(I) Lean Construction as an innovative approach for minimising risks in Mega-Construction projects in developing countries

Abstract

The past two decades have witnessed a rapid increase in construction projects within developing countries in the Middle Eastern Gulf region. This has identified a set of the most common problems associated with construction projects in one of the Gulf Area countries - the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) - and has led to them being categorised into three individual risk types, namely Construction Waste; Delayed Schedule; and Project Over Budget. Following a detailed identification and assessment of commonly implemented strategies and a study of the Lean Construction method as the “new” strategy introduced recently to the field, it is proposed that the Lean Construction method could lead to better results in solving these problems. To that end, the objectives of this study are (1) to develop a Lean Construction framework; and (2) to create a Lean Construction Assessment Tool. To achieve these objectives, the research work (a) investigates the linkages between Lean and risk management; (b) reviews the concept of Lean and its application to the construction industry in Saudi Arabia (c) analyses the barriers and success factors; and (d) identifies the benefits of Lean Construction within construction organizations in Saudi Arabia.