LEAN Management in the engineering design

by Daniel Hoscilo

What is LEAN?

“Lean pro vides a way to do more with less while com ing closer to pro vid ing cus tomers with exactly what they want.”

Essen­tially­LEAN­is­a­way­of­think­ing.­­It­was­devel­oped­by­the­Japan­ese­car­man­u­fac­tur­ing­giant­Toy­ota­and­con­tin­u­ously­improved­over­many years.­Using­LEAN­tech­niques,­Toy­ota­has­grown­to­be­the­largest­car­man­u­fac­turer­in­the world.

The­objec­tive­of­lean­is­to­con­tin­u­ally­improve­process­effi­ciency,­qual­ity­and­time.­Lean­aims­to­meet­the­needs­of­the­cus­tomer­and­reduce­costs­by­sys­tem­at­i­cally­elim­i­nat­ing­waste,­allow­ing­bet­ter­use­of­peo­ple­and­assets.

Myths about LEAN?Lim ited to Manufacturing

Lean­can­be­applied­to­any­organization­irrespective­of­size­or­the­nature­of­the­product­or­service­the­organization­provides. 

Focused on cut ting staff num bers

LEAN­is­focused­on­elimination­of­waste.­Provides­an­increase­in­productivity­and­quality­with­a­simultaneous­reduction­in­cost­and­delivery­time­to­the­customer.

It is a quick fix solution

Lean­is­about­challenging­the­way­things­are­done­and­opening­our­eyes­to­that­waste­and­inefficiency.­The­environment­in­which­an­organization­operates­will­continue­to­change­and­that­requires­time.­It­is­an­ongoing­process.

4 LEAN

Principles

Specify value:  Know­what­is­important­to­the­customer­of­the­

process

Identify and Eliminate

Waste: From­the­process

Smooth the Flow: Allow­work­to­pass­freely­through­the­process­without­

disturbance­

Pursue Perfection: Make­

improvement­a­habit

Recognize the need

for change

Establish key improvement

objectives

Find lean leader

Identify and prioritize

Find the opportunities

for improvement

within the organization

Deliver the opportunities

Action required depends on the

nature of the opportunity being

pursued

Sustain the improvement

culture

Create a virtuous circle of lean

process improvement

Step 1Step 4Step 2 Step 3

1Process of becoming LEAN

2Staff role in applying LEAN.

LEAN­is­only­as­good­as­the­people­that­make­it­happen.­Critical­element­is­that­local­teams­undertake­the­improvement­activities­in­their­work­area.­Involvement­of­those­affected­by­the­change­ensures­the­gains­can­be­sustained­once­they­have­been­made.­It­is­equally­important­that­company­will­provide­all­required­support.­Staff­need­to­know­what­to­do,­how­to­do­it­and­when­to­do­it.­

Highways­Agency­/BBMM­are­run­by­Chris­Jenkins­who­is­a­Lean­Improvement­Manager.­He­is­an­experienced­lean­coach­who­is­responsible­for­implementing­lean­visual­management­techniques­across­Highways­Agency­Area­4­and­Area­10.­

3Tools

Over­ the­ years­ number­ of­ tools­ was­ developed­ to­ support­successful­ deployment­ of­ LEAN.­ Right­ tools­ and­ are­ core­element­to­enable­the­organization­to­apply­all­principles­of­lean.­

The­tools­allow­local­improvement­teams­to­understand­the­value­ stream­ of­ their­ process­ and identify­ the­ waste­ and­remove­it.­There­are­also­tools­that­smooth­the­flow­through­the­process­and­ones­that­help­to­maintain­lean­processes. 

Currently­ at­ Highways­Agency­ Collaborative­ Planning,­ Six­Sigma­ (DMAICT)­ and­ Highways­ Agency­ Lean­ Maturity­Assessment­ Toolkit­ ­ (HALMAT)­ are­ leading­ tolls­ used­ for­implementing­LEAN.

4DMAICT diagram

5BIM + LEAN. Will this work?

BIM­is­a­workflow­process­to­provide­virtual­design­and­building­information­to­projects.­The­most­powerful­aspect­of­BIM­is­the­"I,”­the­information.­It­is­the­communication/transfer/delivery­of­project­information­to­Owners,­Contractors,­Trade­Partners,­and­even­governmental­agencies.­­And­this­is­the­area­where­LEAN­is­really­about­to­shine.

Within­Jacobs­we­can­best­utilize­BIM­in­a­Lean­Design­workflow­through­a­number­of­practices­such­as: 

- Investigate­design­options­early­and­digitally- Become­the­project’s­model­manager.­Organization­capable­to­

integrate­model­and­non-model­(usually­Microsoft­Excel)­data­into­a­BIM­project­have­an­advantage

- Use­TVD­(Target­Value­Design)­as­defined­earlier- Optimize­our­Construction­Documents

And­many­others.

6Proven benefits – M40 J15

Savings

Of

24k to 312k

Planning method used

across different

projects

Recover

3 months

delay

21% reduction in

surfacing

programme