- Professor of Civil Engineering at the Catholic University of Chile, holding a progression of administrative positions... moreProfessor of Civil Engineering at the Catholic University of Chile, holding a progression of administrative positions. Visiting Professor at The Ohio State University, Valencia Polytechnic (Spain) and Shimizu Visiting Professor at Stanford University. Currently, director of two research centers, the Interdisciplinary Center for Productive and Sustainable Construction (CIPYCS) and the Production Management Center (GEPUC). Engineering degree from the Catholic University of Chile and M. Eng., MS and a PhD from UC Berkeley.Founding member of the (IGLC) International Group for Lean Construction and he has been a member of the Board of (CIB) International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction. He has published multiple research papers and several books: “Uncertainty Management in Repetitive Construction Projects using WIP Buffers”, "Identification and Reduction of Waste in Construction", "Administration of Civil Engineering Projects","Planning and Control of Projects" and he is the editor and co-author of the book "Lean Construction”. Research and consultancy for public and private organizations in several areas: Project Risk Modeling, Strategic Planning in the Construction, Lean Construction, Production Management, Improvement of Quality and Productivity. Member of the Panamerican Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Construction int the USA.edit
Purpose The construction industry’s business model is mainly based on the interaction among the architecture office, the engineering office and the construction company. The performance and practices of architects’ offices, unlike those... more
Purpose The construction industry’s business model is mainly based on the interaction among the architecture office, the engineering office and the construction company. The performance and practices of architects’ offices, unlike those of the other actors, are difficult to characterize and there have been few studies on these issues. To better understand architects’ performance, the purpose of this paper is to develop a benchmarking tool based on real practices identified by managers of Chilean architecture offices. Design/methodology/approach The research method includes a complete literature review, followed by a study of a sample of nine Chilean architecture offices, with whom a series of four workshops was developed, to establish both performance indicators and relevant management practices. Finally, these metrics were applied in an architectural office as a pilot case. Findings Four management dimensions were defined: client management, external coordination, internal organiza...
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AbstractSimulations and classroom games are effective hands-on learning tools for construction management students and practitioners. This paper presents the background, methods and results of a new simulation management game called... more
AbstractSimulations and classroom games are effective hands-on learning tools for construction management students and practitioners. This paper presents the background, methods and results of a new simulation management game called LEBSCO, which simulates aspects of the Last Planner System (LPS) and Lean Production principles. LPS is central to the implementation of Lean Construction, an increasingly popular management approach based on the Toyota Production System and Lean Production. LPS requires continuous and collaborative effort from all stakeholders for the planning and control of a construction project, making it especially appropriate for the experiential learning allowed by simulation. LEBSCO consists of the assembly of Lego™ pieces to form a schematic house, and it is played by teams meeting in rounds simulating weeks of work. Each team is composed of stakeholders, such as a planner, resource suppliers and trade foremen, mirroring the planning and control process of a typical construction proje...
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During a construction project, the production control system allows the creation of conditions to manage operations. The Last Planner System is a production control system whose use has been related to superior project performance. We... more
During a construction project, the production control system allows the creation of conditions to manage operations. The Last Planner System is a production control system whose use has been related to superior project performance. We suggest that there is an opportunity to improve the Last Planner System application in the patterns of conversation variability along its subprocesses from a Language Action Perspective. These patterns are called Bullwhip Effect of Conversations, because they resemble the concept of propagation of variability in the supply chain. We update previous research about Instability of Conversations, adding new data, evaluations and interpretations. This paper is based on five mining and road construction projects. Our research analyses variability propagation and distortion of conversations along the Last Planner System subprocesses, and their relationship with the Percentage Plan Complete Index. The findings suggest that the Bullwhip Effect of Conversations ...
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This paper explores the use of mathematical analyses methods to identify the components of effective management strategies applied by a safety management organization in construction companies. The authors believe that effective methods... more
This paper explores the use of mathematical analyses methods to identify the components of effective management strategies applied by a safety management organization in construction companies. The authors believe that effective methods and strategies are closely related to Lean Construction strategies and one objective of this research was to explore this hypothesis. In Chile, “Safety Mutuals” are nonprofit organizations that provide medical insurance and technical assistance on safety management to companies in all the economic areas. In the last 40 years these institutions have helped to reduce accidents to 1/5th in the Chilean companies. Over the years they have introduced hundreds of methods/practices to prevent and mitigate accidents; however, there is little evidence of the effectiveness of individual or combined methods used in companies to manage safety issues. The authors selected a sample of over 1100 construction firms, and 221 individual methods/practices applied in the...
