Innovative Infrastructure Solutions (2021) 6:137

[Link]

TECHNICAL PAPER

A process improvement methodology for effective implementation

of value stream mapping integrated with foreman delay survey
Sunny Patel1 · Dhruv Mistry1 · Manan Shah2

Received: 24 October 2020 / Accepted: 30 March 2021

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021

Abstract
Construction wastes, whether product or process, have escalated drastically in Indian construction context and have unfortu-
nately become inevitable. To overcome a lot of inefficiencies in the traditional system, lean concepts have been introduced.
Lean construction method is considered as the fundamental principle in identifying and minimizing the various wastes
involved in the construction, yet faces challenges in implementation. This study aims to assess the process improvement
methodology developed for value stream mapping. The aim also extends to further determine its applicability and develop
the utilization of VSM as a prominent lean tool in the Indian construction industry. In addition, foreman delay survey helped
to broadly identify the hidden wastes in order to get better insights for this research. With the involvement of industry prac-
titioners in our study, it proved in an increase of 25% in the productivity. The paper successfully managed to build a better
workflow and information-flow reliability, which helped reduce non-value added time by a significant amount.

Keywords  Value stream mapping · Foreman delay survey · Value-added time · Productivity · Wastes · Lean construction

Introduction industry forward as resolving the technical issues has a much

higher quality of impact.
India’s infrastructure industry is on a rapid growth trajec- Lean construction is an approach by which value is
tory as the industry itself contributes towards 9% of the total created for the customer by eradicating primary wastes.
GDP (“India—share of construction infrastructure spending Implementation of lean theory in construction is difficult
in GDP 2017| Statista” [11]). Over and above, the indus- compared to a manufacturing process due to variability in
try is also struggling with time overruns and cost overruns each project’s field and uniqueness [12, 16]. However, it is
marking to 35% and 20%, respectively [15]. This has led successful up to a limit by applying different lean tools for
to pressure on the industry to build more projects faster, reducing the wastes in construction. For the actual enact-
cheaper, safer, and with an ever-increasing quality level. As ment of lean concepts, the first step is to identify the actual
the industry gears to deliver the increasing demands, it strug- problematic area. Several lean tools such as 5 why’s to reach
gles with delay issues, primarily due to waste [5]. The indus- the root of the problems faced due to delays on-site. We con-
try is highly fragmented, with many small-scaled contractors cluded that reinforcement is the most prominent activity on
without systems and processes, depending on manual labour, our site, which can harm the project’s whole scheduling. The
diverse culture, aversion to lending from the banking sec- authors learned different lean tools and chose value stream
tor, lack of skilled labour, adversarial relationship between mapping (VSM) as the most appropriate tool to identify
contractors and clients, etc. Lean construction is taking the waste in the reinforcement activity.
VSM is a process improvement technique that aims to
increase customers’ value by identifying and eliminating dif-
* Manan Shah
[Link]@[Link] ferent wastes hidden in the process. It considers the customer’s
value as a guide to eliminating waste captured in the unit of
1
Department of Civil Engineering, LD College "Time" to get more production with high quality, which can
of Engineering, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India add value to the customer. In reference to our site, the client
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Technology, acts as a "Customer" to the contractor [4]. The study focuses
Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar 382426, on the reinforcement activity of the 2nd lift of the pier because
Gujarat, India

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the contractor aims to set up standardized work to ensure the Literature review
safety and adequacy of the structure concerning the constraints
in the duration of the project. In the current scenario, the construction industry aims
This study aims to determine the applicability and develop for proficiency in sustainable strategies to achieve seam-
the utilization of value stream mapping as a prominent lean less operations on-site. The construction industry’s pri-
management tool in the Indian construction industry to mary issue is the lack of performance improvement, as
improve productivity using foreman delay survey (FDS). A suggested by review reports (Robinson et al., 2002). The
value stream map has two elements, namely the current and prime focus is on emphasizing value which is targeted
future state maps. The current state map depicts the current by working smarter, not harder. As [14] stated, the incre-
scenario of the process. In contrast, a future state map is pre- ment in labour productivity in the construction industry
pared by analysing and identifying waste from the current in the past two decades is just over 1%. National Institute
state map and eliminating lean principles. Usually, waste on of Standards and Technology (UK) focuses on construc-
the construction site is limited to material wastage and delay tion efficiency, which has documented 25–50% waste due
in the project’s timeline. Nevertheless, the waste generated to the labour movement as cited in [10]. Hence, there is a
between successive activities by the unpredictable release of necessity to create an efficient and effective framework for
work, uncoordinated sequence, and the pre-arrival of required the construction industry. The future of construction lies
resources is always overlooked. These wastes are in the form in lean principles. By using lean tools, an improvement in
of non-utilized talent, extra motion, inventory, defect, etc. the process duration has been witnessed. As the study of
Hence, VSM helps us look at "waste" differently and capture [17] demonstrated, there is a reduction of up to 25% in the
the "other variety of waste". Contrary to that, the workforce project’s duration and a 13% reduction in process activities
waste on the construction site impacts the productivity and by applying lean tools.
improper flow of information. Foreman delay survey is a tool As [18] stated, lean thinking is a way to do more with
that follows the same principles as work sampling but has less–less time, less equipment, less human effort—while
rarely been used in India to improve the understanding of lean coming closer and closer to meet customers’ needs.
culture. It is part of a philosophy that says that the person Waste elimination, process control, optimization, human
closest to the workers is the best person to assess the reason resources utilization, continuous improvement are the
for the delay. major areas where lean attributes are pointed [20]. To
In the lean construction community, we are quite deter- summarize, the lean principle’s prime aim is eliminating
mined about its ability to optimize construction processes, waste in every process to reduce the duration and improve
and we have a good determination on the widespread use of quality and efficiency [1]. To sum up, we should primarily
lean construction successfully. However in reality, how exten- focus on waste elimination. So, what accounts for waste?
sive is the execution of lean construction is? [25]. To check Waste is anything other than the minimum amount
its importance, we decided to overcome the challenges faced of equipment, materials, parts, space, and workers time,
on-site. The most significant difficulty for implementing LC which are essential to add value to a product [24]. Another
concepts was to promote understanding to field employees, study showed that an activity that produces cost directly
such as foremen and superintendents. We will arrange several or indirectly but does not add value is termed waste [2].
meetings with the stakeholders, including the ground worker, According to [9], waste is referred to anything that cre-
to understand the solutions to the delay faced in the process. ates no value for the owner/client/end-user. The different
The paper recapitulates that lean tools help to achieve better definitions of waste have been discussed so far in differ-
productivity by diminishing wastes pertinent to the construc- ent researches. Earlier, waste has been identified by the
tion. The outcome derived from these processes gradually cause–effect analysis, nonconformity reports, and prob-
improved with respect to time, so one must have to imple- lem analysis [3]. Since each segment of the construction
ment the same solutions more than one time to determine the industry projects is viable to uncertain changes, complete
results are in our favour or not. Although we have to keep in eradication of waste is not possible. Waste predominantly
mind that different sites have different variables, so the output results due to an ineffective approach [23]. The famous
of applying lean tools might differ from site to site. (Reviewer categorization of waste was overproduction, waiting,
1, Comments 1, 2 and 3). transportation, over-processing, inventory, movement, and
defects [21], while [6] interpreted wastes are poor quality
of work, lack of constructability, poor material manage-
ment, material waste, non-productive time, suboptimal
conditions, and lack of safety as waste types. The latter
definition seems to be more reliable with respect to the

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environment observed in the Indian construction industry; Research methodology

