Adopting Lean Management Principles for Renovation Projects

Abstract

The concept of lean originated with the Toyota Production System, but the idea of applying lean to renovation is relatively unknown. Previous studies have predominately focused on waste elimination or on achieving efficiency by applying particular lean practices in renovation projects; however, there is a lack of a framework that would address the lean implementation, and this is a clear gap in the research. This study aims to examine the applicability of the 14 lean management principles (LMPs) to renovation projects. To achieve this aim, we adopted a quantitative approach using a survey, which focuses on linking LMPs to the operation and management of renovation processes. This study sampled 67 renovation professionals in Singapore’s renovation sector. The research findings revealed that the renovation contractors perceived manpower challenges as more significant than iron-triangle metrics. The findings also revealed isolated practice of LMPs by survey respondents, although with minimal knowledge and awareness of lean. The findings showed that the renovation companies have adopted those LMPs related to people and problem-solving lean management principles and regard them as important principles. In contrast, respondents perceived several process-oriented LMPs, such as pull and level-out workload, as less important. This isolated implementation suggests the relevance of LMPs to the renovation sector because some principles were already practiced, which would imply that the potential benefits of lean seen in other industries could be fully realized through the broader implementation of the 14 LMPs. The study contributes to the research in renovation by emphasizing the importance of lean thinking in the delivery of renovation projects, and it also contributes to the existing body of knowledge on lean in renovation by introducing the LMP as a holistic framework, rather than focusing on the lean toolbox.