What is Lean

Labor productivity in the construction industry impacts all contractors and project owners.

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This has become even more challenging with the craft labor shortage. Training field supervisors and the entire project team the tools, workflows and behaviors that will improve production is a big part of the solution.

What is Lean? Maximize customer value while minimizing waste.

The Training Within Industry program used during WWII can be viewed as the most massive vocational supervisory training and process improvement program ever rolled out. Most of the principles are as applicable to solving our field productivity and talent shortage problems today as they were then. Every leader in the construction industry must become a student of these prior lessons learned then figure out how the best ways to apply them to their teams and companies.  
Read more: Training Within Industry: Job Instruction

If you want to learn more about the best resources and talent we have found for helping contractors improve labor productivity contact us.  That is one of our employees grandmother in the picture who was trained very quickly to build airplanes at the Boeing plant in Washington while her grandfather was serving on the USS Lexington.




Lean Principle - Stop Work (Until Problems Are Corrected)
All construction projects will run into some degree of problems. It is how the project team chooses to manage these problems that ultimately determines the outcome of the project.
Lean Principle - Observation (Gemba Walks and Learning to See)
One of the most important tools for improving productivity is going to the jobsite or work area and observing for an extended period of time with the intent to understand but not to immediately interact. Observation progresses through about 7 stages.
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.