Improving the Naval Construction Process Through Lean Implementation

摘要

This study uses systems dynamics modeling to analyze the United States Navy's current construction administration process from design to implementation in order to recommend process improvements, which will prevent cost overruns, delays, and ultimately a waste of tax payers' resources. This study specifically examines the impact of upstream design implementations on the entire system, and incorporates a number of lean thinking ideas. It demonstrates the positive effects of increased constructability efforts and design sharing among engineers, and indicates that when limited resources exist it is best to focus constructability and design sharing efforts as early as possible during the upstream process. Finally, this paper concludes with a number of recommendations for how the United States Navy's Civil Engineer Corps and possibly Seabee Construction Battalions can best implement these ideas.