TY - CONF TI - Unravelling the backbone of lean transformation in construction megaprojects C1 - Singapore, Singapore C3 - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) SP - 606 EP - 617 PY - 2026 DO - 10.24928/2026/0131 AU - Ibrahim, Abdelazim AU - Zayed, Tarek AU - Lafhaj, Zoubeir AD - PhD Candidate, Department of Building and Real Estate, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, abdelazim-ib.mansour@connect.polyu.hk, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4487-4151 AD - Professor, Department of Building and Real Estate, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, tarek.zayed@polyu.edu.hk, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3249-7712 AD - Professor, Laboratoire de Mecanique Multiphysique Multiechelle, LaMcube, UMR 9013, Centrale Lille, CNRS, Universite de Lille, Lille, France, zoubeir.lafhaj@centralelille.fr, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1985-9176 ED - Hamzeh, Farook ED - Poshdar, Mani ED - Garcia-Lopez,, Nelly P. AB - Despite growing interest in lean construction for megaprojects, implementation remains fragmented. These complex, high-cost endeavors are prone to delays and inefficiencies, yet there is a limited understanding of how practices interrelate and which serve as foundational enablers. This study addresses this gap by uncovering the causal hierarchy among 35 Lean Construction Practices (LCPs) across six categories. The methodology integrates a literature review, expert input from 15 senior practitioners in Hong Kong and Mainland China, and Fuzzy DEMATEL analysis. Results reveal four Cause categories: Customer Focus & Waste Elimination, Standardization & Process Transparency, Planning & Scheduling, and People Involvement & Continuous Improvement, acting as critical enablers. Key backbone practices include TVD, VSM, Gemba Walks, 5S, BIM, LPS, and PCMAT. In contrast, Flow & Pull Systems and Safety & Quality Assurance are Effect categories, dependent on the prior establishment of foundational systems. The findings emphasize that lean transformation must follow a staged, theory-grounded sequence: cultural and structural practices must precede advanced tools, such as Kanban or TQM. Consequently, this study provides an evidence-based roadmap for prioritizing interventions and accelerating lean maturity in megaprojects. KW - Lean Construction KW - megaprojects KW - causal hierarchy KW - fuzzy DEMATEL KW - implementation sequencing KW - backbone practices. PB - T2 - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) DA - 2026/06/22 CY - Singapore, Singapore L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/2456/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/2456 N1 - Export Date: 19 June 2026 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER -