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Description
Transportation projects are very important endeavors that result in economic, social and environmental impacts in multiple areas of our society. These projects contribute to the economic growth and improved connectivity in communities. However, due to a multitude of contextual conditions where the projects are developed, projects are in many cases disrupted, cost more and take longer to complete than scheduled. These projects can benefit from improved project, design, and site production management. This thesis aims at exploring the current management practices employed by the government, consultants and contractors to deliver transportation projects and identify opportunities where Lean Construction practices can be applied to streamline the delivery of these projects. This thesis uses a qualitative approach to investigate the transportation projects mostly located in Southern California and Northeastern states through face-to-face and over the phone interviews with engineers, consultants, project managers, operation managers, and owners. Analysis of the data was first completed by comparing construction companies’ management practices using the table point method that awards companies points based on the Lean Construction tools and techniques. Additionally, data analysis of the management practices at the owner and consultant level was discussed followed by a discussion of the current delivery methods used by the Department of Transportation (DoT) to deliver projects. Within this limited sample, findings indicate that there is similarity between the management practices of the construction companies investigated and some Lean Construction-related practices that have been identified. Key elements of Lean Construction were identified within a few companies in this sample, such as: collaborative practices, Visual Management (VM), Root-cause Analysis, 5S, and Just-In-Time delivery. Opportunities where Lean Construction can be applied to streamline the delivery of these projects have been identified and recommendations for future work have been suggested.
