Toyota and Lean

Since Toyota is usually referenced for great Lean examples and has received much negative news lately, sharing some viewpoints from Lean leaders might add perspective.

Strategic Planning

High-performing contractors are always learning from others as they do their strategic planning. Ted Garrison, a well-known consultant in the construction industry, makes annual predictions for the coming year. Here are some from his 2010 forecast

There is some discussion in construction today about which is better to use — Building Information Modeling (BIM) or Lean Construction. You need to consider what each process offers before choosing one over the other.

Lean in the Office - Shortening the closing cycle

A company implementing Lean, examined its month-end closing process as part of the lean office initiative as well. They went from 5 days to 2.5 days close. Following are some wastes they were able to identify and eliminate:

Customer Focused

Some food for thought as you consider your customer service efforts. Customer complaints are down nationally. This is according to TARP – the Technical Assistance Research Program that is part of the White House Office of Consumer Affairs. Their research found that consumers are submitting less complaints even for serious problems – NOT because they feel they are getting better service, but because of what they call “trained helplessness.” Customers feel their complaints do little good – nobody listens or acts. Where does your company stand on customer complaints? Do you have a way to record them? Do you have a system to assure each complaint receives a quick and fair response? How do you know it is working?

Lean forces new thinking when buying machinery

Spending money for equipment is always a challenge for contractors. Everyone wants top value for his or her investment.