Founder’s White Papers
Classic White Papers from LCI’s Founders
Published between 1998 – 2013
Explore these classic Lean articles and white papers authored by LCI’s founders Greg Howell and Glenn Ballard between 1998 and 2013. These downloadable resources demonstrate some of the evolution of their original thinking over time as well as its continued relevance for Lean practitioners today.
Lean Design and Construction White Papers
Implementing Lean Construction: Understanding And Action
Greg Howell and Glenn Ballard
Published in 1998 this paper begins: “Lean thinking is a new way to manage construction. Born in manufacturing, the goals demand a new way to coordinate action, one that is applicable to industries far removed from manufacturing.”
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Aiming for Continuous Flow
Glenn Ballard and Iris Tommelein
Published in 1999 this paper begins: “This white paper is about structuring work processes, specifically about continuous flow processes (CFPs)— construction’s ‘assembly lines”
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Production System Design: Work Structuring Revisited
Glenn Ballard, Lauri Koskela, Gregory Howell, and Todd Zabelle
Published in 2001 this paper begins: “A guide is proposed for the design of production systems, which are understood to involve both designing and making products. Production system design is called “work structuring” and serves the three goals of production systems: do the job, maximize value, and minimize waste.”
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Three Opportunities Created by Lean Construction
Published in 2006 this paper begins: “Lean Project Delivery provides three linked opportunities – Impeccable
Coordination, Projects as Production Systems, and Projects as Collective Enterprise.”
Uncertainty, Organizational Structure & Collaboration: Questions For Research
Gregory A. Howell
Published in 2013 this paper begins: “Lean Construction (LC) has changed the way construction projects are designed and constructed. The fundamental principles of LC, basic practices and common vocabulary, while well established continue to evolve.”
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