At a high level, the goal of Lean Construction is to minimize waste, time and effort in order to maximize value to the customer. There are many processes and strategies that can be implemented to help achieve this goal, impacting every facet of the built environment and building process. So many tools, in fact, that deciding which to use, and how and when to use it, can be intimidating. One such tool is Off-Site Construction (OSC). Here we share three strategies for using OSC to deliver maximum benefit to the Lean Construction effort.
OSC is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and will only contribute to the Lean Construction goal when implemented effectively. However, when OSC is used optimally, schedules can be compressed, performance can be improved, and risk can be mitigated while simultaneously reducing cost. [nectar_icon_list_item icon_type=”numerical” title=”List Item” id=”1671200937004-6″ tab_id=”1671200937005-7″ header=”Make the OSC decision as early as possible” text=”
As stated earlier, Lean Construction aspires to minimize waste, time, and effort in order to maximize value. If the project team makes an early decision to use OSC, these variables can be manipulated.
- Waste can be reduced in the form of job site inventory, on-site meetings and the second-layer-down reduction in packaging, emissions, etc.
- Time can be reduced in a few different forms if a decision is made early. First, OSC enables concurrent construction paths (factory and field), which compresses total build time. Second, faster build schedules can be used to delay other project decisions and activities such as utility load analysis and design – positioning the team to apply better, more informed decision-making. For example, a manufacturing client may know that they need a new facility, but lack the information for an accurate assessment of the process load; OSC can enable the owner to proceed with building design and construction while delaying load determination until better information is available. This is made possible due to the capacity for OSC to reduce time – since the utility plant construction can be accelerated using OSC; as an added benefit, this process will likely reduce waste because the owner won’t be forced to make uninformed (and potentially overly conservative) load decisions.
- Effort reduction is heavily impacted by the OSC decision timeline. If the OSC decision is made early in the project lifecycle, the OSC firm can handle much of the utility system design load – freeing up capacity of the AE firm to focus on other critical design elements. In addition, an early decision will give the OSC firm and constructor an opportunity to accurately outline field vs. factory labor optimization, leading to reductions in field labor effort (and waste).
“] OSC is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and will only contribute to the Lean Construction goal when implemented effectively. However, when OSC is used optimally, schedules can be compressed, performance can be improved, and risk can be mitigated while simultaneously reducing cost.
At a high level, the goal of Lean Construction is to minimize waste, time and effort in order to maximize value to the customer. There are many processes and strategies that can be implemented to help achieve this goal, impacting every facet of the built environment and building process. So many tools, in fact, that deciding which to use, and how and when to use it, can be intimidating. One such tool is Off-Site Construction (OSC). Here we share three strategies for using OSC to deliver maximum benefit to the Lean Construction effort.
OSC is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and will only contribute to the Lean Construction goal when implemented effectively. However, when OSC is used optimally, schedules can be compressed, performance can be improved, and risk can be mitigated while simultaneously reducing cost. [nectar_icon_list_item icon_type=”numerical” title=”List Item” id=”1671200937004-6″ tab_id=”1671200937005-7″ header=”Make the OSC decision as early as possible” text=”
As stated earlier, Lean Construction aspires to minimize waste, time, and effort in order to maximize value. If the project team makes an early decision to use OSC, these variables can be manipulated.