The relationship between lean construction and waste is that lean principles aim to reduce waste in construction processes. Lean construction is a management philosophy that seeks to optimize project efficiency, productivity, and value while minimizing resources and efforts that do not add value to the end product. Waste in construction refers to any activity, material, or time that does not contribute to the final outcome or customer satisfaction. By adopting lean principles, construction projects can identify and eliminate various types of waste, leading to better outcomes and increased overall efficiency.
In the world of Lean, waste is defined as anything that doesn't directly create value; waste can be thought of as the antithesis to value. The relationship between lean construction and waste is that lean principles aim to reduce waste in construction processes. Lean Construction is a philosophy which aims to maximize the value delivered to the client while minimizing the associated waste of time, cost, equipment and effort. Waste occurs during both the design and construction phases of a project. It is just as important to reduce waste in the design phase as it is during the construction phase. “waste” is commonly defined as any action that does not add value to the customer. Lean construction emphasizes the stripping away of non-value adding (muda) activity to leave only the value adding steps of a process. Waste that provides more services, effort or energy either before it is needed or in addition to what is needed.