What happens when more than 20 site engineers stop firefighting and start planning together?
Over the past four months, we found out on one of our Singapore projects. With the Building and Construction Authority Singapore (BCA) driving Lean across the industry and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) on the ground, our team brought Lean Construction into how we deliver for our clients.
What has changed on site:
– More than 20 Lean Champions trained, now leading their own teams through weekly work planning and make-ready
– The Last Planner System running with our subcontractors, which plan each week together, clear constraints early and commit to the plan, so there are fewer surprises on site
– Milestone phase pull planning that works backwards from each deadline to de-risk the critical path. Together with Last Planner, it has already identified opportunities to shorten the timeline to key milestones
– A reworked CSD process that gets coordinated services drawings locked in faster, with fewer coordination loops and shorter meetings for subcontractors, consultants and our own team
– A regular cadence for raising and closing out Process Improvement Plans
The biggest change is in our people. They have started spotting waste and proposing fixes without being asked. That shift in mindset is the first step towards continuous improvement.
This matters beyond one site. Singapore has to build more with the same manpower, and public infrastructure delivered with fewer delays and less rework benefits everyone who uses it. We are proud to be among the pioneers of Lean Construction here.
Next, we are taking this approach to every Obayashi Singapore project to be more efficient in how we work.
