Benefits and Limitations of Lean Tools in the Building Design Process: A Functional and Comparative Analysis
Source abstract
Abstract
The design phase is critical in construction projects, as it directly impacts cost, quality, and execution efficiency. However, it suffers from structural deficiencies in communication, coordination, and early problem detection, leading to delays, cost overruns, and inefficiencies. While Lean Construction has been widely applied in execution phases, its adoption in design remains fragmented, lacking a clear framework for identifying and evaluating Lean tools in this context. This study aims to identify, classify, and evaluate Lean tools applicable to the building design phase, emphasizing their functionalities, benefits, and limitations. A systematic literature review and expert validation process led to the identification of 16 Lean tools and 26 design-related functionalities. Among these tools, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Last Planner System (LPS), and Agile Design Management (ADM) were identified as the most impactful, collectively addressing 88% of design functionalities. Expert insights revealed that ADM improves task control and decision-making clarity, LPS reduces uncertainty and enhances workflow reliability, and BIM strengthens coordination and early conflict detection. This study provides a structured perspective on Lean tool integration during design, highlighting their benefits and limitations and offering guidance for their implementation. The findings contribute to improving design efficiency, minimizing waste, and fostering collaboration in construction projects.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: BIM and Construction Integration · Construction Project Management and Performance · Facilities and Workplace Management
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
School of Civil Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, Avenida Brasil 2147, Valparaiso 2340000, Chile
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo e Design (PPGAUD), Instituto de Arquitetura e Urbanismo e Design (IAUD), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza 60020-181, Brazil
Funding
ANID FONDECYT Iniciación 2023
References (92)
Show source-provided references
1. Koskela, L., and Ballard, G. (1997, January 16–17). Towards Lean Design Management. Proceedings of the 5th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Gold Coast, Australia.
2. Bibby, L. (2003). Improving Design Management Techniques in Construction. [Ph.D. Thesis, Loughborough University].
3. El Reifi, M.H., Emmitt, S., and Ruikar, K. (August, January 29). Developing a Conceptual Lean Briefing Process Model for Lean Design Management. Proceedings of the 21st Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction 2013, Fortaleza, Brazil.
4. Design Changes in Construction Projects—Causes and Impact on the Cost10.28991/cej-2019-03091360 ↗
5. Profiling Causative Factors Leading to Construction Project Delays in the United Arab Emirates10.1108/ECAM-05-2015-0072 ↗
6. Oakland, J., and Marosszeky, M. (2006). Total Quality in the Construction Supply Chain, Routledge.10.4324/9780080455280 ↗
7. Latham, M. (1994). Constructing the Team: Final Report: Joint Review of Procurement and Contractual Arrangements in the United Kingdom Construction Industry, HMSO.
8. Larsson, J. (2016). Johan Larsson Managing Radical Innovation in the Swedish Infrastructure Sector. [Ph.D. Thesis, Luleå Tekniska Universitet].
9. Egan, J. (1998). The Report of the Construction Task Force Rethinking Construction, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
10. Baiden, B., Price, A., and Dainty, A. (2003, January 3–5). Looking beyond Processes: Human Factors in Team Integration. Proceedings of the 19th Annual ARCOM Conference, Brighton, UK.
11. The Performance of Integrated D&b Teams in Unexpected Change Event
12. Mossman, A. (2018, January 18–22). What Is Lean Construction: Another Look. Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Chennai, India.10.24928/2018/0309 ↗
13. Lean Construction: Where Are We and How to Proceed?10.60164/55h8g4h8c ↗
14. Achieving Lean Design Process: Improvement Methodology10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2002)128:3(248) ↗
15. O’brien, W.J., Fischer, M.A., Akinci, B.H., and O’brien, A. (1997, January 16–17). Importance of Site Conditions and Capacity Allocation for Construction Cost and Performance: A Case Study. Proceedings of the 5th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Gold Coast, Australia.
16. Alignment between Lean Principles and Practices and Worker Safety Behavior10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001209 ↗
17. Formoso, C.T., Tzotzopoulos, P., Jobim, M.S.S., and Liedtke, R. (1998, January 13–15). Developing a protocol for Managing the Design process in the Building Industry. Proceedings of the 6th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Guaruja, Brazil.
