About the Course
The “Project Management using Construction Lean Techniques” course is a premier opportunity for engineers and managers in the construction and contracting sectors to revolutionize work efficiency and eliminate waste. In 2026, the industry is shifting away from bloated traditional management toward Lean tools tailored for complex urban projects. This course equips trainees with the mindset and practical toolkit needed to apply modern principles that ensure project success with maximum value and minimum resources.
Course Objectives
- Understand the core philosophy of Construction Lean and its strategic applications.
- Acquire specialized skills to analyze workflows and identify the 8 Types of Waste in construction.
- Master Lean tools such as VSM, 5S, and Just-in-Time (JIT) within a site context.
- Enhance operational efficiency to significantly reduce project duration and overhead costs.
- Build high-performance teams capable of implementing Lean on both new and ongoing projects.
- Improve stakeholder transparency and communication through Lean management visual tools.
- Enable participants to design continuous improvement systems based on the Kaizen philosophy.
Course Syllabus
Day 1: Foundations of Construction Lean
- The evolution of Lean: From the Toyota Production System to the 2026 construction landscape.
- Strategic comparison: Traditional Project Management vs. Lean Management.
- Identifying the 8 Wastes in Construction (DOWNTIME: Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, etc.).
- Case Study: Root cause analysis of a real project using Lean methodology.
Day 2: Process Analysis and Value Mapping
Focusing on workflow efficiency where the Process Cycle Efficiency (PCE) is calculated as:
$$\text{PCE} = \frac{\text{Value-Added Time}}{\text{Total Lead Time}} \times 100\%$$
- Mastering Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to visualize the flow of materials and information.
- Implementing the 5S System (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) for site organization.
- Time Studies: Analyzing lead times vs. non-value-added waiting times.
- Workshop: Drafting a VSM for a typical civil engineering work package.
Day 3: Lean Planning and Execution
Introduction to the Last Planner System (LPS) for collaborative scheduling.
- Moving from top-down scheduling to Collaborative Planning.
- Developing Weekly Work Plans (WWP) and Daily Huddles.
- Measuring reliability: Percent Plan Complete (PPC) and 2026 KPIs.
- Case Study: Optimizing a project master schedule using Lean Planning.
Day 4: Waste Mitigation and Productivity Boost
- In-depth look at common site-specific wastes (Transportation and Inventory).
- Kaizen: Turning daily on-site problems into opportunities for rapid improvement.
- Applying Pull Planning vs. traditional Push Planning to synchronize supply chains.
- Workshop: Developing a “Zero-Waste” execution plan for a practical project module.
Day 5: Practical Implementation and Lean Culture
- Comprehensive application: Integrating all Lean tools on a full-scale simulation project.
- Data-driven decision making: Using performance metrics to pivot project strategies.
- Change Management: Strategies for transforming organizational culture toward a Lean Mindset.
- Interactive Session: Simulating a Lean Construction project and drafting an actionable implementation roadmap.
