An Analysis of the Effect of Lean Construction Techniques on Construction Project Performance in Nigeria.

Abstract

The construction industry has been dotted with reoccurring issues of projects overrunning cost, and time or both, not meeting quality requirements, reduction in profit margin, fraudulent practices, and non-compliance to health and safety regulations which have led to the abandonment of projects. Studies have recommended lean construction as an innovative project management strategy to cope with these poor performance problems but there is not much research on lean construction in Nigeria as lean is still a relatively new concept in Nigeria. This research analysed the effect of lean construction techniques on project performance in Nigeria. The study adopted a quantitative approach. 350 questionnaires were distributed to professionals from 71 construction organisations practicing in Nigeria registered with the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI), with a response rate of 84%. Data for the research was gathered using a structured questionnaire through a purposive sampling technique. Data collected was analysed using Mean Index Score (MIS), and Structural Equation Modelling estimated by Partial Least Square Method (SEM-PLS). The result revealed that lean techniques have a significant effect on cost, time, quality, health and safety, and stakeholders’ satisfaction in enhancing the performance of construction projects in Nigeria. 5S techniques had more effects on the cost performance of construction projects, TPM had more effects on time, the last planner system had more effects on quality while root cause analysis had more effects on health and safety and stakeholders’ satisfaction performance of Nigerian construction projects.