Challenges Facing Implementation of Lean Construction in Saudi Arabia

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The Saudi Arabian construction industry has been noted to face a boom in the last twenty
years. Several contractors have been noted to rely on the significance of employing lean
construction. The construction concept is based on the Toyota production systems which have
been harnessed to a new method of construction which is highly systemized. The system aims at
completing a project that meets the requirements of the clients through the reduction of waste.
The system emphasizes that every process is important within the construction process and it is
critical for the improvement of the project. Lean construction also leads to the minimization of
the direct cost which is effective to the project.

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However, the implementation of lean construction in Saudi Arabia has not been growing.
The implementation of the lean system is a very complex project. The failure of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia to adopt the Lean construction system has been caused by a lack of various factors
like poor equipment, semi-skilled and unskilled workforce and also the ineffective planning. To
increase the awareness and comprehension of the concept of lean in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia
and its construction company, there is a need to have an overview of the current status in the lean
construction system. There is, however, no such studies due to the lack of real data (Sarhan, et
al., 2015, p. 432).
Lean construction involves the techniques of designing production systems with an aim
of minimizing wastage of materials, labor and hence maximizing cost-effective value.it focusses
on pursuing concurrent and improvements in the design, activation, and recycling in building
projects (Sha'ar, et al., 2017, p. 245).
The concept of waste in construction is still evolving. The effort of construction
management community for the comprehension of waste is relatively small as compared to other
topics. Waste is understood under two dimensions; intrinsically and instrumentally. The
interpretations are different in the construction that needs empirical justification, comparability
that is statistical and motivation for action. The best solution that can lead to the reduction of
waste in the design construction is the creation of value (Sarhan, et al., 2017, p. 22).
Educational issues
In the last decade, much effort was put to try and educate people and create awareness of
the importance of lean construction, the guidance provision and sharing the knowledge related to
lean construction by schools, by the researchers and other organizations such as the lean

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construction institutes and construction excellence. However, the firms mentioned above are
amongst other which operate mostly in Europe and hence it is not easy to share the knowledge
they have globally (Banawi & Bilec, 2014, p. 34). Many publications on lean construction have
been done but the greatest challenge is the educational issues which appear to be cutting across
most parts of Saudi Arabia. The common educational issues addressed include lack of awareness
from workers, inadequate training and information asymmetry.
Management issues
The top management in firms plays a vital role in ensuring that the implementation of the
innovative strategies is followed to the latter. To realize the achievements of lean construction
requires the commitment of top management in planning and the adequate provision of the
resources required in the management of the changes which arise from the implementation.
Research shows that poor strategy implementation, management issues, and poor definition are
the primary issues that face the implementation of lean construction (Omran & Abdulrahim,
2015, p. 98).In addition to this, lack of adequate time for innovation and the prolonged period of
implementation are also factors hindering the adoption of the lean construction. There is poor
communication, lack of adequacy in the determination of goals, inaccuracy in preplanning,
delays in making decisions, organizations structure that are not suitable for lean construction
system the existence of a weak procurement and poor administration. The above-mentioned
challenges appear to be very usual but they are very important for accomplishment if any given
organization want to meet a smooth running of a construction process.