BIM a Lean Tool?: Use of Lean and Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the Construction Process; Does BIM make it Leaner?

Construction is one of the oldest industries. However, it’s productivity lags behind most industries especially manufacturing.In general, the process of construction is carried out in several smaller processes. For the overall construction process to be successful, continuity between these smaller processes must be achieved. This has been the persistent goal in construction productivity improvement for decades now. Due to lack of a unified concept, a lot of waste is generated between the continuing activities by unpredicted release of work and the arrival of resources. However, in recent decades the construction industry has a great need to improve its productivity, quality and incorporate new technologies to the industry due to increased foreign competition. A relatively new tool that is increasingly getting popular is BIM, which has been playing a major role in reducing construction waste. More and more companies are adopting BIM as an acceptable waste reduction tool. The question is “is BIM a tool for leaner construction?"

Geetanjali Ningappa graduated with a masters in Building Construction from Georgia Institute of Technology. She has her bachelors in Architecture and currently she is practicing as an architect in India. Her interest in implementing efficiency in construction industry inspired her to conduct research on lean construction.