hence, this definition is referred throughout the research
(Reviewer 1, Comment 5). The method adopted for research is the action-based—case
Identifying the waste-generating hidden factors tends study approach. This research attempts to find waste at the
to provide valuable information for the organization micro-level to optimize solutions using lean tools relevant
[3]. Value stream mapping can be used as a medium for to the construction industry. The lean principles have been
improvement in process management. VSM is a suitable applied through the concept of value stream mapping, car-
tool to perceive the cause of non-value adding activities ried out along with foreman delay survey.
and reduce cycle time by unravelling the problem areas The study on project “ABC” is an ongoing infrastruc-
[7]. Further, non-value-added activities can be divided into ture project in Metro Rail works in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
two categories: NVA Muda 1: activities that do not add The part of the project scope includes the construction of
value, are unnecessary for the process and should be elimi- 22 piers with the station at the junction of the N–S and
nated, and NVA Muda 2: activities that do not add value E–W corridor. The project is being done on an item rate
to the client but are necessary for the process. (Reviewer contract by a leading national contractor firm in India in
1, Comment 4. Muda is a mistake or defect which requires the duration of 24 months.
rectification as it does not provide value to the customer The approach to understanding the summary of the
[27]. The goal is to identify and eliminate such waste as study is better explained by a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)
much as possible. Several indicative studies on construc- lean tool as shown in Fig. 1 (“What is Plan-Do-Check-Act
tion productivity reveal that enormous waste is generated Cycle?” [26]).
in the production process [8] that can originate at any stage First, the study identifies the actual condition of the
of the project. A study by Rogge stated that foreman delay system through a current state map. The authors conducted
survey (FDS) is a useful tool for pinpointing logistical visits to the construction site (Gemba walk). Observing
problems, identifying solutions, and obtaining workforce the processes alongside meeting the workers and manag-
support and management approval for implementation of ers, the authors gathered information on the production
solutions. He determined FDS to be an indicator of the process. On the one hand, data are gathered describing
workforce’s job performance and used it to define the hid- information and material flows in the site’s vicinity. On
den wastes integrated with labour productivity. the other hand, information on customer demand and
There is ample evidence in the literature concerning material procurement is collected. After collecting the
non-value adding time measurements to explain its sig- required data, the current state map is drawn, focusing
nificance. However, only a few concluded with a com- on both material and information flow (Figs. 2, 3 and 4).
plete methodology beyond such detection to eliminate The sequence of activities has been documented chron-
waste activities. [13] have developed one model called the ologically by using a stopwatch. The whole process has
waste minimization model. They worked in a pattern of captured by a group of 2 students for a day from 8.00 a.m.
identifying waste, measuring waste in terms of value loss, to 8.00 p.m. on a particular group through videos, photo-
identifying causes for waste and redesigning the process. graphs, and handwritten notes on the activity’s sequence
This study does not talk about the techniques and tools and duration categorization of people working, material
used for waste identification and solution generation. To usage and their movement throughout the process. The
improve the process at the project level, [22] presented a major activities have been broken down into further sub-
structured framework, but it ignores the prioritization of activities. Each activity is differentiated over the value-
waste issues as the major drawback of this methodology. added and non-value-added type. Each non-value-added
These literature works might have been more useful if activity  was then designated. The observations were
the authors had included waste measurement techniques, made for each minute at the sub-activity level in the flow
identification tools, and alternative solution generation sequence as it led to the numeric data for the major activi-
methods and implementation. Furthermore, these models ties. Those major activities for the task were jotted down in
were not backed up through any case study application. their sequence of the flow. The detailed observations made
Another research shows the use of VSM and work sam- at the sub-activity level. Furthermore, the movement of
pling as two essential techniques in the ‘lean’ philoso- each worker and material  tapped on a minute-to-minute
phy to reduce and minimize ‘waste’ in the life-cycle pro- basis. The data then entered into an excel spreadsheet and
cess and maximize productivity through an action-based analysed properly. Later on, we realized that activities
research methodology [19]. Considering all the above are in the proper sequence of their defined workflow, but
approaches’ strengths and weaknesses, this research study waste is omnipresent, difficult to determine, and occurs
focuses on a process improvement methodology. at the process’s interface. Hence, the activities had to be

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Fig. 1  Plan-do-check-act tool

Fig. 2  Current state map

divided into the 81 sub-activities, where we realized an of operations, which is an important measure of productivity
ample amount of overlap between activities, rework, wait- [7]. The sequence process flow is a precedence to an impor-
ing, inspection, delays, and material inventory on-site. tant measure of productivity to improve this cycle time [7].
The flow chart with the sequence of activities, duration, The VSM needs to complete one set of operations, which are
number of workers involved, and movement of resources was an important measure of productivity.
mapped to define the current state to determine the major Each sub-activity  differentiated over the value-added
areas of investigation and improvement. VSM made it an and non-value-added type. Each non-value-added activ-
easier process to obtain the required yet simplified workflow ity was then designated. For each activity, the time span was
and visualize the entire activity. It leads to more accuracy noted separately for the actual/productive work (VA) and
with lesser complications and variations. The value-added the breaks were taken in between activities, rest periods,
and non-value-added time has been tapped and evaluated in waiting time (NVA). The wastes were then further divided
the current state map. Moreover, this shall improve cycle into Muda-I and Muda-II. Each activity has been listed
time, which represents the time needed to complete one set with its task code, cycle time, value-added (VA), and

