Lean and BIM in Construction Projects.

Lean and BIM in Construction Projects. Learning outcomes (to be assessed) Knowledge and understanding A. Define Lean production and its application to the construction industry, from the theoretical and practical perspectives, including its benefits and challenges. B. Appraise project management approaches and the benefits of Lean and BIM in supporting the management of complex projects C. Conceptualise the diverse strategies and tools associated with lean in design and production. Abilities D. Produce new lean based solutions to company and project level problems. E. Effectively design and evaluate lean strategies and processes to enable better value and less waste through design and construction. F. Demonstrate high levels of independent research, manage self learning and formulate strategies for improvement. G. Work collaboratively, effectively, ethically and enterprising in teams. Project synopsis In the project, you will analyse an organization/project regarding it current status, select the most appropriate lean methods to be implemented and present an implementation plan. You will present the results of your work in a report for the management of the organization/project. You can select an organization/project you know well as the subject of the project, or a scenario to be prepared by the tutors, based on your work experience or career goals. Project requirements: You are requested to write a 5000 word report addressing the topics and criteria indicated in this brief. Project Task: The writing of a 5000 words research based report, which may incorporate the analysis of design and construction case project aspects (Learning outcomes A to G). Assessment breakdown: The report must: Demonstrate a clear explanation of the Lean Production Principles and how these apply to construction projects Demonstrate knowledge of the state of the art lean methods and strategies, including its relationships with BIM. Evidence in-depth knowledge and full understanding of the range of techniques used in Lean across the industry and at the diverse lifecycle stages. Carry an account of a target process with improvement strategies/proposals and a critical description of potential issues in implementing process change, as well as a clear strategy for continuous improvement. Clarity and professionalism of content, style, visuals and communication skills, are consistently demonstrated in verbal and written work. Sources must be referenced according to the University’s preferred choice of referencing system (APA 7th edition). Scenario Site construction scenario You are working in a middle sized construction company, active mostly on traditional office and commercial projects (gained through bidding) and sometimes on design-build projects. The company is well although somewhat traditionally managed -anyway the profit margins have been eroding in recent times. The management team is aware that something should be done, and has asked you, as a representative of younger generation, to present a report with novel ideas. You know the company operations well, and have been silently concerned and puzzled for some time by your everyday observations: – the company has a systematic planning and management system for construction projects, starting from a master schedule and related partial plans for plant, personnel, materials etc. ; plans for shorter term are derived from the master plan, extending to weekly plans, and the progress is monitored and fed back to management – however, you have often observed situations where the master plan is just a decoration on the wall, it is not being updated – even if the master plan is used, the activities are often somewhat chaotic at the weekly level, and you have observed that oftentimes only a small share of the weekly tasks get realized in that week; you also know that in almost every project, there is a frantic rush just before handover to get all done