Development of a Framework for Waste Reduction in Structural Design Phase of Construction Projects.

Abstract

The absence of an effective framework for measuring and eradicating non-value adding activities (NVAA) in the structural design process (SDP) has led to waste that affect construction performance. This paper provides a lean informed framework that can be adopted by structural engineers to identify and reduce wastes in their practices. Lean informed frameworks based on tools such as Kanban, A3 problem solving report, 5Whys, Kaizen, and value stream mapping (VSM) were reviewed. The outcomes of the reviewed literature indicate that the aforementioned tools are common regarding the elimination of waste in the design and construction process. However, none of the tools has been used to reduce waste in the SDP. A subsequent careful appraisal of all the tools suggests that VSM is the most suitable that is capable of conceptualizing the problem under investigation. Therefore, VSM was used to develop a framework that can be adopted by structural engineers to identify and reduce waste in their practice. The applicability and usefulness of the proposed framework as it enables structural designers to perceive the various activities that could be trimmed in each phase of the SDP is supported by the results of the study, although the credibility of the framework is currently being examined by groups of consulting engineers located in Bloemfontein South Africa.