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Lean organizations focus on effectively delivering value to their customers, understanding value as defined by their customer’s perspective, thus flexibility and fast adaptation to client’s demands have become a requirement for... more
Lean organizations focus on effectively delivering value to their customers, understanding value as defined by their customer’s perspective, thus flexibility and fast adaptation to client’s demands have become a requirement for competitiveness. This adaptation demands a continuous and coordinated flow of information among processes which in first instance are mediated by people. People and their connectivity play a fundamental role in the success or failure of projects, and should be managed and improved continuously. Improving connectivity and information flow requires a methodology that allows not only understanding the current state, but also to effectively control and check the actions taken by the organizations based on clear and objective evidence. This paper aims at discussing the initial development of a methodology based on the experience of applying it on five Chilean Construction Companies. The proposed methodology integrates social network analysis (SNA) as a diagnostic ...
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Often the successful performance of a project is problematic. The Lean Construction community has approached this issue by emphasizing variability reduction of the production process using the Last Planner System (LPS). In this context,... more
Often the successful performance of a project is problematic. The Lean Construction community has approached this issue by emphasizing variability reduction of the production process using the Last Planner System (LPS). In this context, we suggest that the variability characterization of managerial actions along the LPS process itself is an improvement opportunity. We used the concept of conversations from Linguistic Action Perspective (LAP) and the premise that the Bullwhip Effect (BWE) exists between the LPS variables to explore the variability impact of managerial actions during the LPS process. This paper reports the characterization of BWE of LAP conversations between LPS variables and its impact on planning reliability in five projects in the construction stage. Evidence collected suggests that BWE exists between the LPS variables and its existence may be related to the degradation of planning reliability. Although additional work will be required to corroborate these initial ...
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Recent studies have established the importance of best management practices in company performance measured by productivity, safety and other performance indicators. Research about the relationship between the characteristics of the... more
Recent studies have established the importance of best management practices in company performance measured by productivity, safety and other performance indicators. Research about the relationship between the characteristics of the organization and its performance has not yet arrived to definitive conclusions. This research aims to examine the relationship between management practices, characteristics of organizations and the project performance. Knowing these relations is necessary to achieve better management strategies. This paper presents results of the first application of a benchmarking effort carried out among nine Chilean construction companies. Management practices, grouped in fifteen dimensions, were assessed from data obtained through surveys. Weighted average of the responses from each survey was used to obtain scores for each dimension. Social Network Analysis (SNA) was used to capture characteristics of the organization on relevant issues such as communication; planni...
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ABSTRACT Incluye resumen en inglés. Tesis (Magíster en Ciencias de la Ingeniería) -- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2007. Incluye bibliografía.
Evidence exists for the application of lean management practices in the design process. However, there is no systematic review of this type of practice that links the design management practices to the lean construction principles. There... more
Evidence exists for the application of lean management practices in the design process. However, there is no systematic review of this type of practice that links the design management practices to the lean construction principles. There is no tool to assess the level of use of lean design management practices in construction projects either. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the lean management practices that are performed at the design phase of construction projects. The research was divided into a literature review of design management practices; a validation of lean design management practices with a practice–principle relationship, based on an expert survey; the devolvement of a tool (questionnaire) to evaluate the lean design management practices; and an assessment in 64 construction projects (coherence, reliability, correlation, and descriptive analysis). It is concluded that evidence exists for the implementation of 19 lean design management practices. These practices are...
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Construction companies face important challenges to implement and sustain Lean methods, and they need to periodically assess the state of their implementation efforts. This paper presents the results of a collaborative initiative from... more
Construction companies face important challenges to implement and sustain Lean methods, and they need to periodically assess the state of their implementation efforts. This paper presents the results of a collaborative initiative from seven Chilean construction companies to diagnose the implementation state of some aspects of Lean organizations: Philosophy, Culture and Technology. The diagnosis was carried out using data from four different tools: interviews with managers, workshops with Last Planner implementers, visits to projects and planning meetings, and an organizational survey to validate previous results. Despite 90% of managers believe that Lean is central to enhancing their businesses, important barriers to sustain practices were detected such as Last Planner (LP), which was identified as a common tool among those companies. Thus, the most important aspects observed could be summarized as lack of certainty, lack of training, and very limited use of other tools; moreover, i...
