Identifying Waste: Applications of Construction Process Analysis

Abstract

Implementation of lean production philosophy into the construction environment represents tremendous opportunity and challenge. One aspect challenging lean construction advocates is the systematic identification and quantification of waste, development of lean operations, and improvement verification. Through case studies, this paper discusses the use of the Construction Process Analysis (CPA) technique as an appropriate tool for lean management in construction. Results indicate that for highly repetitive processes such as steel erection, CPA is effective at identifying and quantifying waste.