KB7039: Construction Project Waste Solutions and Analysis Report

This report delves into the significant issue of waste within the construction industry, with a specific focus on overproduction. It examines the adverse effects of overproduction on project costs, timelines, and the environment, highlighting its impact on various stakeholders, including investors, suppliers, and laborers. The report provides a detailed analysis of the problem, including a short description, scope, and justification, supported by visual illustrations such as figures and diagrams. Furthermore, it critically analyzes potential solutions, such as the Just-in-Time delivery model, improvements in execution and monitoring processes, and the development of lean business processes. The report emphasizes the importance of sustainable waste management hierarchies and provides a comprehensive overview of strategies to mitigate waste and enhance sustainability within the construction sector. The content is sourced from a student report and is available on Desklib, a platform offering AI-based study tools.

THE SOLUTIONS TO A CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY PROBLEM

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1
Construction industry problem related to forms of waste......................................................................................................................................................................................1
Short description of the problem............................................................................................................................................................................................................................1
Scope of the problem.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1
Justification of the problem why this is a problem, who the problem affects, and the impact of the problem.....................................................................................................1
Critical analysis of possible solutions to the overproduction problem..................................................................................................................................................................2
Visual illustration of problem to solution with the help of fish bone diagram......................................................................................................................................................2
Ways in which the problem can be resolved..........................................................................................................................................................................................................2
CONCLUSION...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
REREFENCES...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................4

TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Construction industry problems related to form of waste............................................................................................................................................................................1
Figure 2 Cement requirement result of overproduction..............................................................................................................................................................................................2
Figure 3 result of overproduction, excess storage of raw material.............................................................................................................................................................................3
Figure 4 Sustainable waste management hierarchy to resolve overproduction waste problem.................................................................................................................................3
Figure 5 Fish Bone diagram of overproduction problem in construction industry....................................................................................................................................................4
Figure 6 lean Construction principles.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................4
Figure 7 PDCA model................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Construction industry is a branch of trade and manufacturing which is based upon maintaining, repairing structures and buildings. It also includes drilling and exploration of solid minerals. There are various kinds of problems that are associated with
construction. Many of the problems are faced by this industry every day and affects people associated with it, work done in many different ways. Waste is one of the main problems which is faced by construction industry. This journal will lay emphasis on
construction problems related to one of the forms of waste and ways in which it affects the industry and people associated with it.
MAIN BODY
Construction industry problem related to forms of waste
Construction waste has become one of the most important problems for various countries as it has ad verse effect on environment, economy and social aspects. Overproduction is one of the most common waste problems which is being faced by this
industry which impacts sustainability of the construction (Formoso and et al., 2017). Overproduction is a kind of physical waste which is generated from most of the construction activities. This overproduction waste not only increases waste problem but it also
increases overall cost of the projects as well. Many times, because of this overproduction projects such as illegal dumping also increases and the product that are produced in excess are illegally or unlawfully dumped onto land.
Short description of the problem
Overproduction is a process pf fabricating material too soon or ordering additional material due to poor quality rather than producing and delivering correct amount of material at the time it is required. Overproduction is one of the most common
problem in this industry. Many times, this problem is occurred when any material is order either too soon or extra material of poor quality is manufactured or ordered. Many times, if overproduction waste problems occur it is illegally dumped anywhere because
of which other problems can occur. Due to this overproduction problem there is overlap between inventory waste, lean waste and other kinds of waste as well.
Figure 1 Construction industry problems related to form of waste.
Scope of the problem
Overproduction is a kind of lean production problems which mainly occurs because of lack of awareness, lack of planning or execution process. Scope of Overproduction problem is not only related to over manufacturing of materials bit it is also
related to staffing, cash flow, storage, transportation and many more (Oguntona, Aigbavboa and Mulongo, 2018). This problem increases unnecessary usage of tools and machinery, additional facility storage capacity and excess inventory space. If this problem
is not focused on in timely manner then it can create cash flow constraints, over-staffing problems but most importantly it can result in failure of the project.
Justification of the problem why this is a problem, who the problem affects, and the impact of the problem.
Overproduction is one of the most important waste problem which is required to be focused on as it can increase overall estimated time period of the project, overall cost of the project but most importantly this problems affect all the people associated
with the project such as investors, project manager, workers and many more. Impact of this problems varies from high to low i.e. if it is identified in a timely manner then it can be handled without converting into a serious issue but if it is not identified in a
timely manner then it can result in failure of the project or increased budget.
