4. Lean journey
Lean implementation begins with leadership commitment and
is sustained with a culture of continuous improvement. When
the principles are applied properly, dramatic improvements in
safety, quality, and efficiency can be achieved at the project level.
Improvements at the process and enterprise levels are enablers
that make improvements at the project level more
successful and allow such improvements to be sustainable
[34], Fig. 2.
The lean ideal is to provide a custom product exactly fit for
purpose and delivered instantly with no waste to the subsequent
actions that may be necessary in order for projects to
pursue that ideal [34]. The ability of individuals and organizations
to follow this process will vary with position and circumstances,
but to the extent possible, the following should be
implemented on projects: (1) Select suppliers who are willing
to adopt lean project delivery; (2) Structure the project organization
to allow money to move in pursuit of the best projectlevel
returns; (3) Define and align project scope, budget, and
schedule; (4) Explore adaptation and development of methods;
(5) Make design decisions, with explicit alternatives against
stated criteria; (5) Practice production control in accordance
with lean principles; (6) Build quality and safety into projects;
(7) Implement JIT and multi-organizational processes after site
demand; (8) Use evaluations and planning on process that
transform materials; (9) Use computer modeling to integrate
product and process design; (10) Use 5S workshops: a tool
for workplace organization and promoting teamwork (S1) Sort
through items, keep what is needed and dispose of what is not;
(S2) Straighten: organize and label everything; (S3) Shine:
clean; which can also expose abnormal and pre-failure conditions;
(S4) Standardize: develop rules to maintain the first three
S’s; and (S5) Sustain: manage to maintain a stabilized workplace
and initiate continuous improvement when needed and
(11) Apply Value Stream Mapping to make visible all the steps
in process. These can be organized specially for projects and
preceded by a pre-project phase [34]