DENVER — According to the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America’s 2018 Workforce Survey, 63 percent of Colorado firms report that projects are taking longer than anticipated and 59 percent of firms indicate costs are higher than originally anticipated as a result of staffing challenges.
To alleviate these issues, lean construction practices focus on “the holistic pursuit of continuous improvements to minimize cost and maximize value” on construction projects, according to AGC. Based on greater collaboration and transparency on project teams, lean construction decentralizes the decision-making process to minimize waste in project lifecycles that can result in better time productivity, reduced safety hazards and greater cost savings, according to the Lean Construction Institute of America.
To help Colorado firms implement these lean construction practices, AGC of Colorado now serves as both an education center offering lean construction classes as well as a testing center for the AGC Certificate of Management-Lean Construction exam. Colorado industry professionals previously had to travel to Texas or to AGC of America in Washington D.C. to receive this certification but can now take the exam in Denver.
“To support economic growth and improvements in the construction industry, we must make continued education and training development for construction professionals a priority. Providing classes and a localized testing center streamlines the process for lean construction education in Colorado and serves as a catalyst for firms to implement a lean operating system,” commented Michael Gifford, president and CEO of AGC of Colorado.
Part of the education process to ensure further use of lean construction practices, is to document the benefits of lean construction from professionals already implementing lean methodologies. According to Dodge Data & Analytics SmartMarket Report entitled “Lean Construction: Leveraging Collaboration and Advanced Practices to Increase Project Efficiency,” 74 percent of industry professionals already using lean reported a reduction in project schedules and 64 percent of lean practitioners indicated reduced costs and greater profitability on their projects.
AGC of Colorado is committed to supporting the construction industry with the education resources needed to incite change and overcome challenges such as the construction labor shortage. The seven-part series of the AGC Lean Construction Education Program is starting in Denver at AGC of Colorado’s Training Center on October 5, 2018 and continues through November 9, 2018 for all classes. Interested participants can register online at agccolorado.org
