Assessments
Lean Evaluations
Assessment, or evaluation, is an integral part of the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Adjust) process of continuous improvement in Lean methodologies. Transforming the process for delivering projects, as well as industry culture, is what this assessment technology is all about. Explore why Lean assessments are useful then evaluate your strengths and weaknesses with LCI’s team or individual assessment.
About Lean Assessments
Teams are only as good as the people who comprise them. A team should utilize individual strengths, cooperate efficiently and effectively, and develop individual skill sets. The first step in being able to do any of these things is to create awareness of traits and skills, individually and across the team.
Organizations often use assessments for individual development, team building and bettering team dynamics. Assessments optimize team performance by helping each member gain more awareness of his or her skills and preferences, as well as those of other team members.
The use of Individual and Team Assessments allows leaders to more effectively and efficiently use unique skills to their fullest extent and assemble the right team for the right job, a crucial component for successful project completion. When the right team is in place, the shared learning curve for project members is shorter, an important advantage when staffing projects of shorter duration. Teams that employ this approach also report a higher level of personal and professional satisfaction with projects.
Assessments also can reveal what motivates each team member. Project leaders learn who is more interested in learning and developing as an individual. Team members benefit from the sharing of other assessments as well. They become part of a more effective team, flex their innate personality and have the opportunity to exercise leadership in their area of strength.
Armed with greater insight into team member strengths, managers can be more effective mentors and coaches. Assessments might also indicate a particular affinity or interest, the knowledge of which can allow team members to more effectively collaborate. Additionally, it could highlight an area that a team might naturally overlook, thereby providing visibility to alternative perspectives.
To support a team or an individual’s journey toward continuous improvement, the Lean Construction Institute has developed two assessment instruments for team and individuals.
– from the Individual Assessment and Development chapter of Transforming Design and Construction – William R. (Bill) Seed, Executive Editor
Team Assessment
The objective of the LCI Lean IPD Health and Maturity Assessment tool is to provide the project team with a snapshot of its progress in adopting Lean Integrated Project Delivery better known practices. The tool was developed with the knowledge that Lean/IPD maturity is indeed a progression and not a binary switch that is flipped on or off by inserting some tools. A project may be called “Lean” and yet only be at the early levels of Lean maturity for many of the Lean methods and approaches. An assessment, such as this one, is one of the few ways to quantify with some objectivity how “Lean” a project is on an element by element basis. The Framework for the elements was developed within the Lean Construction Institute Community of Practice; descriptions of the elements are embedded in the tool and are displayed as each element is being assessed.
Individual Assessments
The growing implementation of IPD requires that professionals receive just-in-time training on the founding principles and strategies of Lean design and construction. However, practitioners might not only have the time to participate in continuous training, but they might also not have a self-awareness of their knowledge. To support future learning, an individual assessment instrument was developed so practitioners could assess their knowledge and efforts in implementing Lean principles, develop self-awareness, and self-regulate their journey towards- continuous improvement. The instrument was developed by leveraging experiences and literature in Lean construction principles as well as theories of self-regulated learning in educational psychology.
As mentioned in the tutorial, one can either assess themselves in all of the paths or individual paths. You will automatically receive the results of the assessment to your email. For any questions, please contact Fadi Castronovo, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Engineering, California State University, fadi.castronovo@csueastbay.edu.
