Better Building: Lean Practice for the Project-Driven Organization

The business of creating our built environment remains largely siloed and disconnected today. Owners, designers, construction managers, and trade contractors each defend their profit margins by shifting risk to others and focusing on their own piece of the puzzle. Lean thinking promises to change all this, yet has proven particularly difficult to implement in the building industry. Many great lean books* provide insights and inspiration into a better way to operate, yet until now, none focus on the unique challenges of the design and construction industry. Better Building provides a practical model for putting lean thinking into action and improving the experience of project work. Based on years of experience shifting mindsets and behaviors, this model answers the most often asked questions and provides a road map for navigating the toughest parts of a lean transformation journey in the project-driven environment.Lean Books that inspired this author to write Better Building specifically for the building industry include:The Toyota Way (Liker), The Goal (Goldratt), The Lean Startup (Ries), Toyota Kata (Rother), Two Second Lean (Akers), Good to Great (Collins), This is Lean (Modig), Switch (Chip and Dan Heath), Managing to Learn (Shook), Creating a Lean Culture (Mann)

Klaus Lemke has helped countless teams improve building projects though better thinking. His humble coaching style and high expectations go beyond the mechanical side of lean to leverage the human nature behind successful teams. His ability to connect with people at all levels keeps him in high demand as a speaker, trainer, coach and change agent.