According to the view of Halttula and et. al., (2017) there are many factors because of which this, overproduction problem occurs within construction industry. But largely it is caused because of lack of awareness because of which faults in planning and
execution process occurs. These faults result in requirement of longer time period to complete the project on time. Many times, it also results in ordering more supplies then required supplies. If these faults in planning are not resolved then it can result in
disrupted production flow and can disbalance production flow or sometimes false forecasting of the customers requirement can also be done. Halttula and et. al., (2017) further explains that, many times organizations do not realize that overproduction waste
production problem has occurred because of which unnecessary tools, machinery, material can be ordered that further requires excessive inventory space. If this problem is not resolved in appropriate time it can create some domino effect it mostly starts with
false demand and this false information can result in over- staffing, Over-supplying, Over-shipping, reduction of reliability of construction process and many more. Other than this, overproduction problem can result in failure of product, increase in overall
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budget of the project and if in later stages this problem is identified then fear of making changes can arise. It is one of the main kinds of lean production waste problem that arises within construction industry and can result in failure of whole construction project
and because of these main reasons, overproduction is one of the main problems which is being faced within a construction industry.
Figure 2 Cement requirement result of overproduction
As per the view of Luo and et. al., (2020) overproduction waste problem affects all the main stakeholders of the construction project or it can also be said that all the stakeholders are influenced if overproduction waste problem arises within a construction
project. Stakeholders of a construction project are one of the major sources of success of failure of those construction projects. According to a research it was identified that disturbance in overall construction schedule, process. Both internal and external
stakeholders of a project are affected by occurrence of overproduction process. Luo and et. al., (2020) further elaborates in a detailed manner that, there are various kinds of stakeholders involved within a construction project and each of them are affected in a
different manner because of overproduction waste production problem. This problem affects investors because it can increase overall cost of the project as a result they will be required to invest more on the project. Many times, stakeholders agree to invest more
but sometimes, some of the stakeholders disagree and back out from the project and as a result it can lead to failure of the project. Suppliers are another type of stakeholders associated with the project, but they are the one’s who get benefitted from
overproduction problem because this problem arises then it can lead to increase in material requirements. Engineers, supervisors and other labour are other kinds of stakeholders that get affected from this problem as their time period on the project increases,
they are required to work more on the construction project and if anything goes out of the hands then they are the one who gets blamed for it and many times due to over budgeting their wages are also reduced. In such way overproduction waste problem affect
all the stakeholders of the project. As cited by Jiang and et. al., (2018) further explains that, There are many other stakeholders who gets affected because of such problem such as client as their requirement fulfilment will be compromised, time period in which
they require construction to be completed is also extended. Contract manager is also affected in a negative manner because of this problem as due to occurrence of this problem various kinds of contract terms are violated which can work as a barrier in
completion of the project.
As cited by Jiang and et. al., (2018) explains that, overproduction is a kind of problem whose impact on overall project can be quite severe because of which construction project can get failed or various requirements can get compromised drastically. If
success chances of construction project completion is required to be increased then its impact on overall project is required to be reduced. First and foremost, impact of this waste is seen upon required number of raw construction material, increase in overall cost
and budget of the project. Jiang and et. al., (2018) further explain that it can lead to failure of unreliable processes, machines and even suppliers and can also produce more then the amount which is required. According to the view of Forgues and et. al., (2019)
there re various ways through which this problem can be eliminated. It is important to focus on such ways to reduce this problem in order to increase success chances of the project.
Effect of construction overproduction
Overproduction in construction industry can affect companies in many ways it can draw on capital for unnecessary tools and machinery, extra material, excessive inventory space and additional facility capacity. It not only works as cash flow constraints but also
increases wastage. Many times, it also becomes one of the main reason of failure of the construction project. Overproduction waste in this industry can cause domino effect on the organizations. This waste mainly starts with wrong or inaccurate calculation of
requirement, demand and increase scope of work. If this calculation is not done properly then it can affect other further operations of construction project. Overproduction waste can lead to over-staffing, over-supplying, over-shipping, fear of marking changes.
