CHICAGO—The costs of construction have been on the upswing, especially in core regions like Chicago, and that inflation shows little sign of moderating. As a result, developers across the nation have started experimenting with ways to cut costs. Many designers, architects, engineers and contractors have discovered methods, collectively known as “Lean Construction,” to improve the overall process of creating a new project, along with cutting construction costs. And this system aims to do a lot more than make individual actions more efficient. Users help everyone involved in a project get out of their respective silos, and share knowledge. To learn more about this new way of doing things, GlobeSt.com sat down with Afshan Barshan, executive vice president and partner at Skender Construction and a widely recognized expert in Lean Project Delivery. Barshan was a founding member of the Lean Construction Institute Chicago Community of Practice.

What is Lean Construction?

Lean Construction is a methodology for significantly improving reliability in delivering construction projects by dramatically reducing waste and enhancing owner value, particularly on complex, uncertain and fast projects. It is based on the “lean manufacturing” principles pioneered by Toyota in Japan after World War II. Toyota's production system is considered to be the most efficient in the world, and its lean production principles could be applied not only to any other manufacturing process, but also to other business activities. Today, the Lean Construction Institute has developed a methodology for applying lean principles to design and construction.