18. Perceptions of Lean Design Management
19. Integration of Lean Design and Design Management and Its Influence on the Development of a Multidisciplinary Design Management Model for Remote Site Projects
20. The Effects of BIM and Lean Construction on Design Management Practices10.1016/j.proeng.2016.11.659 ↗
21. Franco, J.V., and Picchi, F.A. (2016, January 20–22). Lean Design in Building Projects: Guiding Principles and Exploratory Collection of Good Practices. Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Boston, MA, USA.
22. The Journal Coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: A Comparative Analysis10.1007/s11192-015-1765-5 ↗
23. Castañeda, K., Sánchez, O., Herrera, R.F., and Mejía, G. (2022). Highway Planning Trends: A Bibliometric Analysis. Sustainability, 14.10.3390/su14095544 ↗
24. Optimizing Construction Design Process Using the Lean Based Approach
25. Goepel, K.D. (2022). Group Consensus Cluster Analysis Using Shannon Alpha and Beta Entropy. Submitt. Publ., 14.
26. RIBA (2020). Sinclair Dale RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Overview RIBA Plan of Work, Royal Institute of British Architects.10.4324/9780429347146-2 ↗
27. Lean Construction: An Effective Approach for Project Management
28. Waste Processing Framework for Non-Value-Adding Activities Using Lean Construction
29. A Modified FMEA Approach to Enhance Reliability of Lean Systems10.1108/02656711011062417 ↗
30. Innovation and Improvements in Project Implementation and Management; Using FMEA Technique10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.04.050 ↗
31. Project Risk Management Using the Project Risk FMEA
32. Alireza, A., and Sorooshian, S. (2014). Lean Manufacturing Tools, UMP Publisher.
33. Applying Lean Thinking in Construction and Performance Improvement10.1016/j.aej.2013.04.008 ↗
34. Ballard, G. (2000). The Last Planner System of Production Control. [Ph.D. Thesis, The University of Birmingham].
35. Muhammad, W.M.N.W., Ismail, Z., and Hashim, A.E. (2013, January 7–9). Exploring Lean Construction Components for Malaysian Construction Industry. Proceedings of the Business Engineering and Industrial Applications Colloquium (BEIAC), Langkawi, Malaysia.
36. Site Implementation and Assessment of Lean Construction Techniques10.60164/e2i9e2h1d ↗
37. (2025, March 15). Lean Production Lean Production: Online Resource for Lean-Based Information and Tools 2025. Available online: https://www.leanproduction.com/top-25-lean-tools/.
38. Work Structuring to Achieve Integrated Product–Process Design10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2004)130:6(780) ↗
39. Lean Construction Institute (2025, March 01). An Introduction to Lean Architecture & Engineering. Available online: https://leanconstruction.org/lean-topics/lean-in-design-architecture-and-engineering/.
40. Lean Thinking in the Highways Construction Sector: Motivation, Implementation and Barriers10.1080/09537287.2017.1412522 ↗
41. Defining and Categorizing Modules in Building Projects: An International Perspective10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001181 ↗
42. Lean Construction Institute (2025, February 14). An Introduction to Integrated Project Delivery. Available online: https://leanconstruction.org/lean-topics/integrated-project-delivery-ipd/.
43. Ernstrom, J.W., and Associated General Contractors of America (2006). The Contractors’ Guide to BIM, Associated General Contractors of America.
44. Miron, L.I.G., Kaushik, A., and Koskela, L. (2015, January 29–31). Target Value Design: The Challenge of Value Generation. Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Perth, Australia.
45. Salazar, L.A., Ballard, G., Arroyo, P., and Alarcón, L.F. (2018, January 18–22). Indicators for Observing Elements of Linguistic Action Perspective in Last Planner® System. Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), Chennai, India.10.24928/2018/0441 ↗
46. Comparing AHP and CBA as Decision Methods to Resolve the Choosing Problem in Detailed Design10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000915 ↗
47. Parrish, K., and Tommelein, I.D. (2009, January 15–17). Making Design Decisions Using Choosing by Advantages. Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), Taipei, China.
48. Hanahoe, J., Taggart, M., and Willis, C. (2019, January 3–5). Not Seeing the Wood for the Trees—A Gemba Walk Through a Timber Framed Housing Development. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), Dublin, Ireland.10.24928/2019/0231 ↗
49. (2025, February 04). Lean Construction Institute an Introduction to A3 Problem Solving. Available online: https://leanconstruction.org/lean-topics/a3/.
