Evolution of Lean Projects

As I approach the 2nd anniversary (on Aug 26th) of writing Reforming Project Management I reflect back on the various topics I've covered in these pages. When I started writing I considered using a name for this weblog that included the word "lean". I had a hunch that it would be limiting…that the reform of project management would necessarily consider other elements, theory bases, and interests. Since I continue to write about lean project delivery I thought I'd give some attention to lean, the roots in the Toyota Production System (TPS), and the influence on projects.

The Last Planner System (one aspect of lean project delivery) places the emphasis on the collaborative planning (coherence of commitment-making and fulfilling) of project teams.

Robert Hall, editor of Target, the magazine of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), wrote about lean and TPS in the 3rd issue of 2004 'Lean' and the Toyota Production System. Hall distinguishes lean from TPS in the programmatic application of techniques and approaches from the Toyota practice of infusing the DNA of TPS at the worker level establishing habits of problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Early adaptations of the TPS and lean to the construction project environment came on the heels of an emphasis on productivity improvement. The Last Planner System of Production Control™ developed with the intent to improve the quality of worker assignments. A big breakthrough came upon the reading of The Goal, by Eli Goldratt. The LPS founders came to understand that production throughput depended on dealing squarely with dependence and variation. The LPS began to be viewed as a reliability planning system rather than a production optimization approach. A few years later the work of Fernando Flores brought attention to the opportunity the LPS offers for attending to the conversations on projects. Planning was newly understood as conversations for action.

My view of projects has evolved in these two years of writing. I now see projects as single-purpose endeavors undertaken by temporary organizations (teams) performed as an evolving network of commitment. The central issue to the performance of project teams is the conversational nature of coordinating action one with the other.

Toyota places their emphasis on the problem-solving skills and practices of teams. The Last Planner System (one aspect of lean project delivery) places the emphasis on the collaborative planning (coherence of commitment-making and fulfilling) of project teams. Does kanban matter to Toyota? Of course, as does, single-minute changeover, visibility management, etc. Likewise, phase scheduling, look-ahead plans, first-run studies, etc. are important to lean project delivery. But what distinguishes both Toyota's approach and lean projects is the emphasis on accessing the knowledge, talents, and judgement of those performing the work.

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