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Multidimensional modeling is the digital, visual, automated representation of the different parts of a project, using commercially available software or a single computational tool. A dimension is any variable that a professional needs to... more
Multidimensional modeling is the digital, visual, automated representation of the different parts of a project, using commercially available software or a single computational tool. A dimension is any variable that a professional needs to know and analyze in order to manage a construction project, which can be used during the entire life cycle of the project, from design to operation. The modeled dimensions were surface area, space, time, building sequence and execution strategy, cubage and quantity, cost, safety, and history of activities. Performance indicators were used to evaluate the use of the proposed modeling method as a tool to improve project management. The method of trial and error using three cases (construction projects in Chile) was used to validate and to evaluate that method. The use of multidimensional modeling made the processes of planning, control, and coordination of the studied project cases easier and more transparent. It resulted in higher availability, cons...
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During construction projects, the productive deployment of operations depends on the reliable supply of the production control function, where the proper coordination of teams, meetings and managerial processes is crucial for performance.... more
During construction projects, the productive deployment of operations depends on the reliable supply of the production control function, where the proper coordination of teams, meetings and managerial processes is crucial for performance. Currently the use of the Last Planner System for providing this function has been successful; despite the importance it claims in the social domain, it does not explicitly regulate the coordination of teams and meetings with the managerial processes. In order to address this gap, we developed a prototype tool, based on a Multi- Domain Matrix, for handling and tracking the performance of these elements. This paper introduces the Matrix of Interacting Groups, which evaluates the interaction of teams, meetings and managerial processes during the production control function supply. It was initially tested in a Chilean housing project and it allows the identification of team members, meetings, processes, and provides insight into the system key properti...
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Research Interests: Engineering, Psychology, Occupational Health, Injury Prevention, Chile, and 15 moreMedicine, Construction Industry, Strategy, Humans, Best practice, Construction Company, Occupational Safety and Health, Incentive, Safety Management, Human Factors and Ergonomics, Poison Control, Proyectos De Ingenieria, Occupational Injuries, Occupational Accidents, and Prevention Practice
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Lean implementations, especially Last Planner System LPS, are facing various barriers along time losing opportunities to visualize its complete impact. The previous situation could be associated with lacking a more holistic approach;... more
Lean implementations, especially Last Planner System LPS, are facing various barriers along time losing opportunities to visualize its complete impact. The previous situation could be associated with lacking a more holistic approach; companies commonly deployed Lean tools from an operational point of view, without a clear vision of the future in complementation with strategic objectives. In a group of seven Chilean construction companies doing research in collaboration with the Production Management Centre of the Catholic University of Chile we observed these conducts. Research activities included four workshops with General Managers and Human Resources Departments, and semi structured interviews with some key positions. The present research’s results provide competencies identification and definition for four key positions: Project Manager, Building Manager, Site manager and Technical Office, which will be part of a Competencies Dictionary. This instrument will work as a foundation...
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Information Technology (IT) in Construction is currently a hot topic in research and practice. However, there is need for a theoretical framework to support the analysis of how IT impact construction processes. Research developed by the... more
Information Technology (IT) in Construction is currently a hot topic in research and practice. However, there is need for a theoretical framework to support the analysis of how IT impact construction processes. Research developed by the authors, that considered participation of the first author in IT implementation in real projects, explored the relationship between design and production theory principles, and the prevalent (transformation) and new production models (flow and value). A Transformation-Flow-Value (TFV) model of the design process provided important basis to understand the forces of change that IT offers to the construction industry, describing the impact of Computer Advanced Visualisation Tools (CAVT) and attaining a synergistic effect between IT and Lean Principles. The research combined empirical evidence with lean theoretical background and developed a quantitative framework based in Freire and Alarcon (2000) and a qualitative framework adapted from Koskela (2000) ...
Research Interests: Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Management, Lean Project Delivery, Lean Construction, and 15 moreConstruction Project Management, Lean Manufacturing, Construction IT, Planning in Construction, Construction Engineering and Management, Information Technology in Construction, Information Technology Application to Construction, BIM Technology, BIM and Construction Planning, Construction Planning and Scheduling, Lean Construction Institute, Computer Simulation and Lean Construction, Construction information technology, Lean Construction Mexico, and VDC
Construction schedules are critical to the success of construction projects, as they define the sequence, rhythm and duration of productive processes. However, the traditional construction schedules have not adequately coped with the... more
Construction schedules are critical to the success of construction projects, as they define the sequence, rhythm and duration of productive processes. However, the traditional construction schedules have not adequately coped with the variable nature of these processes that are reflected in interferences, delays and higher costs to attain a project efficiently. Even though there exist techniques based on Lean Production, such as, for instance, Last Planner which reduces the variability to reasonable levels, many projects either do not apply these techniques or there exist variability that is not controlled as yet. This investigation aims at using Schedule Buffers as a complementary strategy to protect from the production processes variability in the construction projects and also describes the main aspects of a Methodology of Management of Schedule Buffers in Repetitive Projects. This article addreses a number of issues: the problem of variability in construction, the main control te...
