August 1, 2024

August 1, 2024

What hurdles did you encounter when implementing Lean on a project (in your company), and how did you tackle them?

The best way to get people on board with Lean is to get the teams to see the value in it for themselves. Being the Lean police may get things done faster, however there will always be a natural pull-back once the tools are no longer strictly enforced. Slowly coaching, guiding, and recognizing improvement is what works best for myself and my organization. Praise a project when they take even a small step in the right direction, even if it isn’t by the book. I’ve learned to temper my coaching to be easier and to nit-pick less in the beginning. Once people move on and are more comfortable in their application, my rubric difficulty increases to continuously refine their efforts. This grace period allows for steady gains while still encouraging others to step outside of their comfort zone in a way that won’t have them recoil hard into their old ways.

What stories can you share about a successful Lean project (Lean implementation effort) you participated in and what do you think made it work?

The best Lean project I was a part of had a high-performing team that lived and died by the ethos of “What is best for the Project?” When conflicts with other subcontractors would inevitably arise, project leaders could step in and point back to the broader charter and ask what is best.

On this project, the iron workers were struggling with a very complex structure installation that was indirectly holding up some of our scope. The General Contractor was aware of the first run of video studies I was performing for our crews and asked if I could do something similar for them. We decided that it was in the best interest of the project, even when it wasn’t my company, to help. We brought the entire crew in for a lunch-n-learn and performed a Start, Stop, Continue. Even though I was from another trade I could tell how frustrated this 20+ person crew was and could feel their relief that someone was taking action to help. After this meeting we filmed the process and I observed with various leaders (Steel company, GC, owner, and design) and asked for their perspective. After a few logistical changes, install sequence change, and implementation of a new tool, their production quickly doubled in a few days. All it took was stopping to listen to the needs of the field.

In your opinion, what are the biggest benefits of applying Lean and how have they impacted your projects, your teams, or your organization?

Creating a culture of trust and improvement has tremendous impacts not just on a person’s career, it can (and should) increase their total quality of life. If we can get workers to take less steps, less repetitions of lifting heavy objects, that can save literally thousands of miles of walking and thousands of hours of excess lifting that their body would have to endure. That is more energy and more time spent with their families and doing things they love. This leads to longer, more fulfilling careers and a decrease in serious chronic pain and injury. Everyone, including office staff, are fresher while working and more productive during those hours. A respectful environment where people feel heard and are less tired at the end of the day, that is the biggest impact Lean can make.

How do you assess if your Lean game is strong; are there metrics or techniques you rely on and can share?

We use a combination of coaching sheets and rubrics for running stand up meetings, metrics like Percent Plan Complete (PPC) for planning, and other internal KPIs around contracts and date completions. I’ve always found metrics to be important, but they are only one part of the story. I get much more out of small, continuous conversations with field leaders, workers, and office staff to see how strong of an impact our tools are making. Metrics cannot tell every story; they can only point you in the direction of what needs intervention. It is the conversation with the project teams that allow leadership to establish root causes of problems and take actionable steps to address these issues.

If someone’s just dipping their toes into Lean, what advice would you offer from lessons you’ve learned?

Pick one, a few at most, simple tools and build the culture of trust and accountability around those tools. For all Lean tools to be effective, the people using them must feel respected and engaged. For example, the Last Planner System® is an incredible part of the Lean toolkit, but it depends entirely on reliable handoffs and commitments. If project teams aren’t bought in, if they don’t feel they can be vulnerable, this system falls apart. We started with 5S and Daily Huddles as it was a way to affect every employee in the company. They weren’t complicated meetings, they were simple check-ins. Eventually we added structure with Weekly Work Plans (WWP) and the other levels of LPS®. Take that first step and keep the wellbeing of others at the heart of everything one does. That will take you a long way.

“This past Thursday, I attended the Lean Coffee and Intern Networking Event at Southland Industries in Dulles, VA. During the event, I worked with a team of three other interns to write instructions for building a tower with different shaped blocks based on a picture. Our task was to create instructions that anyone would be able to follow to build the tower.

We deliberated within our groups and our instructions made sense to us. When the instructor took the picture away, we were still able to build our tower correctly. We then switched with another group, and had to rely on their instructions to build the tower. Because this group’s instructions were detailed and organized, our group was able to build the tower correctly, without the picture. However, the group that attempted to build the tower using my group’s instructions struggled. Our directions, while they made sense to us, lacked detail, and missed important information, mainly where certain shapes should be placed in relation to other shapes. The LCI Last Planner System® is a tool that helps establish a predictable workflow, and as writing the instructions for the block tower taught us, being able to illustrate how something should be assembled is crucial for the success of the construction team. Furthermore, the Last Planner System is not simply a way to increase efficiency or output, but a method crucial for the successful implementation of any project.

After the workshop, I talked to several construction and design interns about their educational and career goals, and how they view Lean principles influencing the industry for years to come. While my career goals may not align perfectly with the field of construction, attending this event was insightful, giving me a look into how Lean principles not only benefit the construction industry, but also how Lean principles can be implemented into any profession.”

We thank Ryan for his participation in the event and openly sharing his experience! LCI wishes Ryan all the best as he returns his focus to pursuing his education at Hendrix College, in Conway, Arkansas.

LCI would like to extend its heartfelt appreciation to member company, Southland Industries, for hosting this event at its Dulles, VA office.

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Curated Content: Curated Content: What is Visual Management?

Visual Management is a key strategy for enhancing efficiency and communication within an organization. By placing tools, parts, production activities, plans, schedules, measures, and performance indicators in plain view, it ensures that the status of the system can be understood immediately by everyone involved. This visibility allows for immediate actions to be taken locally in support of system objectives, promoting a more responsive and aligned operational environment.

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Additional resources:

• Are computer screens okay for visual management?