Apply lean principles to your next architectural project and improve your bottom line with the help of this practical volume Lean Architecture: Excellence in Project Delivery shows readers a path to improve their project delivery via the application of lean concepts and process management. Authors Michael Czap and Gregory Buchanan challenge readers to reexamine their approach to architectural practice and projects by presenting a unique and compelling alternative. Lean Architecture details the crucial metrics and implementation strategies that combine to improve the efficiency and profitability of projects taken on by firms of all sizes. Readers will learn to: Maximize the use of their resources to deliver superior results in less time Minimize waste, cost, and inefficiency in their firm’s operations Move between radically different project scales while retaining efficient and effective processes Lean Architecture is perfect for firm leaders, project managers, and project architects who seek to improve their ability to deliver better results while reducing their cost base. Students, designers and emerging professionals will also benefit by learning key principles for more effectively executing design ideas.

Table of Contents:
Foreword ix Acknowledgments xi Preface xiii Introduction xvii Part I Building Blocks For A Lean Practice 1 Chapter 1 A Profession Ripe for Change 3 An Evolving Profession 3 Where We Are Today 3 The Primary Objective 5 Chapter 2 Process Management Explained 9 Process Management 9 Lean 10 Six Sigma 12 Theory of Constraints 13 TRIZ 14 Summary 16 References 16 Chapter 3 The Design Firm’s Problem 17 The Kind of Problem 17 Buildings Are an Organized Complexity 18 Diving Deeper 20 Summary 21 Reference 21 Chapter 4 Lean Architecture 23 3 Goals 24 Productivity and Quality 25 Resolve 29 Challenges 29 Summary 30 References 30 Chapter 5 Learning from Detroit: Influences from Lean Manufacturing 31 Western Manufacturing Compared with Japanese Lean Manufacturing 31 Backgrounder 5.1: Process Management Evolution in the US Manufacturing Industry 35 The Design and Construction Industry Is Not Mass Production 39 Learning from Detroit 41 Backgrounder 5.2: Constructability 42 Reference 47 Part II Areas of Strategic Focus With Applications 49 Chapter 6 Lean Management for Architects 51 The Game 51 Find the Money 58 Don’t Fight the Chain 61 Choreograph the Work 63 Backgrounder 6.1: Collaborative Planning 71 We Really Do Need Each Other 79 Manage Your Money 81 Backgrounder 6.2: Financial Metrics 84 The Costs of Doing Business 91 When Fees No Longer Matter 96 References 98 Resource Material 98 Chapter 7 Strategic Areas 127 Accelerate Decision-Making 127 Effective Communication 131 Strategic Modeling 137 Targeted Reviews 148 Reference 157 Resource Material 157 Chapter 8 Streamlining Documentation 171 Working Smarter 171 Impacts from the Adaption of Technology 172 Redundancy 176 Managing Variation 188 Leveraging Graphics and Text for Increased Understanding 193 Working in Context 194 Collective Processes 196 Prototypical System Sheets 197 Systems Packets 208 Cartoon Sets – Are They Relevant Anymore? 209 The Project Manual 210 Construction Administration 213 Practical Goals for Documentation 214 Resource Material 215 Part III Implementing Lean 259 Chapter 9 Rethinking Your Firm 261 Change 261 A Recipe for Success 263 Lean in Daily Practice 265 Resistance 267 Backgrounder 9.1: Can Design Process Be Lean? 270 Implementation 275 Developing Resources 280 Developing and Sharing Knowledge 284 Backgrounder 9.2: Knowledge Management 286 Developing Tools 293 Importance of Training 301 Summary 302 References 302 Resource Material 302 Chapter 10 Role of Technology 307 Shifting Paradigms 307 Effective Use of Technology 310 Part IV Final Words and Advice 313 Chapter 11 More Than an Initiative 315 Nonnegotiables 316 Permission to Think Lean and Do the Stuff 317 Appendix 319 Index 321