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Fig. 3  Future state map (ideal state map)

Fig. 4  Time scale for project

82.08
79.98
78.11

TIME SCALLING IN TERMS OF %

65.01

24.22

16.58

15.62

15.48

10.77

5.30

4.40

2.45

VA N V A (N E C E SSA R Y) N VA

CSM - C3 C4 C5 FSM

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non-value-added (NVA) based on their necessity to complete Analysis and discussion of the results

the work and add value to the final work. The percentage
calculation of each non-value-added time with respect to the Value stream mapping—current state map
time of each activity was determined.
Hence, the study’s main aim is to eliminate or resolve A current state map, which is a graphical representation
the major wastes above a considerable amount of level. A of current activities that helps identify hidden wastes, has
sequence of brainstorming sessions was held to determine been drawn from the authors’ data. By carefully analysing
the wastes hidden in the process and their categorization. this map, the entire reinforcement activity is divided into
Our major focus was to eliminate Muda-I waste. Then, the nine major activities, which include 81 sub-activities. These
probable solutions to each waste and revised flow chart for nine major segments of these activities are given in the table
the work sequence were discussed with our whole class and below.
faculty. This ground work has helped us to map the future Table 1 shows the readings for the current state mapping.
state map and include the most appropriate and probable For the total lead time of 1342 min, value-added time (VA)
solutions based on findings. The next step was to confirm for the activity was 872.5 min, and non-value added time
the problem statement, findings, and solutions with the (NVA) of 469.5 min was observed, which results in a value-
contractor’s planning manager at the site and discuss the added percentage of 65.01%.
map regarding the feedback. Further, the probable solutions To determine the root cause for the waste for future map-
derived were implemented on the same type of activity for ping, each activity is divided into its sub-activities such that
different piers to reduce the NVA Muda-I category and each process is affiliated with a particular waste. Then, all
obtain results as close to the data obtained in future state the NVA was analysed on the type of wastes, % of total
map. The data we accrued for two more piers showed signifi- NVA, Muda-category, and possible solutions for waste mini-
cant improvement and  very close to achieving the ideal state mizations. Hence, a certain template is designed and filled
map. Thus, this study’s repetitive application will optimize to study each activity, as shown in Table 2.
each process seamlessly and will undoubtedly benefit the There is a requirement of clarity and simplification in the
organization itself. sequence as the process is quite inflexible and creates ground
Specification: The pier’s total height is 12 m, so the con- for many variations. Hence, lean tools are used to identify,
struction of the pier is divided into 3 lifts. The first lift rises reduce or eliminate the waste, and thus, the non-value-added
to + 2.60 m elevation to give allowance for pipe conduit, time of the process is reduced.
which is at + 1.70 m from the pile cap’s surface. The sec- The total analysis for each activity carried out showed
ond lift rises from + 2.60 m to + 8.50 m, and the third lift is waste categories and their cumulative percentages. There is a
continued till + 12.00 m elevation. The study is observed for 51% non-utilized talent, 22% waiting, 12% extra-processing,
the second lift of piers that have the same specifications. The 9% inventory, 3% defect, 1% motion, 1% transport and 1%
diameter of steel reinforcement is 36 mm, whose length is -overproduction.
5.9 m, and the total weightage of steel used, including ver- After analysing the current state of the activity, the future
ticals and stirrups in the second lift, is 8.1 tons. The labour state map is generated by eliminating wastes or by finding
gang consists of 4 fitters and 2 helpers. alternative solutions through kaizen efforts to optimize the

Table 1  Bifurcation of CSM data

Sr. No. Activities CT (min) CO (min) TVA (min) TNVA (min) VA (%)

1 Shifting of stirrups 117 0 65 52 55.56

2 Placing of stirrups up to coupler portion 75 15 65.5 9.5 87.33
3 Coupler fitting 45 5 14 31 31.11
4 Shifting of verticals 76 0 0 76 0.00
5 Staging up to + 8.50 m w.r.t. pile cap 132 0 0 132 0.00
6 Placing of verticals 257 23 235.5 21.5 91.63
7 Placing of stirrups 495 17 442.5 52.5 89.39
8 Binding of stirrups 60 5 50 10 83.33
9 Inspection 20 0 0 20
872.5 469.5 65.01

