Assessment of performance measurement frameworks supporting the implementation of lean construction

Abstract

Construction companies can perceive significant benefits of Lean Construction management, although cannot clearly identify the extent and origin of the obtained benefits. Frameworks, consisting structured tools suitable for business management, find wide application in the field of Performance Measurement, in most of the industries. The role of contemporary, process-oriented, Performance Measurement frameworks, like the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model, the Balanced Scorecard and Key Performance Indicators, in supporting Lean Construction is examined in this study. The contribution of Performance Measurement Systems developed upon such frameworks, in the implementation of basic Lean Construction principles, like waste/variability reduction, operation simplification and benchmarking, is demonstrated by reviewing a number of related studies from the literature and identifying their basic characteristics regarding the adopted Performance Measurement frameworks and the involved Lean Construction principles. The presented studies indicate that the use of these frameworks, and especially Key Performance Indicators, can assist the application of specific Lean Construction principles, and most of all benchmarking.