TY  - CONF
TI  - To Measure Workflow and Waste. A Concept for Continuous Improvement
AU  - Kalsaas, Bo Terje
AU  - Gundersen, Mariann
AU  - Berge, Truls Olav
AD  - Professor, Dr.Ing., Department of working life and innovation, University of Agder, 4879  Grimstad, Norway, Phone +47 97082582, e-mail: bo.t.kalsaas@uia.no
AD  - MSc student, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Agder, 4879  Grimstad, Norway, Phone +47 91722935, e-mail: marg07@student.uia.no
AD  - MSc student, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Agder, 4879  Grimstad, Norway, Phone +47 40492000, e-mail: trulsb12@student.uia.no
ED  - Kalsaas, Bo Terje
ED  - Koskela, Lauri
ED  - Saurin, Tarcisio Abreu
PY  - 2014
DA  - 2014/06/25
T2  - 22nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction
C3  - 22nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction
CY  - Oslo, Norway
SP  - 835
EP  - 846
SN  - 2309-0979 (ISSN)
AB  - Measuring workflow applied in a strategy for continuous improvement can be an imperative method for making production of buildings leaner. This paper sums up a research project, which has spanned 3-4 years, aiming to find a method to measure workflow with a continuous improvement approach. Two main methods are documented, one based on data gathering by observation and one by individual reports by the workmen. Workflow in site production is conceptualized as “all types of work conducted within available working hours – except obstructions such as downtime, rework and other forms of waste subtracted”. To complement the findings from the research project, the paper further addresses the method to measure workflow as handover of work between trades, which lays the foundation for the Last Planner System (LPS). The research project delivers extensive empirical material as to how time is used on construction sites. The empirical results show a notable amount of waste in several construction projects. The paper contributes to the understanding of workflow and waste in the production of buildings, and for practical purposes, methods for measuring workflow and observable waste are documented, in order that they can be applied in continuous improvement work at construction sites.
KW  - Workflow
KW  - measurement
KW  - continuous improvement
KW  - waste
KW  - construction
L1  - https://www.iglc.net/papers/details/1078/pdf
UR  - https://www.iglc.net/papers/details/1078
DB  - IGLC.net
LA  - English
N1  - Export date: 04 October 2026
ER  -