The change game

By Clair D. Urbain

The game of construction really is a change game. Perhaps no other industry is subjected to or is geared to handle as much change as construction.

Construction jobs are defined by change, as buildings are designed, ground is broken, foundations are laid and projects are built.

Although construction jobs are driven by changing raw materials into finished facilities that serve our society in one way or another, we often get caught up and even stuck in our processes to build those structures.

Don’t get me wrong. Process is good, especially with the increasingly complex construction projects that are underway. But as technology further empowers front-line workers, changing how the process takes place can produce some interesting benefits.

Technology can help flesh out processes to the point that materials can be transformed and assembled off-site so skilled tradespersons only have to install them. It can outline customized building sections so that the intent of the owner is passed through the designer and right to the construction crews building that section of the facility. If a problem arises, there can be a fast trail back to the source to head it off and minimize delays and cost.

Increasingly, I am seeing changes in how contractors are doing common construction jobs. Their goal is to draw a straighter line from the concept to completion because every step you can remove and every turn you can straighten in the building process results in less time and often, less material invested in a job. In turn, this can result in more money in the lower right-hand corner of the profit and loss statement.

That’s why Contractor Tools and Supplies and its sister publication, Construction Purchasing, are teaming together to develop a new series of seminars called Lean University – Construction that will begin this fall.

The day-long seminars will be fast-track classes in the principles of Lean construction, the tools needed to make Lean construction work and firsthand reports from contractors who have embarked on Lean endeavors. They will share their insights on the trials, tribulations and visions their companies have in adopting Lean construction methods.

Lean construction methods help contractors do their jobs faster, better and safer. Learn more at coming seminars!

In future issues, you’ll be seeing more about Lean construction concepts and how they can affect your workflow and how construction workers – from the president’s chair to the front-line trades – must change their way of thinking to adopt faster, better, safer and less expensive ways of building.

We are in the development phase of these conferences right now. We have done some in-depth research to understand your information needs, but if you’d like to share what you’d like to see in a conference showcasing Lean methods, let me know. I would be grateful for any insight you may have.

In the meantime, log on to www.contractortoolsandsupplies.com for developments on the conference. We’ll be updating information there as the seminar develops.

Published in the January/February 2006 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine.