Source of Greatest Project Waste
January 31st, 2006 by HalWhen doing construction projects there are four usual lead roles: project manager, project architect, superintendent, and client. There are numerous sources of waste. Taiichi Ohno described seven visible wastes1, Lauri Koskela named making do the eighth waste, Greg Howell and I named not speaking and not listening the two great wastes, but there is a more insidious waste…the waste that arises when people don't perform the roles that have been declared.
One indicator of a good team is team members who take care of each other.
Construction projects' teams are created new for each project. One usual case is the people playing the four key roles don't know each other when the project starts. Success depends on these people playing their roles as they have been declared. Success also depends on these people having trusting relationships. Good projects require good teams. Not just a collection of people. One indicator of a good team is team members who take care of each other.
I hear people complain that others in these key roles only care about their companies' narrow interests. We should expect that people will act out of concern for their companies' interests. But it doesn't have to stop there. When teams work people act in their own interests AND the interests of others on the team.
I continue to be baffled by people who don't play the role assigned. If they don't want to play the role they should just quit. Staying in the position produces all kinds of trouble for others on the team. For instance, project managers are responsible for having an up-to-date plan that will allow the team to keep the promises of the project. That inevitably means re-planning. It doesn't mean sticking to an out-of-date plan. It also means telling the client when the plan won't meet the promises. Working to an out-of-date plan isn't just waste, it ignores reality while putting the project at risk.
Another source of waste occurs when the client doesn't make choices or is routinely late in deciding. It's the client's role to always be clear about what will satisfy. Again, this isn't just waste of time for the team, it is negligence when being late with decisions results in delays or additional costs on the project.
People who are assigned to the four key roles need to understand those roles, play those roles, ask for help when they don't know how to play the role, and pay attention to their counterparts' concerns and interests.
Are you assigned one of these four roles? Are you playing that role? If not, then get help. Your project and your team mates are counting on you.
- Overproduction, waiting, transporting, over processing, excess inventory, excess motion, and defects [ ⇑ back ]
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