A Design Case Study: Integrated Product and Process Management

Traditional design practices in construction indicate that most of the emphasis appears to be on product design. This may be the result of the traditional process of design-bid-build, where the design team pre-defines means and methods to the contracting team. In contrast, lean design incorporates not only product design, but also process design. Process design is commonly one of the components missing in traditional practices together with the lack of supporting systems, organizational structures, and resources required to obtain a quality design. This paper presents a case study that describes an integrated approach to manage product and process in design. The case study builds on the design phase for the construction of The Central Bus Station project in the city of Lima, Peru. The case study discusses several topics including working with cross-functional design teams, using pull to prioritize detailed engineering, applying collaborative mapping to identify design constraints so variability is minimized, measuring plan reliability, reasons for non-completion and root cause analysis, and capturing lessons learned as part of a continuous improvement process. The case study describes the use of key tools for product and process management. Preliminary results are presented including on-time completion of design milestones, customer satisfaction, better understanding of implementation constraints and challenges, and increased transparency in the overall design process. This case study represents the first implementation of lean techniques in design in the Peruvian construction industry.