Lean Construction Institute

Keyan and Joe are long-term members, advocates, speakers, and volunteers with Lean Construction Institute (LCI). This organization is dedicated to transforming the design and construction industry through Lean principles. This is where so many of our Lean peers found training and kindred spirits on finding a better way to build.

This page provides a great overview to LCI’s principles and ways to get involved.

Mission

To lead the building industry in transforming its practices and culture.

Vision

A healthy and thriving building industry delivering outstanding project outcomes every time to everyone.

Guiding Principles

Guided by our principles of inclusion, transparency, service, and courage, LCI is integrating the broken and fragmented construction industry by providing Lean education, communities of practice, and events.

Visit Lean Construction Institute

6 Principles of Lean

Respect for People

This is at the center of the circle because it is the bedrock concept behind Lean. In any organization or team – be it in our industry or in any aspect of daily life – if you don’t respect and trust the people you are working with, it is next to impossible to realize the true value of what you are trying to accomplish for your stakeholders. LCI helps organizations with exercises and training to encourage respect and trust amongst all team members, so they can implement all Lean practices effectively.

Optimize the Whole

In traditional project practice, crews and teams want to get in, get their work done and move on. We encourage people to not just think about optimizing their performance or piece of the project, but about what happens both before and after. Only then can they begin to de-conflict activities and create more collaborative, effective work practices.

Removal of Waste

If you’ve been a part of an environment that produces a lot of waste, over time you take it for granted and don’t even see it anymore. Waste greatly affects performance and is disrespectful to the owners and other key stakeholders. We help people to see waste. We have identified eight types of waste that impact projects and educate on ways to work as a team to eliminate them and create value.

Focus on Process and Flow

Projects are made up of a variety of processes happening in tandem. When those processes are disrupted for whatever reason, teams get in each other’s way, make each other wait, or create other constraints on site. LCI teaches a relentless focus on enhanced flow and the making and keeping of reliable promises between all people on a project.

Generation of Value

If workers on a project don’t understand what value means from the standpoint of the owner or other key stakeholders, they aren’t able to effectively add value. Lean thinking and processes require the mapping of the value proposition of a project and then make it widely available, in written form, on the job site. Then all team members can consistently check themselves against it to ensure they are adding, not impeding, value.

Continuous Improvement

Lean encourages teams to come together to create a log of constraints that are limiting or blocking productivity on a project. We analyze the constraints and then implement the PDCA cycle (Plan, Do, Check and Adjust) to address them. Focusing on eliminating our constraints leads to a more productive project environment over time as well as simultaneously enabling all the other tenets of Lean.

What LCI Offers

Join LCI as a Corporate Member

Ready to improve project outcomes every time for everyone? To strengthen relationships and build trust? To meet commitments, eliminate waste and enhance value for everyone on a project? To fundamentally change the culture of the industry?

Membership Application

Engage with like-minded professionals near you by joining your local Community of Practice

Whether you are a seasoned Lean Design and Construction practitioner or just starting out, support and continuous learning are essential. LCI nationally supported Communities of Practice (CoPs) offer opportunities to connect locally, participate in education courses and workshops, hear from local Lean project teams, attend Gemba walks, and more.

Learn More About LCI Communities of Practice

National Events

In addition to the local CoP events, LCI hosts three national events that take place on a larger scale.

The LCI Congress is the biggest Lean centric event of the year. Every year the Congress will take place in a different city to showcase how Lean is making an impact across the United States. This event offers a unique opportunity to connect with thought leaders, industry experts, and like-minded professionals from around the world. As the design and construction industry continues to evolve, it is essential to stay at the forefront of emerging trends and best practices. Congress has been a place to share ideas and “get real” with fellow practitioners to overcome issues facing the industry. Learn more about the LCI Congress event.

The Lean in Design Forum is LCI’s design focused event. At the forum, designers, architects, and engineers come together to explore how design can benefit from Lean thinking. This event explores the advantage of bringing Lean methods into designers’ workflow. Learn more about the Lean in Design Forum.

Respect for People is LCI’s newest national event. This event takes place virtually and has unpacked a variety of topics since its inception, to include supporting employee mental health, bringing out the best in each other, and well-being of employees. Learn more about the Respect for People event.

LCI Certification

LCI is offering its first certification, The Lean Construction Institute-Certified Practitioner-Construction (LCI-CPC). LCI’s Lean Certification is obtained by passing a knowledge assessment exam that tests a practitioner’s existing knowledge and by providing evidence through a portfolio assessment (compilation of work products, Practitioner references, etc.) that demonstrates experience effectively applying Lean to real-world construction projects.

LCI Funded Research

Over the years LCI has funded a variety of research projects to explore the value of Lean, as it applies to design and construction. The research shows that projects with a high Lean intensity are more likely to be completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Visit our website to review the findings.

Webinars

Expand your Lean education with no travel, downtime, or lost workdays. LCI offers webinars on a variety of Lean principles conducted by LCI instructors and industry experts with real life case studies and examples.

Visit our website to see what webinars are upcoming.

Field Crew Huddle

The use of Lean methods and the creation of Lean culture offer value to the trade contractor community. Despite the noted benefits from profitability and productivity gains to an improved work environment, trade participation in the Lean Construction community remains less than 15%. The Field Crew Huddle Website and YouTube channel have been created as a resource targeting this community. The Field Crew Huddle is a culmination of several years of work and collaboration between the Lean Construction Institute’s (LCI) Trades Task Force and the LCI’s Research Committee to develop rigorously researched and developed resources with easy-to-access and video-based information that can quickly reach the hands of craft workers and field leadership.

Submit your video to the Field Crew Huddle!