50. Comparison and Renaissance of Classic Line-of-Balance and Linear Schedule Concepts for Construction Industry
51. de Sousa Leal Martins Moura, R., Monteiro, J.M.F., and Heineck, L.F.M. (2014, January 25–27). Line of Balance—Is It a Synthesis of Lean Production Principles as Applied to Site Programming of Works?. Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), Oslo, Norway.
52. Eastman, C.M., Teicholz, P., Sacks, R., and Liston, K. (2008). BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors, Wiley.10.1002/9780470261309 ↗
53. Achell, J.F.P., and Pérez, I.R. (2019). Lean Construction y La Planificación Colaborativa: Metodología Del Last Planner® System, Consejo General de la Arquitectura Técnica de España.
54. Ogunbiyi, O.E. (2014). Implementation of the Lean Approach in Sustainable Construction: A Conceptual Framework. [Ph.D. Thesis, University of Central Lancashire].
55. Application of Lean to the Bidding Phase in Building Construction: A French Contractor’s Experience10.1108/IJLSS-03-2016-0010 ↗
56. A Comparative Study between Lean Construction and the Traditional Production System10.4028/www.scientific.net/JERA.29.118 ↗
57. Communication Protocol for Implementation of Target Value Design (TVD) in Building Projects10.1016/j.proeng.2015.10.048 ↗
58. Recommendations for Target Value Design Implementation for Real Estate Development in Brazil
59. Silveira, S.S., and Alves, T. (2018). da C.L. Target Value Design Inspired Practices to Deliver Sustainable Buildings. Buildings, 8.10.3390/buildings8090116 ↗
60. Oliva, C.A., and Denis Granja, A. (August, January 29). An Investigation into Collaborative Practices in Social Housing Projects as a Precondition for Target Value Design Adoption. Proceedings of the 21th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Fortaleza, Brazil.
61. Do, D., Ballard, G., and Tommelein, I.D. (2015, January 28–31). An Analysis of Potential Misalignment of Commercial Incentives in Integrated Project Delivery and Target Value Design. Proceedings of the 23rd Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Perth, Australia.
62. Chuquín, F., Chuquín, C., and Saire, R. (2021, January 14–17). Lean Design in Hydraulic Infrastructure—River Defenses and Dikes—A Case Study from Peru. Proceedings of the IGLC2021—29th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction—Lean Construction in Crisis Times: Responding to the Post-Pandemic AEC Industry Challenges, Lima, Peru.10.24928/2021/0130 ↗
63. Arroyo, P., Ballard, G., and Tommelein, I.D. (2014, January 25–27). Choosing by Advantages and rhetoric in Building Design: Relationship and potential Synergies. Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Oslo, Norway.
64. Demir, S.T., and Theis, P. (2016, January 18). Agile Design Management. Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), Boston, MA, USA.
65. Lappalainen, E., Uusitalo, P., Seppänen, O., and Peltokorpi, A. (2021, January 14–17). Design Process Stability: Observations of Batch Size, Throughput Time and Reliability in Design. Proceedings of the IGLC 2021—29th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction—Lean Construction in Crisis Times: Responding to the Post-Pandemic AEC Industry Challenges, Lima, Peru.10.24928/2021/0144 ↗
66. Rosas, E. (August, January 29). Integrating the Design Structure Matrix and the Last Planner Syste into Building Design. Proceedings of the 21th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Fortaleza, Brazil.
67. Mota, B., Biotto, C., Choudhury, A., Abley, S., and Kagioglou, M. (2019, January 3–5). Lean Design Management in a Major Infrastructure Project in UK. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, IGLC 2019, Dublin, Ireland.10.24928/2019/0251 ↗
68. Khan, S., and Tzortzopoulos, P. (2014, January 25–27). Effects of the Interactions Between LPS and BIM on Workflow in Two Building Design Projects. Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Oslo, Norway.
