TZL 1355

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O P I N I O N

Why Lean?

Lean methodologies can truly move the needle in an industry beleaguered by workforce shortages and increasingly pressed for our most valuable commodity – time.

I f the headline of this article sparks the thought, “Great, another article about ‘Lean,’” you may be wondering why you should keep reading. After all, if you’ve been working at your firm for years, have never missed a CO date on your projects, and have earned your firm a pot full of cash, you may not think that “going Lean” is relevant to you. But let me assure you, Lean methodologies are not just a sales and marketing buzzword, but can truly move the needle in an industry beleaguered by workforce shortages and increasingly pressed for our most valuable commodity – time.

Keyan Zandy

❚ ❚ Commoditization. Unfortunately, the procurement of construction management services isn’t the only deliverable that has been commoditized. Design firms are in the same boat, constantly designing against a work plan that doesn’t have enough resources to deliver the desired work product. ❚ ❚ Technology limitations. To bridge these gaps, we have become increasingly dependent on technology, resulting in a copy-paste culture that lacks the time, people, or money to produce a well-coordinated set of construction documents of the same caliber delivered 40 years ago.

Let’s start with a deep dive into the design community, and what our design teams are up against. ❚ ❚ Intense pressure for more speed. Design teams are expected to produce design and construction documents at an alarming pace. The speed to market that owners need does not give our design partners enough time to complete a well-validated set of documents. ❚ ❚ Lack of talent. We in the construction management business aren’t the only ones feeling the pains of a lack of quality folks. The design industry is facing a similar lack of qualified talent.

Joe Donarumo

See KEYAN ZANDY & JOE DONARUMO, page 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 3, 2020, ISSUE 1355

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