Continuous Improvement: Insights From Pros

Continuous improvement sounds leisurely, but requires hard work. So much so, that large construction companies often invest in dedicated continuous improvement specialists. Here are some of the responsibilities typically involved in the role. Are there one or two you could envision focusing on to gradually strengthen your business?

Inch By Inch-Mindset

Continuous improvement specialists have tool boxes full of degrees and certifications (think Six Sigma and Lean 5S) and command impressive salaries:  “According to Glassdoor, a continuous improvement (CI) can expect to make $109k on average, ranging from $88k on the low end and $138k on the high end.” While the funds to hire such a specialist are outside the budget of the average contractor, keying in on some of the things a continuous improvement specialist would, can help contractors move the needle forward. Check out this list of the kinds of responsibilities a continuous improvement specialist would tackle. Perhaps by zeroing in on one or two of these areas to focus on over time, you could give your business an edge:

• Working with customers and stakeholders in order to analyze company processes and procedures, and to uncover opportunities for developing process enhancement strategies 

• Adopting lean management principles to clarify customer value chain while reducing waste 

• Adopting offsite construction methods including prefabrication and modular construction to help industrialize processes; streamlining preassembly and sticking to timelines; improving quality assurance and value chain for customers; moving beyond project-based framework toward productization mindset for better outcomes and consistency of quality 

• Adopting additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing to increase design freedom and timeliness as well as reduce waste

• Leveraging BIM/VDC modeling and LiDAR to envision finished products in their natural environments for customers, mitigating risk, and exceeding expectations 

• Leveraging digital twin technology like IoT, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to improve processes with a true view of the company’s infrastructure and facilitating proactivity via predictive analytics

• On boarding robotics to streamline procedural tasks….

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