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In recent years, the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has broadly expanded the use of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), particularly Building Information Modeling (BIM). However, this use is not always well... more
In recent years, the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has broadly expanded the use of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), particularly Building Information Modeling (BIM). However, this use is not always well planned and defined by the companies, which introduces inefficiencies in their VDC use. This research explores the literature to identify examples of waste in VDC from a Lean Construction perspective, and proposes VDC practices and Lean methods to reduce this waste. The exploratory research found examples of 8 waste types in the use of VDC: Non-value added processing, Motion (excess), Inventory (excess), Waiting Overproduction, Employee knowledge (unused), Transportation/Navigation, and Defects.
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Construction projects are increasingly executed under complex relationships between the parties involved. The traditional contracting approaches have not proved to be very effective to deliver successful projects, affecting the ability of... more
Construction projects are increasingly executed under complex relationships between the parties involved. The traditional contracting approaches have not proved to be very effective to deliver successful projects, affecting the ability of owners to manage the relationship with their third parties (contractors). Moreover, these approaches promote adversarial relationships between them, causing detrimental effects on project performance. The negative impacts produced by using traditional contracting frames suggest the use of more collaborative approaches to manage their relationship between owners and third parties, which improve the quality of the relationships and performance. In this paper, a model to support the selection of third party relations is proposed, which is based on Partnering, Alliancing, Lean Project Delivery and Relational Contracting principles and it is developed in mining projects. By a detailed literature review and open interviews to experts in managing world cl...
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Over the years an increasing number of companies have implemented the Last Planner SystemTM (LPS) and several research efforts have provided evidence of its impact on performance in construction projects. However, very scarce evidence... more
Over the years an increasing number of companies have implemented the Last Planner SystemTM (LPS) and several research efforts have provided evidence of its impact on performance in construction projects. However, very scarce evidence exists of the impacts in industrial mining projects. These projects are generally schedule driven with tight schedules, complex and diverse in construction challenges, frequent scope changes, high logistic complexity and very high economic impact. These characteristics seem to be an obstacle to a sustained implementation of the LPS in this type of projects. This paper reports on research focused on industrial mining projects, in an effort to quantify the impacts of the LPS implementation on several aspects of project performance. Over a period of two years, the authors investigated the implementation of the LPS and its impacts in several projects of a single company, comparing projects with and without implementation and assessing the impacts of implem...
Research Interests: Engineering and Planner
article delves the use of organization modeling to assess the impact of Lean construction concepts on project performance. The research calibrated four virtual models of construction project organizations developed using the Virtual... more
article delves the use of organization modeling to assess the impact of Lean construction concepts on project performance. The research calibrated four virtual models of construction project organizations developed using the Virtual Design Team (VDT) method and SimVision® VDT computational tool. The models were validated comparing their predictions with actual results obtained in the projects, and the assessment and approval of technical experts of the companies in the study. Then, the four models were used to evaluate the impact on project performance using alternative organizational designs, each of them inspired in Lean production concepts and principles. The results proved that VDT models can be used to evaluate the impact of the Lean concepts in projects performance, representing these notions in the organizational design and showing the benefits of implementing them. In general, the models predicted positive impact in terms of cost, time, variability and waste reduction in org...
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An improvement methodology is proposed for the design process in construction projects. Based on concepts and principles of Lean Production the methodology considers the design process as a set of three different models: conversion, flow,... more
An improvement methodology is proposed for the design process in construction projects. Based on concepts and principles of Lean Production the methodology considers the design process as a set of three different models: conversion, flow, and value. Four stages are necessary to produce improvements and changes: (1) diagnosis/evaluation, (2) changes implementation, (3) control, and (4) standardization. The methodology suggests the application of seven tools in accordance to specific needs (detected and desired) on five potential areas of improvement (CAPRI): Client, Administration, Project, Resources, and Information. Results of an application included: an increase of 31% in the share of value adding activities, 44% reduction of unit errors in the products, up to 58% decrease of waiting times in the process, and an expansion of the utilization in the cycle times. In this manner, not only did the efficiency and effectiveness of internal engineering products improve, but also the whole...