Each reading was observed on-site and noted down during our internship program

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Table 2  Bifurcation of sub-activity
Sr. No. Activity Sub-activity Type of waste Actual time % of total NVA MUDA category Possible new duration
(min)

1 Coupler fitting Cleaning of the thread Extra-processing 20 42% I 5

portion of vertical
bars

process. The newly implemented process is then observed best person to assess the reason for the delay. To improve
to aim for the next higher level of productivity. the labours’ productivity, a foreman should assess the delays
This analysis also gave an overview of the type of waste regularly observed during work and be part of the planning
further classified into Muda-I and Muda-II. The major focus of these activities. As part of this paper, the readings were
was targeted on the Muda-II category to eliminate the pos- taken on the same fitter gang for three consecutive days, the
sible non-value-added time. Also, it shows that Muda-I morning shift for the first and third day, during the afternoon
accounts for 28% only, and Muda-II accounts for 72% of shift for the second day. We selected four workers and took a
non-value-added time. As the current scenario is mapped, a time interval of 5 min to observe the workers. These obser-
future state map of the value stream is created by introducing vations are then divided into different categories. Based on
an improvement plan with keeping all non-valuable activi- these survey details, we created a summary sheet that would
ties at the micro-level using VSM tools till the minimiza- show the final time delay that occurs due to different reasons.
tion of all irrelevant wastes and non-value-added activities The activity was carried on the 2 fitters and 2 helpers for
is achieved. 3 days—3 h each day simultaneously and noted the delay.
Amongst these three days of observation, the reinforcement
Improvement plan activity was observed for three different piers.

For the improvement plan, several meetings with the plan- Foreman delay survey format
ning manager and site engineers were convened, and inputs
were taken from the labours executing the work. Revised Each worker was observed simultaneously but individually.
flow charts and strategies for the work sequence were also There can be many reasons for the variation in worker pro-
discussed with our professors and construction manager. ductivity. It is based on the weather, holidays, temperature,
Based on the observations, a recommendation action plan activity, psychological health, etc. To account for variations,
was suggested to improve the activity further and optimize we limited our scope to daily variation. Thus, we selected
the process with respect to time and safety. three consecutive days with alternating shifts of morning
By further bifurcating each problem into 3 M’s (mate- and afternoon shifts. This allowed us to account for the
rial, manpower and machinery), it was found that the root change in productivity due to day, pre-lunch or post-lunch
cause that contributes to non-value-added time is the work- session, etc., which depicts the collected data’s authenticity.
force. Whereas lean tools such as kaizen burst and kanban To analyse the delays conclusively, they were divided into
are reliable to find waste for material and machinery, it is not recoverable delays and supportive delays. Supportive delays
suitable to identify the hidden waste generated by the work- consist of reasons that are conducive to an effective work
force (Reviewer 1, Comment 11). It has also been observed environment like tool mobilization, safety, etc. These are
that methods of delays have been identified but rarely have necessary delays to improve the work environment’s safety,
been accounted for. This gap has been identified, and thus, quality, and organization. Recoverable delays are those that
FDS has been implemented to foresee productivity from can be recovered. They include break time, idle time, and
labour’s perspective and focuses primarily on the culture rework time. Recoverable delays require elimination, while
amidst ground-level workers. It also alleviates the manage- supportive delays cannot be eliminated but can be reduced.
rial intervention and the total NVA time.

Delay analysis
Foreman delay survey
Total delay by helpers and fitters
Methodology
For creating the analysis of delays for helpers and fitters, the
Foreman delay survey is a part of lean construction prac- delay accrued by all the fitters and helpers is cumulated. An
tices, which says that the person closest to the workers is the average of three days is taken for accurate results.

