Continuous improvement of the industrialised housebuilding order fulfilment process

Abstract

Purpose A deeper understanding of what needs to be considered to improve the targeted incorporation of employees’ knowledge into continuous improvement (CI) programmes in industrialised housebuilding (IHB) is required. This paper aims to address the current lack of involvement and connect it to structural and corporate culture factors. To avoid misjudgements in improvement activities as well as to use the full potential of performance improvement ideas, CI tools and measures need to be adapted to facilitate this integration. Relevant factors are analysed and their influences on CI measures are assessed. Design/methodology/approach The research approach is built upon an explorative case study supported by a comprehensive literature review. Empirical data were collected through participant observation, guided interviews and company documents. Findings The influences on employee involvement within CI programmes and the corresponding suitability of important CI measures were evaluated on a set of relevant factors. These factors include unique building projects, project-based focus on order fulfilment, fragmented order fulfilment process, separation of order fulfilment activities in terms of space and time, procedural rules for dealing with on-site failures, short-term contracts with subcontractors and the practice of evaluating and monitoring performance on site. Research limitations/implications The research paves the way for the development of suitable tools, measures and methods to effectively involve employees from all profession within a CI programme in IHB. The empirical part of this research is based on a single case study. Originality/value This work extends the body of knowledge of CI application in the construction industry with an analysis of factors influencing its implementation and management.

Developing a continuous improvement perspective for subcontractor involvement in the industrialised housebuilding supply chain

“…This is a major difference from previous approaches, which aimed to identify factors influencing CI measures and assess potential effects without an understanding of their mechanism of interaction. Eriksson (2010), Grenzfurtner and Gronalt (2020) and Taggart et al (2014) have thus contributed by identifying such potential factors, which now can be assessed through the approach presented here. The combined application of the stakeholder analysis and the CLD analysis thus goes far further and helps to proactively assess the impact of planned measures.…”

“…Within the IHB industry, initiatives mainly covered CI topics at company level. In spite of the valuable contributions for developing an understanding of CI application in IHB from Grenzfurtner and Gronalt (2020), Lessing (2006), Lessing et al (2015), Meiling et al (2014) and Söderholm (2010), these initiatives did not go in detailed consideration of the relevance of the SC and subcontractors’ knowledge for CI programmes. Implementation of CI within an IHB SC and its effects on decision makers in this field is not examined.…”

Performance measurement and management practices of on-site activities in industrialized housebuilding

“…Although the IHB has a clear advantage in the assessment of on-site production due to its higher process orientation (Höök and Stehn, 2008) and the introduction of building systems (Johnsson, 2011), it seems that there are still some difficulties arising from on-site fulfilment (Jonsson and Rudberg, 2017). Its temporal and spatial separation from other parts of the order fulfilment process, as well as the methods of data collection and performance assessment, do not provide accurate evaluations of the effects of interventions (Grenzfurtner and Gronalt, 2020) as they are not reliable enough and are too cost-or time-consuming for regular performance management (Raffoni et al, 2018). Accurate measurements of performance are impacted by many factors such as: the complexity of an IHB order fulfilment process (Sardén, 2005;Thunberg and Fredriksson, 2018), the nature of on-site working, the segmented order fulfilment processes as well as the number and disparity of in-house, subcontractor and suppliers' employees involved (Bäckstrand and Fredriksson, 2020;Grenzfurtner and Gronalt, 2020;Knauseder et al, 2007).…”

“…Consequently, continuous improvement of on-site performance is limited to the application of methods that are derived from the experience of employees (Yap et al, 2020). The lack of both systematic identification of problems, as well as the verification of the impact of improvement measures, limits the target-oriented improvement of operational efficiency and the productivity of on-site activities (Grenzfurtner and Gronalt, 2020).…”

Productivity and innovation in the Japanese construction industry

“…Some of them have been quantified and processed, but others have been found not to be so. These include, for example, a comparative study of architectural perspectives (Lam and Wong, 2011), a measurement model of building information modelling maturity (Chen et al, 2014) and improvements in the ordering process for industrialised residential construction (Grenzfurtner and Gronalt, 2020).…”