With increasing exposure to the Lean philosophy by implementation of Lean tools at project sites Godrej Construction was successfully able to meet a range of objectives, which was otherwise not possible, explains KAEZAD KARANJAWALA.
Godrej Construction (GC) started its Lean journey in 2011 by becoming one of the first charter member companies of ILCE where it got exposure to Lean practices by collaborating with many like-minded leading construction companies such as Shapoorji, L&T, Afcons, Tata, Arcop, URC, etc and IIT-M as its knowledge partner. For GC it has been a steady, progressive journey with increasing exposure to the Lean philosophy by implementation of Lean tools at project sites for initialising Lean culture across the organisation by involving its cross functional teams of projects, design, engineering, procurement, safety across projects. A few illustrative case studies are presented below.
The following are some examples of the Lean tools implemented on this project:
To overcome these challenges, the organisation deployed collaborative planning system which was highly useful for effective communication within the teams, and it ensured decision making at the right time by involving senior management. A project based Lean organisation structure was prepared comprising Lean mentor, Lean champions, Lean coordinator and project engineers.
The concept of Big Room Meetings was institutionalised to review Percentage Plan Complete (PPC) charts which were prepared to bring about commitment-based culture on the project, identify root causes, and develop Corrective and Prevention Action (CAPA), Review Look Ahead Plans were reviewed for constraint identification and their resolution. Unresolved issues which needed senior management intervention were taken up in another forum “Steering Committee” which comprised of project head, section heads and functional head who were actively involved in the project.
5S Implementation: With the help of several trainings from IIT-M Professors, GC got started on its 5S implementation journey with all project teams and vendors at the Khalapur site. 5S Audits were conducted regularly which helped understanding the progress of the 5S initiative. 5S involves recurring training to the construction team and having a dedicated 5S champion to drive the initiative.
Some recent initiatives: -
(A) Partners Meet-Synergy
GC’s Procurement & Contracts Team conducts partner’s meet to realign its partners to its Purpose, Vision, Mission and Values (PVMV) and provide an enabling environment for becoming credible partners.
(B) ILCE trainings with IIT-M using games and simulations:
GC requested IIT-M to conduct trainings for its employees using games and simulations. Senior professors and many volunteers from IIT-M created a special training module for Godrej employees.
Online simulation games using P2SL computer simulation helped teams get quick understanding of the impact of various modes when deployed at construction sites in easy-to-understand visual charts.
This training was supported by a physical meeting to verify the understanding of concepts learnt during online sessions and to get additional clarity. Teams highly appreciated this training which helped them to learn Lean using interesting games, team exercises. Based on the positive feedback and success of this pilot training using games and simulation, ILCE will be conducting similar trainings for the employees of other charter member companies soon.
(C) ILCE supply chain trainings with IIT -M
GC understood that to reap the benefits of Lean there should be a complete alignment with its supply chain, partners as also suppliers to ensure the project is a success. Hence GC approached professors from IIT-M to curate special Lean trainings for its partners and suppliers on Lean practices and its benefits. The first such training was held recently in Mumbai and conducted by ILCE Directors and IIT Professors for 50 key partners who were a mix of material suppliers, service providers, technology and knowledge consultants etc. There was a lot of interest, enthusiasm and engagement as GC partners discussed the challenges they faced and sought solutions with others and the faculty.