69. Salazar, L.A., Pardo, D., and Guzmán, S. (2021, January 14–17). Results of Key Indicators from Linguistic Action Perspective in Pandemic: Case Study. Proceedings of the IGLC 2021—29th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction—Lean Construction in Crisis Times: Responding to the Post-Pandemic AEC Industry Challenges, Lima, Peru.10.24928/2021/0114 ↗
70. Pedó, B., Brandalise, F.M.P., Viana, D.D., Tzortzopoulos, P., Formoso, C.T., and Whitelock-Wainwright, A. (2020, January 6–10). Digital Visual Management Tools in Design Management. Proceedings of the IGLC28—28th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction 2020, Berkeley, CA, USA.10.24928/2020/0071 ↗
71. Pedo, B., Koskela, L., Tzortzopoulos, P., Tezel, A., and Robinson, S. (2022). Visual Management (VM) Supporting Collaborative Practices in Infrastructure Engineering Design. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Institute of Physics.10.1088/1755-1315/1101/5/052012 ↗
72. Aka, A., Emuze, F., and Das, D. (2017, January 9–12). Mapping Waste in the Structural Design Process in South African Projects. Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), Heraklion, Greece.10.24928/2017/0053 ↗
73. Leite, K.P., De, J., and Neto, P.B. (August, January 29). Product Development and Design Management Value Stream in Housing Design. Proceedings of the 21th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, Fortaleza, Brazil.
74. Pons, I., and Rubio, J. (2021). Colección Guías Prácticas de Lean Construction: Las 10 Claves Del Éxito Para Su Implantación, Colegio Oficial de la Arquitectura Técnica de Málaga.
75. American Institute of Architects and AIA California, & Council (2007). Integrated Project Delivery: A Guide, American Institute of Architects and AIA California, & Council.
76. Ballard, G., Howell, G., Tommelein, I., and Zabelle, T. (2007). The Last Planner Production Workbook-Improving Reliability in Planning and Workflow, Lean Construction Institute.
77. Framework for Selection of Lean Construction Tools Based on Lean Objectives and Functionalities
78. Managerial Functions within the Organization
79. Collaborative Design Decisions
80. Toward Construction JIT
81. Implementing Target Value Design: Tools and Techniques to Manage the Process
82. Tribelsky, E., and Sacks, R. (2010, January 14–16). The Relationship Between Information Flow and Project Success in Multi-Disciplinary Civil Engineering Design. Proceedings of the IGLC, Haifa, Israel.
83. Giménez, Z., Mourgues, C., Alarcón, L.F., and Mesa, H. (2019, January 3–5). Proposal of a Model for Measuring Value in the Design Process. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, IGLC 2019, Dublin, Ireland.10.24928/2019/0196. ↗
84. Khalife, S., and Hamzeh, F. (2019, January 3–5). A Framework for Understanding the Dynamic Nature of Value in Design and Construction. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, IGLC 2019, Dublin, Ireland.10.24928/2019/0254 ↗
85. Barth, K.B., Formoso, C.T., and Sterzi, M.P. (2019, January 3–5). Performance Measurement in Lean Production Systems: An Exploration on Requirements and Taxonomies. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, IGLC 2019, Dublin, Ireland.10.24928/2019/0266 ↗
86. EL Mounla, K., Beladjine, D., Beddiar, K., and Mazari, B. (2023). Lean-BIM Approach for Improving the Performance of a Construction Project in the Design Phase. Buildings, 13.10.3390/buildings13030654 ↗
87. Mckay, J., Marshall, P., Grainger, N., and Hirschheim, R. (2012, January 3–5). Change Implementers’ Resistance: Considering Power and Resistance in IT Implementation Projects. Proceedings of the ACIS 2012: Proceedings of the 23rd Australasian Conference on Information Systems, Geelong, Australia.
88. Why Do Employees Resist Teams? Examining the “Resistance Barrier” to Work Team Effectiveness10.1108/eb022836 ↗
89. Resistance to Change: Why Your TQM Efforts May Fail10.1061/(ASCE)9742-597X(1993)9:4(426) ↗
90. BIM-Based Last Planner System Tool for Improving Construction Project Management10.1016/j.autcon.2019.03.019 ↗
91. Improving Construction Management Practice with the Last Planner System: A Case Study10.1108/ECAM-03-2012-0032 ↗
92. Sbiti, M., Beladjine, D., Beddiar, K., and Mazari, B. (2022). Leveraging Quantity Surveying Data and BIM to Automate Mechanical and Electrical (M & E) Construction Planning. Appl. Sci., 12.10.3390/app12094546 ↗