Lean Principle - Value Add vs. Non Value Add

For specialty contractors the field workforce represents most of their competitive advantage as well as their biggest source of variability.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

Making improvements to field productivity requires a deep understanding of the entire value stream and the tools to effectively streamline it.

Field Productivity: Lean Principle, Value Add vs. Non Value Add

This starts with mapping out every step in the process then identifying those steps that are truly adding value to the customer:

  1. The customer must be willing to pay for it.

    2. It must transform the raw materials (inputs) in some way.

      3. It must be done correctly the first time. 

When you look at each step through this lens you start to see a lot of activities that don’t add value (Non Value Add).  These get broken down into two categories:

  1. REQUIRED: Inspections, Submittals, Etc.

    2. PURE WASTE: Additional Handling, Waiting, Etc.

Our approach is “High-Involvement Workflow Mapping” which forces teams to slow down enough to truly see what they are doing, communicate with each other and identify then eliminate waste with each cycle (PDCA).  


Learn more about our approach

Helpful Resources

  • Mike Brunner does a great job with 1:1 personal lean coaching that truly accelerates personal development.  
  • Lean for Dummies is a very well written book providing an overview of many lean concepts and history. Mike Brunner leverages this as part of his 1:1 coaching program.

Lean Principle - Value Add vs. Non Value Add
Field labor is the often the biggest variable on a construction project - making it the biggest risk and opportunity....

Lean Principle - Value Add vs. Non Value Add
Field labor is the often the biggest variable on a construction project - making it the biggest risk and opportunity....

Evolution of Project Delivery Methods
Project delivery methods for contractors will become increasingly more integrated from project owner through all key parts of the supply chain, which is a return to models used in the early 1900s with some modernization improvements.
Lean Principle - Value Stream
A contractor’s value stream is every step required to take raw materials and information then deliver a completed project to the waiting hands of a customer. Deep understanding of this value stream is the foundation for major productivity improvements.
What is Lean
Labor productivity in the construction industry impacts all contractors and project owners and has become even more challenging with the craft labor shortage.