construction project controls

Lean GC Lean construction techniques have been adapted for construction in the last 20 years from the automobile industry. Lean basically means to build construction projects as cost-effectively as possible and minimize waste. Adopting a lean approach to construction has been received well by some contractors and resisted by others. This case study private developer has recently attended a lean presentation by a college professor and is on the fence about whether to require her open-book time and materials (T&M) project to be built by a lean contractor advocate. She is interviewing two perspective general contractors. A. GC1: Argue why your company has always built in an economical fashion, even if it was not labeled as "lean." Your construction firm has been successful in securing both competitively bid and negotiated projects and is returning a fair profit. Use concepts such as preconstruction services, constructability reviews, value engineering (VE), total quality management (TQM), vetting best-value subcontractors, cost and schedule controls, foremen work packages, earned value, zero punch list, zero time loss due to safety accidents, and others to pitch your company to this client. B. GC2: Your firm has sent all of your superintendents, project engineers (PES), and project managers to Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)-sponsored lean training classes. Everyone is lean-certified, and your business cards and letterhead have been modified accordingly. Your company's goal is to be the leanest contractor in your state. Prepare an argument why your firm is now more cost-effective than your competition and you are able to validate that lean construction projects are finished less expensively, with less waste than those that are built by standard non-lean GCS