Abstract:
The construction industry is seeking ways to reduce waste (material and productionrelated
process waste) to improve productivity and efficiency. Building Information
Modelling (BIM) and Lean are two vital innovations for the Architecture, Engineering,
Construction and Operation (AECO) industry used in the industry to improve aspects of
productivity and efficiency. BIM has been used to generate and compare designs to
ensure optimum use of resources, reduce design time, improve collaboration between
stakeholders, and reduce errors in design and construction. On the other hand, the main
agenda of Lean is to reduce (both material and production process) waste, increase
value, and thrive for continuous improvement. In the construction industry, BIM and
Lean have been mostly used in isolation. However, studies suggest that BIM and Lean
have mutual relationships and are complementary to achieve each other’s objectives. To
do so, it is very crucial to understand the mechanism behind the relationship and the
interaction between BIM and Lean. Informed analysis and understanding of the mutual
relationship would help construction management decision-makers to achieve the
utmost benefits from the implementation of these two drivers. However, previous studies
have explored BIM and Lean relationships, but limited studies were done to support
construction management decision-makers in identifying relevant BIM functions to
enable Lean or to identify relevant Lean principles to support BIM. Therefore, this paper
aims to represent a conceptual BIM-Lean relationship assessment framework by using
Design Science Research methodology to identify and measure the relationship between
BIM and Lean to support construction management decision-makers.