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According to the table given, we can conclude that help- unskilled, and therefore, they are present only for super-
ers delay 56% of the time, and fitters delay 29% of the time. ficial work. This creates a problem as the helpers wait for
We noticed here that out of this delayed time, the majority instructions for much of the time, holding back for the
of time is governed by recoverable delays, which are 39% for fitters to complete their work. This problem can be solved
helpers and 24% for fitters. Hence, it is necessary to reduce by educating the fitters about their duty as supervisors to
this recoverable delay so that the cycle time can be reduced the helpers and implementing the culture of lean working
and increase labour productivity (Tables 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7). in helpers to utilize their time without the requirement
of supervision. The system and processes involved in the
operations need to be robust.
Cultural changes required for avoiding Following are the suggestions that can avoid these delays:
delays
• Pre-decide the corner position of each stirrup while plac-
It can be seen that helpers have more amount of non- ing stirrups to reduce the waste of extra processing.
working time. This can be attributed to two reasons. First, • Build systems like daily huddle meetings to provide bet-
the definition of work for helpers is ambiguous. The time ter information flow to the lowest level. Here the foreman
taken for tool mobilization and material handling can should conduct a meeting of 15 min with his workers to
be defined as “working” time for a helper, but it would let them know about the work they will do. This helps to
be non-working time for a fitter. Second, the helpers are reduce the waste of waiting.

Table 3  Detail analysis of total cycle time

Sr. No. Activities NVA NVA TNVA (min) Predicted % of reduction Major waste
MUDA-I MUDA-II TNVA
(min) (min) (min)

1 Shifting of stirrups 16 36 52 18 65.38 Waiting

2 Placing of stirrups up to coupler portion 6.5 3 9.5 2.5 73.68 Extra processing
3 Coupler fitting 20 11 31 7 77.42 Defect
4 Shifting of verticals 0 76 76 41 46.05 Inventory
5 Staging up to + 8.50 m w.r.t. pile cap 0 132 132 67 49.24 Non-utilized talent
6 Placing of verticals 12.5 9 21.5 7.5 65.12 Waiting
7 Placing of stirrups 14.5 38 52.5 18.5 64.76 Non- utilized talent
8 Binding of stirrups 0 10 10 5 50.00 Motion
9 Inspection 0 20 20 10 50.00 Waiting
134.5 335 469.5 176.5 59.4

Table 4  Recommended action plan

Activity Problem Lean tool

Shifting of stirrups Materials/inventory are delayed by steelyard, waiting for Hydra Kaizen burst
Placing of stirrups up to coupler portion Lack of coordination and skill FDS
Coupler fitting Caps deteriorated or not provided Kaizen
Cleaning of the thread portion FDS
Unavailability of winch to fit couplers Kaizen burst
Shifting of verticals Materials/inventory are delayed by steelyard, lack of Hydra crane available on-site Kaizen burst
Staging up to + 8.50 m w.r.t. pile cap Labours were getting quite confused between two similar lengths of bracings during FDS
staging
Placing of verticals Unavailability of Hydra to shift vertical reinforcement to the platform Kaizen burst
Placing of stirrups Lack of coordination and skill—alignment of stirrups (rotation 3 times) FDS
Binding of stirrups – –
Inspection Getting the data files from the site office Kanban
Miscellaneous Late start, unnecessary rest and random tea breaks FDS

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Table 5  Bifurcation of FDS data

Total no. of man-hours = 6 h Total no. of man-hours = 6 h
Helper 1 (min) Helper 2 (min) Total helper man- Fitter 1 (min) Fitter 2 (min) Total fitter
hours (hr) man-hours
(hr)

Supportive
Material handling 4.3 6.8 0.18 0.8 1.7 0.04
Housekeeping 10.7 8.0 0.31 0.0 0.0 0.00
Receiving information 3.5 7.3 0.18 1.2 0.8 0.03
Layout/design 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.00
Tool mobilization 3.0 6.6 0.16 1.3 0.7 0.03
Safety 6.3 6.3 0.21 4.5 5.5 0.17
Recoverable
Late start/ Early finish 8.5 8.5 0.28 8.5 8.5 0.28
Personal break 25.5 21.6 0.79 15.9 18.4 0.57
Travel time 3.8 2.8 0.11 1.0 1.4 0.04
Waiting 23.9 15.3 0.65 10.4 12.8 0.39
Missing in action 15.4 15.9 0.52 6.7 5.4 0.20
Total delay by Helpers =  3.40 Fitter =  1.75
% of delay by 56.67(%) 29.17(%)

