Conceptualizing waste and work flow in lean
construction
Workshop Minutes
by
Bo Terje Kalsaas
Workshop Attendees:
Sven Bertelsen, Denmark (on Skype), Trond Bølviken, Veidekke, Norway, Carlos Formoso, Salford, UK
(sabbatical), Bo Terje Kalsaas, UoA, Technion, Norway, Lauri Koskela, Salford, UK, Kai Haakon
Kristensen, NTNU, Skanska, Norway, Kjetil Nyseth, Veidekke, Norway, Ergo Pikas, Technion, Israel,
Rafael Sacks, Technion, Israel, Vitaliy Priven, Technion, Israel, Yechiel Rozenfeld, Technion, Israel,
Torbjørn Scheie, Kvartal 19 Architects, Norway, Solveig Yndesdal, Kruse Smith, Norway
Workshop Location:
Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
Workshop Schedule:
May 3d to 5th, 2011. Dinner in the evening of May 2nd.
Workshop Registration/Logistics:
No registration fee. Fee covered by the Norwegian “Involvement in planning” research project,
project owner Veidekke. Lodging, transportation, partly meals, where the participant responsibility.
Workshop Organisation:
Organization committee: Bo Terje Kalsaas, Rafael Sacks, Ergo Pikas
Workshop objectives:
How to conceptualise waste and work flow? To formulate a thorough understanding of waste and
work flow in construction related to production theory.
HOW TO PROCEED AFTER THE WORKSHOP?
It was established a group on the Waste-Flow research issue. Lauri Koskela, chair, Trond Bølviken,
co-chair, Kjetil Nyseth, project manager. Member of the core group are also Rafael Sacks, Carlos
Formoso, Sven Bertelsen and Bo Terje Kalsaas. The aim of the group is to encourage more research
in this field and a mean can be to organise special sessions on conferences for this purpose. It is
moreover an aim to write up a paper on conceptualisation of waste in construction.
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BRIEF RESUME FROM THE WORKSHOP WITH FOCUS ON QUESTIONS
WHICH WERE RISED
Introduction
Bølviken: We (Veidekke) started to study productivity but run into methodological difficulties and
switch focus to how to operationalize work flow. Waste is part of the flow. Practitioners tend to think
the intuitive understanding of workflow is enough.
Bertelsen: Flow means throughput. Critical flow decides the lead. Sven builds on Goldrat and the last
book from the Goldrat institute, Velocity.
Literature review seminar
The aim was to establish a common platform for further discussions. Two groups of papers: grouped
1) Waste and workflow and 2) The nature of the construction industry.
Conceptualization of waste in LC
Koskela: Which are the big questions on waste? 1) Is there waste (intuitively understood) in the fields
covered by managerial sciences? 2) If we agree that there is waste, should we take it into our
descriptive and prescriptive theories? 3) If we agree to take waste into theorizing, how should we
conceptualize it and embed it into our theories for explanation and practical action?
What is more important, waste, value or technology? How are waste and value connected? Need to
have a concept of production to understand waste.
Making-do waste
Formoso: Why should we measure waste? Why studying making do? Improvisation is a source of
innovation. How to differentiate between making-do and improvisation? Are all making-do waste?
Work flow and waste
Bølviken: Workflow is made up of two dimensions: Smoothness and efficiency. Are those dimensions
independent? A number of strategies for operationalization to be tested.
Kalsaas: How to separate waste from necessary non-value adding activities? Are direct work, indirect
work, operation and coordination, visual waste and private time adequate categories in a calculation
of work flow?
Understanding waste in design work
Kristensen: Is a differentiation between strategic and tactical level a good approach to identify waste
in design?
An architect’s work process and the relationship to the owner and the contractor
Scheie: One percentage of my work time is spent on creating the idea that is being implemented. The
rest of the time is used in making effort to falsify the first idea and to work with details. Also act as a
politician in some phases related to mediate between regulation authorities and the owner. “Don’t
give the people what they want. They deserve better.” (Teaching aspect). Or: “Give people what they
want. They do not deserve any better.”
Questions don’t identified to any particular session
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If I earn money is it waste for others? Can what is waste on one level be value on another level? Is it
waste to make bids which don’t results in new work?
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