Everyone related to the construction process has an incentive to get the project done faster and at a lower cost – from the project owners who want to see results for their investment to the contractors and designers who want to do their job well and move on to the next project. Lean Construction is based on the holistic pursuit of continuous improvements aimed at minimizing costs and maximizing value on a construction project: planning, design, construction, activation, operations, maintenance, salvaging, and recycling.
To help contractors develop the knowledge needed to build Lean, the Associated General Contractors of America developed the Lean Construction Education Program (LCEP). Construction professionals at all experience levels will learn the building blocks necessary to transform their projects and companies into a Lean Operating System.
The highly interactive program provides 36-hours of instruction and training to provide construction industry professionals at all levels with the knowledge and skills to take advantage of the benefits of Lean Construction.
Students participating in AGC’s five-unit Lean Construction Education program will be eligible to take an exam to earn their CM-Lean.
The AGC Certificate of Management-Lean Construction (CM-Lean) is an assessment-based certificate credential that denotes knowledge and understanding of concepts related to lean adoption, practice, and process transformation outlined in AGC’s Lean Construction Education Program. Successful candidates will carry the CM-Lean designation.
Course Overview
The purpose of this program is to develop the participant’s level of awareness and understanding of Lean and Lean Construction practices and prepare them to take the CM-Lean credential exam.
The focus will be to reach understanding for construction phase practices and awareness for the other phases of project delivery.
Participants will develop a foundation in Lean principles to start learning by doing Lean Construction practices relevant to the construction phase of a project. Some of these practices include: the Last Planner System, the PDCA cycle, problem solving, waste removal, 5S, facilitation, planning for flow efficiency, and engaging people.
AGC’s Lean Construction Education Program (LCEP) course is comprised of five units that function as the building blocks of a wholistic approach to educating aspiring Lean Construction practitioners.
Unit 1: Introduction to Lean Construction
Unit 1 is an introduction to Lean Construction and its guiding tenets.
- Lesson 1 – Why Lean?
- Lesson 2 – What is Lean & Respect for People
The first two lessons answer the questions Why Lean? and What is Lean? Then it introduces participants to the six tenets of Lean Construction and explains how Respect for People is a fundamental goal of Lean as we work to develop people and make work an enriching experience. - Lesson 3 – Generate Value, Remove Waste, & Optimize the Whole
Explains the way value is defined by the customer, and that each customer will define value differently. Instructors illustrate that non-value-adding activities are pure waste. Lean uses the principle of prioritizing flow efficiency as a key means to generate value and remove waste. - Lesson 4 – Continuous Improvement
Defines continuous improvement and provides an understanding of how Plan-Do-Check-Act, PDCA, supports continuous improvement. Participants will practice PDCA in a group exercise.
Unit 2: Process and Production Basics
Unit 2 introduces Lean Construction processes and how they work, diving deep into the last tenet, Focus on Process and Flow.
- Lesson 1 – Process, Efficiency & Variation
Provides a description of what a process and process flow are, then describes what makes a process efficient. From there instructors define what variation, what it looks like in our work, and what causes it, so in the next lesson we can see how variation impacts a process, its flow, and its efficiency and what that means for our projects. - Lesson 2 – Law of Variation
Explains how variation, buffers, and consistency affect project performance, and identify the characteristics and consequences of unreliable workflow and reliable workflow. Participants will learn these lessons firsthand in the Parade of Trades simulation. - Lesson 3 – Variation Mitigation
Describes buffers, buffer sizing and other means to mitigate variation. Participants learn specific techniques for reducing variation, and the importance of process consistency. - Lesson 4 – 5S
Shows how 5S is another Lean method to help reduce variation on projects, and it does much more. It is a means for pursuing continuous improvement. It helps us reduce waste. It shows respect for people by improving their work environment and contributing to a safer workplace.
Unit 3: Production Systems
Unit 3 is a continuation of the discussion of Lean production systems which falls under focus on flow that along with the other tenets of Lean form the basis for the Last Planner System and other Lean Construction Methods.
- Lesson 1 – Lean Production Systems
The overall lesson objective is to introduce key terms and recognize aspects of common practice to create a Lean production system for construction that prioritizes flow efficiency. - Lesson 2 – Batch-Pull-Balance-Takt Simulation
Participants experience the effects of batching, pull, balancing and takt on a production system by completing the Batch, Pull, Balance, Takt Exercise. - Lesson 3 – Lean Production Systems – Pull
The focus is on Pull as part of the control for the system. Participants learn how pull helps manage variation and explain the impact of pull control on production systems. - Lesson 4 – Lean Production Systems – Law of Bottlenecks & Balance, Little’s Law & Batching
The overall objective for this lesson is for participants to recognize the impact of batching on construction production and flow efficiency by looking at Little’s Law and the risks and advantages of batching.
Unit 4: Lean Thinking Applied to Field Production, Last Planner System®
In Unit 4 we examine the Last Planner System®, LPS, for the construction phase of project delivery and how it applies the six tenets of Lean Construction.
- Lesson 1 – Introduction to Last Planner System® (LPS)
Describes how the LPS is a method of planning and control for the entire project. LPS is a common starting point for companies or projects embarking on a Lean journey. This lesson introduces LPS in terms of how it embodies the six tenets both in its design and goals in the context of field production. - Lesson 2 – Details of the Last Planner System
Describes the ideal for running the full LPS. Participants will learn the different tools, visuals, and formats that are used, but their goal of each conversation is the same.This lesson shows the steps of the Last Planner System and how it gets more detailed the closer teams get to the work. As the lesson progresses participants see the purpose of each level of the LPS, and how the levels of the LPS work together. Participants will identify methods to encourage trade partner participation in each level of the LPS, and measure to see if processes are being followed and achieving the desired results.
Unit 5: Lean Thinking Outside of Field Production
In Unit 5 we show how the six tenets are applied to the other parts of project delivery.
- Lesson 1 – Lean Project Delivery
Describes how Lean is applied to the whole project delivery system. It explains the purpose and recognizes the advantages of cross-functional teams, and why value should be defined early in the project life cycle. - Lesson 2 – Lean in the Supply Chain
Looks at improvements that can be made exclusively within the supply chain with an understanding of customer value but without involving changes by design or construction. - Lesson 3 – Lean in Design
Describes how value creation in design focuses on identifying and meeting customer needs through efficient and effective design processes. - Lesson 4 – Process Improvement & Problem Solving
Explains how effective problem solving is focused on proactively preventing the same type of problem from occurring again because it addresses root causes. It creates a culture of problem solving where everyone brings problems forward and collaboratively works to resolve them.