Each reading was observed on-site and noted down during our internship program

Table 6  Data of subsequent pier of C4 and C5 Future state mapping

Total c/t VA NVA (necessary) NVA
Future state mapping is developed to suggest key improve-
Pier C4 ments and incorporate suggestions to the present state
Total Min =  1117.0 872.5 185.3 59.2 mapping.
Total % =  100.0 78.1 16.6 5.3 From the data we accrued from pier reinforcement activ-
Pier C5 ity by observing it on-site, we prepared a current state map
Total Min =  1090.9 872.5 170.4 48.0 which helped us understand the current scenario. We then
Total % =  100.0 80.0 15.6 4.4 carried out root–cause analysis to identify problems. The
major contribution to NVA time is dependent both on the
equipment and efficiency of ground-level workers. The
application of FDS has enhanced the perspective in identi-
fying the reason involved in waste. Thus, by providing the
Table 7  Comparative analysis
best probable solution to each delay waste, we concluded
VA NVA (necessary) NVA by drawing a futuristic map, which can be called as an ideal
CSM—C3 65.01 24.22 10.77 map in which we idealized the situation with the maximum
C4 78.11 16.58 5.30 possible value-added time and with least possible cycle time.
C5 79.98 15.62 4.40
FSM 82.08 15.48 2.45
Results

Site implementation and assessment

• Improve ease of staging by implementing a colour There have been many lean construction techniques that have
code system to differentiate the sizes of the ledgers. been developed from these practices by industry experts.
• Change break pattern from 60 min totals to 1 major The International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)
break of 40 min and 2 minor breaks of 10 min between has made significant contributions to the formulation of a
every shift. This helps to reduce wastes like late start/ theoretical foundation for lean construction by abstracting
early finish. the core concepts of lean production and applying them to

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 137   Page 10 of 11 Innovative Infrastructure Solutions (2021) 6:137

the management of construction processes. However, these • Confirmed that the productivity of the labours involved
tools, while easy to understand, are yet difficult to apply in in activities is increased with a lean tool: foreman delay
the field. To test the efficacy of tools like the value stream survey.
mapping to this activity, implementation/application was • Managed to build better workflow and information-flow
carried out on the site. reliability.
By passing the information of probable solutions and • Recommends applying lean techniques in construction
receiving feedback from all the stakeholders, we imple- projects in developing countries due to its simplicity and
mented several solutions on the same activity as previous high efficiency.
with the same classifications and yet again drawing the same
implemented current state map in an improved manner. We However, further research is needed to investigate the gap
were able to reduce NVA time. between the latest current state map and the targeted ideal
Hence, setting our desired aim at the futuristic map, we state map. We believe that it can be overcome by further
carried out the same iterative approach to construct new cur- implementing new lean tools such as collaborative system
rent state maps with new piers followed by the same activi- planning or the last planner system.
ties as before. After concluding the solutions to the conun-
drum from the results of pier C3, an attempt was made to Acknowledgements  The authors are grateful to Department of Civil
Engineering, LD College of Engineering and Department of Chemi-
resolve all those problems for the next piers—C4 and C5. cal Engineering, School of Technology, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum
The data of new current state maps for both piers are given University for the permission to publish this research.
below.
We attempted to eliminate the problem that arose in Authors’ contribution  All the authors make a substantial contribution
the present state map to achieve efficiency. This continual to this manuscript. SP, DM and MS participated in drafting the manu-
script. SP, DM and MS wrote the main manuscript. All the authors
improvement helped us to achieve our target concerning discussed the results and implication on the manuscript at all stages.
FSM.
The total percentage of value-added time was 65%, Funding  Not applicable.
which was then improved to 78% for pier C4 and then to
80% for C5. While we aimed to achieve 82% value-added Availability of data and materials  All relevant data and material are
time throughout the process, we managed to reduce the non- presented in the main paper.
value-added time but necessary (MUDA-II) by almost 10%
and eliminated the total wasted, i.e. non-value-added time. Declarations 
The value-added time always remains the same but what
Conflict of interest  The authors declare that they have no competing
made the difference in the graph is a decrease in cycle time interests.
because our main aim was to reduce MUDA-II and eliminate
MUDA-I waste. Ethics approval and consent to participate  Not applicable.

Consent for publication  Not applicable.

Conclusion/way forward

This study aimed to analyse present scenarios of on-site rein- References

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