Aguinaldo dos Santos

An exploratory study on the applicability of process transparency in construction sites

Several industrial sectors have recently experienced important changes on the organization of their production activities, indicating that a new production management paradigm is emerging. Although there is no consensus in the literature about the meaning of this new paradigm, an opportunity has been created for establishing a coherent body of shared principles for the management of production systems. This paper discusses the increase of process transparency, which has been pointed out as one of the core principles of the new production management paradigm. It is concerned with making the production process observable in order to facilitate control and improvement. The main objective of this article is to investigate how this principle can be applied in construction sites, and to identify existing barriers for its implementation in this industry. It is based on a literature review, and on six exploratory case studies carried out in Brazil and England. The practical and theoretical implications of the principle are discussed and a number of examples from construction are used to illustrate its main points. The study has indicated that it is feasible and worthwhile to apply this principle in construction sites. It can bring direct benefits for the performance of production systems, and it can also be used as a support principle that enables other principles to be effectively implemented. The case studies also indicated that there is much potential for increasing process transparency in construction sites.

Expanding the meaning of standardisation within construction processes

Discusses the effectiveness of construction practices on standardisation based on six case studies developed both in Brazil and in the UK, focusing on the “bricklaying” process. The case studies showed a paradox: construction companies developing written standards but failing to implement and maintaining standard practices. Written standards were extremely ineffective in the case studies due to the lack of teamwork and problem solving activities. It became clear that the abstract meaning of standardisation has far larger possibilities than simply developing descriptions of practice in written documents. Information on standards could be displayed in the packing system or equipment, for instance. Most importantly, information on standard procedures should be available when and where the construction worker needs it, despite the great need for workstation mobility. Hence, concludes that there is an urgent need for promoting a more widespread use of “visual management” approaches in order to enable effective dissemination and use of standard practices within the construction environment.

Assessing the level of teamwork in Brazilian and English construction sites

Increase the workforce involvement in continuous improvement activities is one of the main recommendations of the recent report Rethinking Construction, developed by the UK Construction Task Force. In Brazil, this is also a major issue in most government and industry initiatives for the sector, particularly after the opening of the economy in the mid‐1980s. In this context, this research attempts to contribute to policy making by assessing the degree of workforce involvement in continuous improvement in English and Brazilian construction sites. The results show a generalised poor level of workforce involvement in comparison to the reported practices of other industrial sectors. Hence, the results suggest that current strategies for promoting continuous improvement in the construction sector are failing to bring real change at the operational level due to the lack of leadership and appropriate win‐win relationships.

Evolution of management theory: the case of production management in construction

In the past 100 years production management has evolved from a set of heuristic ideas to a portfolio of somewhat developed concepts and principles. “Just‐in‐time” and “total quality management” integrate most of the modern concepts and principles in the field. Furthermore, seminal studies carried out within production, such as the Gilbreth/Taylor, Hawthorne and Tavistock studies, have given significant contribution to the evolution of management theory. This paper presents the context of production management evolution and assesses the application of some heuristic production approaches within construction sites of Brazil and England. The study revealed that, although the production management theory evolved significantly, construction practices do not apply the theory in a systemic and comprehensive manner. Clearly, lack of motivation and poor instruments for enabling “learning” are the central cause of this problem.

Effectiveness of push and pull learning strategies in construction management

“Push learning” in construction management happens when learners have little or no power in defining the problem, action or knowledge that is required to improve their own working environment or process. In the “pull learning” situation, people working in construction are in charge of learning for themselves by exploring their actions as they work. This paper presents a case study that investigated the use of these learning strategies in the creation of a “learning mood” within a medium sized contractor towards modern production principles. The results showed clear indications that the creation of an effective “learning mood” in construction is more likely to happen in a supportive environment characterised by “pull learning”. However, “push learning” proved very useful in provoking the initial reflection that triggered “pull learning”. Therefore, a balanced approach between “push” and “pull” learning seems the best way to introduce changes in construction organisations searching for improvement and innovations.

Using pattern matching for the international benchmarking of production practices

This paper presents a methodological contribution to benchmarking studies of production practices. It presents some of the main findings gathered from a benchmarking study developed between UK and Brazilian construction sites. The study was carried out within six case studies and focused on the use of visual controls in construction sites. The “cross‐case study analysis” approach used a process called “pattern matching” where the researcher looked for direct replications of theoretical propositions. In this pattern‐matching approach, empirical evidence is considered to be a “literal replication” if the observed results match the theoretical predictions. In contrast, when the case study produced contrasting results but for predictable reasons, it is called a “theoretical replication”. The results show that pattern‐matching is a highly useful approach for developing benchmarking studies in production management because it allows direct transfer of results from practice to theory.

A critical view of the German procurement process in the sector

This paper makes a critical analysis of the German procurement process in the public sector, based on a case study carried out at Karlsruhe University. The research protocol for the field study was developed in three phases: direct dialogue with the head of the department, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews. Data collection was concerned with both the analysis of the organization as well as with the mapping of project activities. A detailed study was carried out on a single construction project in order to enable the development of a value stream map of the procurement macro processes. Based on the data, the authors present a set of proposals for a radical improvement in the German procurement process, focusing on shortening the cycle time, increasing transparency and improving value generation. The study reinforces the need for more research focused on lean production concepts and principles in the public sector. By identifying radical improvement opportunities in the German procurement process, it may be possible to convince politicians and decision makers to change structures of responsibilities and to apply lean principles in public administration. The paper appears to be one of the first studies to apply lean principles into the procurement process of governmental organizations, in order to simplify processes, reduce waste and better allocate resources in order to add more value for the end-users.

A design framework for enabling sustainability in the clothing sector

This article discusses general strategies to enable environmental sustainability within the clothing sector, providing a framework for decision makers involved in the development of programs and policies for this sector. It initially revises the environmental impact of the clothing system and determines its key environmental sustainability priorities. The framework involves five evolutionary strategies for enabling sustainable consumption and production: 1) environmental improvement of flows throughout the supply chain; 2) environmental redesign of existing clothes; 3) design of new clothes intrinsically more sustainable; 4) design of cloth-service systems and 5) promoting life styles towards sufficient consumption. The practical implications of each strategy is analysed based on correspondent ex-post-facto case studies identified in Brazil, using data collected through literature review and desktop research.