The Edges of Lean — Episode 14: Continuous Improvement and Construction

Take a look at the building that you are in.  Foundation, walls, floors, roof, wiring, lighting, windows, doors, plumbing, heat, air conditioning, and  so much more..  So many components – and so many people involved from design to delivery. It’s nothing like a factory, so you might think that there’s not much opportunity to use lean thinking..  But if you’ve been involved in construction in any way, you know that a lot of construction projects have problems.  And lean – well in lean, we know something about solving problems.  

My guest today is Susan Reinhardt.  Susan began her career as an architect in 1991 designing schools in Switzerland and now coaches facility owners, designers, and contractors on Lean methods for building projects.  Susan has a fascinating story to tell, and has lessons learned from lean construction that continuous improvers in other industries can learn from!