Lean Construction (LC) has been implemented for 20 years in Peru in different types of projects: buildings, sanitary works, mining, sports infrastructure, and for the development of people, finding significant benefits after its implementation. However, some barriers make complicated Lean Construction from being applied in many projects in Peru. This research aims to identify and classify the obstacles that lead to poor implementation of Lean thinking. First, the study started with a literature review and consultation with six experts with more than ten years of experience in the implementation of Lean Construction in different types of projects, identifying thirty-two barriers to Lean Construction implementation, dividing the barriers into four types: culture barriers, technology barriers, lean philosophy, and other barriers. One hundred and twenty-four engineers from various projects are surveyed, and the main obstacles to Lean Construction implementation are ranked. The findings identified that "lack of government policies," "lack of alliances between academy and organizations," and "high use of time and cost with no return" are the main barriers related to the implementation of Lean. Research is the basis for generating a roadmap and lines of research.
The competitiveness in the construction industry is leading companies to implement the Lean philosophy to improve project management and prepare to begin the adoption of Construction 4.0. However, this implementation generates several barriers, depending on the type of company and the country where it is implemented. For this reason, the following research aims to identify the barriers generated in implementing the Lean philosophy in Peru and SMEs. The following study began with a literature review, followed by a questionnaire, which six Lean experts evaluated. Then, 127 Peruvian professionals answered the survey, and the data were analyzed with RII and Exploratory Factor Analysis. As a result, the barriers to Lean Construction were grouped into four groups to analyze their impact on the industry: collaboration, education and implementation, organizational vision and system; Lean theory and philosophy; and Lean tools, coordination, and information flow. Barriers were also analyzed by project type, stage, and organization size to conclude that implementation barriers are directly related to company size. Finally, the obtained barriers are discussed, and Construction 4.0 is proposed to reduce their impact on construction projects. These results can be helpful for implementers to plan strategies, improve knowledge about Lean Construction implementation, and adopt new techniques that could help improve the construction industry’s productivity.
Lean Construction (LC) has been applied in various construction projects in Peru for over 20 years in different projects: buildings, roads, sanitary works, mining, sports infrastructure, energy, oil, and industrial plants; as well as a series of tools such as Last Planner® System (LPS), takt time, visual management, among others. However, in Peru, practitioners are focused on LPS, leaving aside other lean tools that can help manage construction projects. The research aims to identify the main lean tools applied in Peru's construction projects and classify them according to the project type. First, a literature review of lean tools applied in Peru is conducted; second, expert judgments are interviewed to validate the tools, and fourteen main LC implementation tools are identified. Then, one hundred and twenty-four engineers answered the survey from various types of projects and classified the primary tools that have been implemented in their respective projects. The data is analysed by linear correlation and reliability. It was found that the primary tools used in Peru are: LPS, Visual Management (VM), Continuous Improvement, Feedback, Big Room, and Value Stream Mapping (VSM). The study found that professionals do not know the benefits of each tool or when to apply it. Also, the professionals implement few tools in the design stage of the projects.
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