Apply lean principles to your next architectural project and improve your bottom line with the help of this practical volume
Lean Architecture: Excellence in Project Delivery shows readers a path to improve their project delivery via the application of lean concepts and process management. Authors Michael Czap and Gregory Buchanan challenge readers to reexamine their approach to architectural practice and projects by presenting a unique and compelling alternative.
Lean Architecture details the crucial metrics and implementation strategies that combine to improve the efficiency and profitability of projects taken on by firms of all sizes. Readers will learn to:
- Maximize the use of their resources to deliver superior results in less time
- Minimize waste, cost, and inefficiency in their firm’s operations
- Move between radically different project scales while retaining efficient and effective processes
Lean Architecture is perfect for firm leaders, project managers, and project architects who seek to improve their ability to deliver better results while reducing their cost base. Students, designers and emerging professionals will also benefit by learning key principles for more effectively executing design ideas.
Table of Contents:
Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xiii
Introduction xvii
Part I Building Blocks For A Lean Practice 1
Chapter 1 A Profession Ripe for Change 3
An Evolving Profession 3
Where We Are Today 3
The Primary Objective 5
Chapter 2 Process Management Explained 9
Process Management 9
Lean 10
Six Sigma 12
Theory of Constraints 13
TRIZ 14
Summary 16
References 16
Chapter 3 The Design Firm’s Problem 17
The Kind of Problem 17
Buildings Are an Organized Complexity 18
Diving Deeper 20
Summary 21
Reference 21
Chapter 4 Lean Architecture 23
3 Goals 24
Productivity and Quality 25
Resolve 29
Challenges 29
Summary 30
References 30
Chapter 5 Learning from Detroit: Influences from Lean Manufacturing 31
Western Manufacturing Compared with Japanese Lean Manufacturing 31
Backgrounder 5.1: Process Management Evolution in the US Manufacturing Industry 35
The Design and Construction Industry Is Not Mass Production 39
Learning from Detroit 41
Backgrounder 5.2: Constructability 42
Reference 47
Part II Areas of Strategic Focus With Applications 49
Chapter 6 Lean Management for Architects 51
The Game 51
Find the Money 58
Don’t Fight the Chain 61
Choreograph the Work 63
Backgrounder 6.1: Collaborative Planning 71
We Really Do Need Each Other 79
Manage Your Money 81
Backgrounder 6.2: Financial Metrics 84
The Costs of Doing Business 91
When Fees No Longer Matter 96
References 98
Resource Material 98
Chapter 7 Strategic Areas 127
Accelerate Decision-Making 127
Effective Communication 131
Strategic Modeling 137
Targeted Reviews 148
Reference 157
Resource Material 157
Chapter 8 Streamlining Documentation 171
Working Smarter 171
Impacts from the Adaption of Technology 172
Redundancy 176
Managing Variation 188
Leveraging Graphics and Text for Increased Understanding 193
Working in Context 194
Collective Processes 196
Prototypical System Sheets 197
Systems Packets 208
Cartoon Sets – Are They Relevant Anymore? 209
The Project Manual 210
Construction Administration 213
Practical Goals for Documentation 214
Resource Material 215
Part III Implementing Lean 259
Chapter 9 Rethinking Your Firm 261
Change 261
A Recipe for Success 263
Lean in Daily Practice 265
Resistance 267
Backgrounder 9.1: Can Design Process Be Lean? 270
Implementation 275
Developing Resources 280
Developing and Sharing Knowledge 284
Backgrounder 9.2: Knowledge Management 286
Developing Tools 293
Importance of Training 301
Summary 302
References 302
Resource Material 302
Chapter 10 Role of Technology 307
Shifting Paradigms 307
Effective Use of Technology 310
Part IV Final Words and Advice 313
Chapter 11 More Than an Initiative 315
Nonnegotiables 316
Permission to Think Lean and Do the Stuff 317
Appendix 319
Index 321
About the Author :
MICHAEL F. CZAP, AIA has spent nearly 40-years leading efforts to identify and implement new technologies and cutting-edge project delivery practices with major firms. He coined the term and introduced the concept of Lean Architecture - the “ongoing process of rethinking and improving architectural methodology” by the application of Lean principles to the practice. Michael co-authored the Construction Documents chapter for the AIA’s 15th Edition of The Architect’s Handbook for Professional Practice and contributed articles to the AIA Best Practices, Chapter 13, and the AIA Practice Management Digest. He has spoken at over 50 industry venues since 2004 on Lean Architecture and advanced project delivery processes, including 6 AIA National Conventions. Michael currently serves as Chair for the BIMForum’s 2021 Lean taskforce.
GREGORY T. BUCHANAN, AIA, NCARB, CSI, LEED AP BD+C has spent his nearly thirty-year career endeavoring to advance the practice of architectural delivery through experience and leadership at top-ranked design firms. With advanced degrees in both Architecture and Civil Engineering, his pragmatic approach to problem solving enables him to develop and implement successful strategies and coach excellence in all facets of project delivery. Sharing his passion for process improvement, technology, and project delivery to a broader audience, Greg has presented his methodologies for a Lean Architecture at over a dozen regional and national industry events since 2013. Greg currently serves as Vice Chair for the BIMForum’s 2021 Lean taskforce.
