Visualization of Work Flow to Support Lean Construction
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 135, Issue 12
Abstract
Implementation of advanced production management techniques, such as lean construction concepts like filtering of work packages to stabilize work flows, pull flow of teams and materials, and in-process quality control, demands effective and timely flows of information both to and from the workface. The key requirement—making the process state transparent to all participants—is more difficult to achieve in construction than in manufacturing, because work crews move continuously within a physical environment that is itself changing. Novel computer-aided visualization tools can fulfill the needs that simpler tools, such as Kanban cards, fulfill in manufacturing. Two prototypes with user interfaces designed to facilitate process flow have been devised and implemented within the context of building information modeling (BIM) software systems. They demonstrate aspects of the synergy between BIM and lean construction. Given the dynamic and dispersed physical environments and the fractured contracting arrangements typical of construction, BIM-based visualization interfaces are important tools for providing process transparency.
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Acknowledgments
The writers gratefully acknowledge the support of ECE Projektmanagement G.m.b.H. and Co. KG and Danya Cebus Ltd., who collaborated with and/or funded aspects of the reported research.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 135 • Issue 12 • December 2009
Pages: 1307 - 1315
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 15, 2008
Accepted: Jun 2, 2009
Published online: Jun 4, 2009
Published in print: Dec 2009
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