The Construction Industry lags far behind the manufacturing and service industries with regard to the application ofperformance improvement and optimization techniques. Several research studies have pointed to high levels ofwaste in the construction industry in the order of 30% because of entrenched attitudes in the management ofprojects. As the US has an annual dollar volume of over $1 Trillion, the potential for savings is indeed great. Whilethere is an emerging awareness of Lean methods in the construction community, the deployment of these methods isinhibited by a lack of professionals that have the required specialized training. This paper presents the position thattraditional construction education programs can be enhanced to induce change on the level needed to redirect theindustry. It proposes the inclusion of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management courses in constructionmanagement curricula, and the inclusion of construction management courses in industrial engineering curricula forIes who may serve as Lean Methods Experts (LMEs). It also proposes collaboration between constructionprofessionals and Industrial Engineers to apply a number of techniques in construction that have been usedsuccessfully in the manufacturing and service sectors.
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