Lean Construction Institute (LCI) is a non-profit institute, founded in August 1997. The Institute operates as a catalyst to transform the industry to deliver projects using a lean operating system centered around a common language, fundamental principles and basic practices.  We have five broad goals:

• Clear standards for lean performance
  • Develop a common language
  • Develop fundamental principles
  • Develop basic practices
• Pedagogy for lean project delivery
  • Awareness
  • Learning
  • Understanding
  • Action
• LCI is self-sustaining
• Lean production principles are seen as science for industry transformation
• Communities of Practice in important markets and develop relationships with other organizations in the industry.

We do research to develop knowledge regarding project based production management in the design, engineering, and construction of capital facilities.

A set of Introductory Readings about Lean Construction is now available on the Readings page. We understand that designing and building is different from manufacturing, but principles drawn from Lean Production Management can be applied through techniques tailored for application over the life of a project. Taken together these principles and techniques create Three Opportunities and form the basis for a Lean Project Delivery System.™

Corporate Members of LCI support this research, participate in regular research meetings and implementation meetings. Those contributing at the highest level provide the laboratory to test and refine theory through application in practice. In return, they become industry leaders through the early application of this powerful new approach.

Upcoming Events

• LCI Houston CoP>> Concrete Evidence that the Lean Approach Saves Time and Money, February 22 (Houston, TX)
   
• LCI New England CoP>> Last Planner System – Implementing on Your Project, February 23 (Waltham, MA)
   
• LCI NCR CoP>> Target Value Design Workshop, February 27 (Fairfax, VA)
   
• P2SL Annual Conference, March 7, 2012, Berkeley, CA
   
• LCI Los Angeles CoP>> Implementing IPD, Lean Construction and BIM through Design Build, March 7 (Monterey Park, CA)
   
• LCI Colorado CoP>> An Introduction to Continuous Improvement & Lean Principles, March 9 (Denver, CO)
   
• LCI Nor-Cal CoP>> The 9th Type of Waste: Untapped Potential How to Turn Valuable Information into Real Value, March 14 BAY AREA (Berkeley, CA), March 15 CENTRAL VALLEY (Sacramento, CA)
   
• LCI Central and the New Mexico CoP>> 1 Full Day, Intro to Lean Construction Basics, March 21 (Albuquerque, NM)
   
• LCI Chicago CoP>> Executive Summary of Lean Construction, March 22 (Chicago, IL)
    
• 8th Annual LCI Academic Forum, May 14-16 (Boulder, CO)
   

News

• Agreement with AGC on Sustaining Sponsorship:
  • New Agreement Ensures That First-Ever Lean Construction Education Program Will Include Latest Research and Content
     
• Lean Controversy:
  • Special Report: LCI's response to ENR's May 5, 2010 article "Integrated-Project-Delivery Boosters Ignore Many Flashing Red Lights"
     

Front Page Archives: In case you’re looking for your former favorites

• Industrial Engineers Are Gearing Up To Support Lean Construction
   
• Lean Construction Opportunities Ideas Practices
  Greg Howell, of the Lean Construction Institute, and Will Lichtig, author of Sutter Health’s Integrated Form Agreement, describe the “Three Linked Opportunities” provided by Lean project delivery.
   
• Greg Howell provides a vision for AIA members of the New World of Management by guest editing the Fall 2007 edition of AIA's Practice Management Digest
   
• Audio files and presentations from the LCI-UK Summit 2007 are available at http://www.lci-uk.org/speakers.html.
   
• Collaboration Makes Construction Lean, by Karen Wilhelm, Target Magazine, the periodical of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence.
   
• Papers presented at the International Group for Lean Construction (ILGC) 2007 Annual Conference in Michigan are posted at: http://www.iglc.net/conferences/2007/. A webcast of the keynote address is located at:
  http://wmsu.org/program.php?id=232
   
• A set of Introductory Readings about Lean Construction is available from our Readings page.
   
• Lean Construction in the Life Sciences: Pros and Cons
   
• Lean Construction Eliminating the Waste
   
• LCI requests data from projects and companies implementing various aspects of Lean Construction
   
• Last Planner™ - How Do I Get Started?
   
• Improving program predictability with The Last Planner System™
   
• Lean and Health Care: Three Articles from the East Bay Times on the Sutter Health's Lean initiative
   
• Article by LCI co-founders describes Lean Project Management
   
• Lean Construction - Overcoming Habit and Tradition
   
• Applying the 5S's of Construction
   
• LCI featured in Lean Manufacturing Advisor Magazine article, "Builders Seek to Demolish Inefficiency."
   
• "The Theory of Project Management is Obsolete" challenges current thinking at PMI Research Conference
   
• 10 Reasons Your Construction Project Needs ConsensusDOCs