Workflow Analysis for the Lean Construction Process of a Construction Earthmoving Project

Lean thinking is an effective method to reduce or eliminate the waste in the life cycle of construction projects and improve the projects’ productivity. It is more and more widely used in the construction industry. This paper takes lean construction as the theoretical basis. Management philosophy of lean construction was analyzed. The impact of workflow on construction projects efficiency, including workflow continuity and loss during the flow process, was elaborated. According to the characteristics of earthmoving activities, the earthmoving operations workflow model was proposed based on lean construction to specify dynamic changes of workflow and information flow in the construction process. The main influencing factors and constraint conditions for earthmoving operations were discussed. The proposed models can be used to adjust the construction process, maximize the resources allocation, and reduce the resource loss and waste in construction in order to improve the efficiency and productivity for construction projects.