Lean Principle - Value Add vs. Non Value Add

For specialty contractors the field workforce represents most of their competitive advantage as well as their biggest source of variability.

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Making improvements to field productivity requires a deep understanding of the entire value stream and the tools to effectively streamline it.

Field Productivity: Lean Principle, Value Add vs. Non Value Add

This starts with mapping out every step in the process then identifying those steps that are truly adding value to the customer:

  1. The customer must be willing to pay for it.

    2. It must transform the raw materials (inputs) in some way.

      3. It must be done correctly the first time. 

When you look at each step through this lens you start to see a lot of activities that don’t add value (Non Value Add).  These get broken down into two categories:

  1. REQUIRED: Inspections, Submittals, Etc.

    2. PURE WASTE: Additional Handling, Waiting, Etc.

Our approach is “High-Involvement Workflow Mapping” which forces teams to slow down enough to truly see what they are doing, communicate with each other and identify then eliminate waste with each cycle (PDCA).  


Learn more about our approach

Helpful Resources

  • Mike Brunner does a great job with 1:1 personal lean coaching that truly accelerates personal development.  
  • Lean for Dummies is a very well written book providing an overview of many lean concepts and history. Mike Brunner leverages this as part of his 1:1 coaching program.

Lean Principle - Value Add vs. Non Value Add
Field labor is the often the biggest variable on a construction project - making it the biggest risk and opportunity....

Lean Principle - Value Add vs. Non Value Add
Field labor is the often the biggest variable on a construction project - making it the biggest risk and opportunity....

Continuous Improvement: Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA)
Improving productivity in construction is exceptionally challenging. It must be embraced as a journey and not a destination. It must be made into a game so that people clearly see what winning looks like and fall in love with the process.
Planning and Preparing for Unknowns
When faced with many unknowns, it is important to plan and prepare for multiple scenarios while holding off on being decisive until the last responsible moment.
Lean Principle - People First (Then Process and Tools)
To optimize productivity, a contractor must focus on their people first, then processes and tools including technology as an integrated management system with a hierarchy. This is not a linear process: S.M.A.R.T. Experiments + Continuous Improvement.