Lean Construction Ireland Annual Book of Cases 2021 20 l f 2 and Kill) and A3 Projects.These lean tools are used when we take a deeper dive into our processes to assess where and how we can make a change.Through the introduction of innovative technology and digital systems over the past 10 years, we now can assess and measure areas to select for a deeper review and then identify opportunities to reduce waste. Investment in time, technology and people is critical to successfully implementing lean in any organisation. As with any of these lean tools, implementing the Deming Cycle (Plan Do CheckAct) approach, allows for a dynamic and flexible outcome,when it comes to implementing change. Figure 2 illustrates the stages in the Deming Cycle which include identifying the opportunity, testing the change, assessing the outcome, and implementing the best approach. Figure 2: Deming Cycle As with any lean initiative, we approach all initiatives in a sequential manner through adopting the Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC) approach.We firstly define the opportunity or problem, then measure through data collection, analyse why the issue has arisen, and set out on how to improve the opportunity or problem.We then implement control measures to ensure that the problem is addressed and is not repeated.The PDCA approach is then monitored to assess if changes are needed to ensure our processes and systems are embedded in our organisation. One major project that we undertook in 2022 was to assess processes and procedures across different departments within our organisation including EHS, Quality Management, Purchasing, Accounts, Estimating, Planning & Programming and Commercial. The initial approach we decided to use included lean workshops with each department.These workshops provided an opportunity to assess the status of systems and processes and to identify areas that we could implement improvements.These workshops provided an opportunity for theVoice of the Customer to be heard through feedback and open discussions. As many of our departments cross over in terms of interacting with systems and processes, it was important to ensure that we had the right people at each workshop. Each group consisted of senior management and key stakeholders that could make decisions in terms of implementing change, where we could identify a benefit for our organisation. 27 senior key managers in our organisation attended these workshops.The number of opportunities that came from these workshops varied from each department. Figure 3 outlines a total of 109 items identified. Figure 3: Pareto Chart outlining the number of tasks in each group Through the development of our dasboards, we also take a deep dive into specific areas of our company and carry out a ‘DMAIC’ approach to identify and address issues. Once this is done for each item raised, we then set out training for our customers both internally and externally to our organisation.The following is a example of our many dashboards that we use to assess areas of the business that we need to focus on in order to implement change for the benefit of all.Our dashboards are developed from our auditing systems. See figure 4 below. Figure 4: Dashboard with findings from across 7 projects over 9 months throughout 2022 Our dashboards help identify why tasks may not be carried out in accordance with our processes and procedures.These dashboards also provide an opportunity to prioritise our findings and ensure there are no repeat items across our projects.This lean approach prevents repeatable issues from being raised through our internal auditing system. Some tasks that were identified during our lean workshops overlapped from department to department and therefore have been selected as a priority for implementation.Tasks within each individual groups were also allocated in a priority order. An example of these opportunities is illustrated in figure 5 below. A summary of opportunities identified from our list of 109 items Case 2
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