Operations Management on The Construction Site: Developing a human resource and knowledge oriented alternative to lean construction

In these years lean construction approaches is flourishing in Danish building projects. The Koskela (2000) concepts such as the TFV-perspectives (Transformation, Flow, Value) and the last planner (Ballard 2000) are directly used in attempts to rationalize building processes. One can receive this as a refreshing renewal and improvement of practical operations management at the site.

However this paper will present a first step of development of a new approach to operations management at the building site, which at the same time builds on, and criticize lean construction for missing the point of the knowledge economy. This endeavour is carried out in two ways. First by a reading of the operations management literature.

Juxtaposing this with lean construction extentions and the critique developed by other scholars. And also drawing on human resource management approaches. Second through a series of detailed observations of building site management at a building site, highlighting a number of “stumbling-stones” in the processes, that is events that interrupt or distract the building processes .

The stumbling stones is analysed in a lean construction framework according to the “7 healthy streams” scheme. In both directions it is revealed that the human resource and knowledge element of building processes is largely left untouched by lean construction methods. It is suggested to introduce at least two more dimensions of operations management at the site than the ones offered in lean construction; human resource issues (knowledge) and site management issues.

The seven “healthy stream-s” focus on whether the human resources are available, but no not understand the competence and knowledge content. Moreover the empirical research revealed that site management themselves creating “stumbling stones” for the process. Henceforth not only employees, but also management need to rationalize within a renewed knowledge economy operations management.