards being Lean. George Trachilis and Perry Thompson suggest that this is a starter kit for those companies wanting to be Lean Ready. The book, the online course (found at https://Lean101.ca/Lean) and the website https://LeanConstructionLeaders.com/ round out the offering of these materials.
This book contains over 600 years of experience by 24 contributors. Contributors include Jeff Liker, the best-selling author of the Toyota Way, Romano Nickerson, Principal of Boulder Associates, an architect who coached many companies towards being lean, Paul Akers, author of 2second Lean, Greg Howell - co-inventor of the Last Planner System® and co-founder of The Lean Construction Institute, and Ritsuo Shingo, the son of Shigeo Shingo, Shigeo introduced Lean to North America. The authors have over sixty years of Lean and construction experience. Finally, George Trachilis the Lean guru and professional engineer, engaged more than 300 companies on their Lean journey since 1994.
Every solution starts with a problem. Owners and general contractors are starting projects with an expectation that trade partners engage on a project with a Lean mindset. Use of industry lean tools such as the Last Planner System® (LPS), eight wastes (MUDA), and the 5S System for Workplace Organization(5S) have been difficult to implement to say the least. Currently trade partners are not prepared and take six months to be Lean ready.
This book emphasizes the importance of reliable handoffs between each trade partner and a unified understanding of the impact and effects each trade has on the entire schedule. It can be used as a team project guide to get projects started right out of the gate. We envision that GCs would issue the book to the project team so that they could get started before coming to the first meeting. Team members would do their homework and develop that common language as a team. What’s a pull plan? What’s a takt plan? Unanswered questions like these cost teams what seems to be countless hours and resources to improve planning and creating a collaboratively planned schedule founded on reliable commitments to each other. As we move away from command and control to a more open dialog of needs and countermeasures to create flow and smooth handoffs between trade partners.
These materials should be used at the time of formation for every project. Teams are formed that look like a “temporary” organization for the length of a project. This is a workbook and a Lean program that should be started with each project. Collaboration is not enough. Tips and tricks by each of our video content contributors solidifies this learning. This is an excellent solution for trade contractors looking to be Lean. Access to all these materials is complete and a great start for any organization.