What still needs to be done to encourage more firms to apply lean construction techniques?
Construction firms and owners need to be more aware of the potential power that resides within a lean construction culture. After awareness, there needs to be affordable avenues to facilitate an organization’s desire to adopt a lean culture. The training of general contractors as well as the supply chain of specialty contractors and suppliers is necessary to provide the critical mass required for the operating system’s relevancy. What is the future of this movement? When you consider that a basic lean principle is to “seek perfection,” it would suggest there is no end to an organization’s lean journey. In the 10 years since we instituted the lean operating system at Linbeck, we have not seen a finish line. It has been quite the opposite, as new concepts of “lean” thinking, process and techniques are developed and inculcated into our culture. At Linbeck, we believe that the industry can and should provide a better product for our customers. To create a measureable difference, the constr
