QUALIFYING PEOPLE TO SUPPORT LEAN CONSTRUCTION IN CONTRACTOR ORGANIZATIONS

Abstract

The consolidation of the lean construction theory demands the application of its concepts and principles in practical situations, but until now most of the implementations have been very fragmented. They have focused mainly on the improvement of project performance through the application of new tools and methodologies, leaving aside organizational and human issues. This paper proposes a way to support lean construction in contractor organizations, both creating a Lean Construction Professional Profile (LCPP) (seeking what competencies are needed) and expanding the focus centered on projects to address organizational and human issues that are necessary to carry out a sustainable and successful implementation. Several research activities were carried out: an assessment of what skills Project Managers (PMs) need, a study of how construction PMs use their time, and an analysis of the best practices coming from the outcomes of executive’s studies in management science, construction industry and lean construction. Extracting the main contributions and similarities of each approach, and taking the premise of the holistic development of people as a key element, five areas of competence and knowledge were identified: (1) enterprise vision, (2) lean vision, (3) technical capacity, (4) management capacity and (5) social competence. From the five competence-knowledge areas the LCPP was defined, considering first mental models that drive acting (enterprise vision and lean vision) and then sorting the competences needed in their complexity.