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Figure 3 result of overproduction, excess storage of raw material
Critical analysis of possible solutions to the overproduction problem
There are various reasons because of which overproduction waste problem occur within construction industry. There are various ways through which this problem can resolved. One of the most commonly used models that can help in resolving
overproduction waste problem is Just in time construction delivery model (JIT delivery model). It is one of the most preferred approach which helps in eliminating overproduction waste problem in this industry (Hossain, Bissenova and Kim, 2019). This
approach largely focuses on running small batch size so that overproduction can be reduced, creating a more reliable process that can be trusted by all the stakeholders of the project. Establishing stable schedule in which who project is required to be completed
easily without taking any risk, balancing all the departments involved in the project, using appropriate information so that actual requirement and demand of the construction project can be mapped easily. This will help in identifying areas in which
overproduction problem can occur so that it can be eliminated in a timely manner. Another solution to eliminate overproduction problem is by bringing improvement within execution and monitoring process so that requirement and usage of raw material can be
tracked. It will help in reduction in ordering of additional raw material in advance and will also maintain usage of appropriate amount of material required. Development of lean business process is another method through which overproduction can be reduced. It
helps in streamlining overall construction process, reduces time required to complete the project and also helps in completing the project on time. One of the most suitable way through which overproduction problem can be resolved is through sustainable waste
management hierarchy. It is a step wise strategy to achieve desirable and most suited process through which waste generation can be reduced Forgues and et. al., (2019). It is a kind of waste management hierarchy that includes prevention, minimization, reuse,
recovery, recycling and disposing of all kinds of unusable and overproduced waste.
Figure 4 Sustainable waste management hierarchy to resolve overproduction waste problem.
There are many other ways to reduce overproduction waste problem is planning with the help of packages such as ERP and MRP as these packages helps in completing successful planning so that final constructed project can be completed and delivered on time.
Implementation and usage of such packages also helps in identifying issues in planning in a timely manner so that such issues can be resolved in a timely manner and chances of occurrence of overproduction problem also reduces Michaud and et. al., (2019).
Once all the initial issues are resolved within a particular time period focus on implementation of lean construction principles can be done. This can help in increasing reducing chaces of occurrence of such major waste production problem.
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Visual illustration of problem to solution with the help of fish bone diagram
Fish bone diagram is one of the most commonly used visual illustration tool that can be used to identify likely causes of the problem so that solution to the problem can be identified in an easy manner. It is also known as Ishikawa diagram or cause and
effect diagram as well (Murata and et. al., 2018). When a problem occurs, it is important to identify cause of the problem and effect it can have. Fishbone diagram provides a way of identifying problem in an elaborated manner so that solution required to resolve
it can be identified easily. Below Fishbone diagram helps in explaining all the main causes of overproduction waste problem.
Figure 5 Fish Bone diagram of overproduction problem in construction industry
From the above diagram it has been identified that there are various causes because of which construction projects face overproduction problem. Some of the main causes of overproduction are: lack of understanding of overall scope of the project,
overall requirements of the project are not confirmed at the initial stage, feasibility of the project is not done, lack of provision of training to inexperienced engineers. It is important to focus on all the above issues or causes at the starting or initiation process of
the project as these are one of the most important and main causes of overproduction. Other than this when construction project design is not finalized by the owner of the project or requirement of the owner changes continuously then it can become of the
reason because of which overproduction can occur. It can also lead to increase in overall cost associated with the project and can also delay the project. There are various other causes of overproduction such as inaccurate of lack of information or lack of
requirement estimation and measurement because of which additional or advance material is ordered without its requirement. There are many more reasons that can become reason for overproduction waste in construction industry but above- mentioned causes
are main reason because of which this problem can occur. By focusing on resolving these causes solution to overproduction can be identified.
Ways in which the problem can be resolved
Lean approach to reduce waste
Lean approach in construction industry is one of the best approaches through which waste within construction industry can be reduced. With the help of lean construction problem of overproduction waste can be resolved.
Figure 6 lean Construction principles
Using principles of lean construction, desired outcomes can be achieved by maximizing the output and value of the project and reducing wastage which would further help in reducing the overall cost associated with the project and would also help in
completing the project on time without any kind of time delay (Bajjou, Chafi and En-Nadi, 2017). These lean construction principles are always same with slight variation such as: product variability to reduce overflow of the waste, by increasing process
transparency, focus control on complete process can be gained and last is continuous improvement in order to reduce waste. These principles are based upon a visual improvement model PDCA i.e. plan, do, check and act/ adjust.
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Figure 7 PDCA model
PDCA is an improvement cycle which is based upon scientific methods through which change is proposed, implementing the change, measurement of the result and continuous improvement as required. This model can help in bringing improvement
within the construction industry projects so that overproduction waste problem can be reduced. At planning stage study of the activity is done so that the main root cause of overproduction can be identified. In do stage required changes within complete
construction process is made. In check stage measurement of the improvement process is done in order to check whether the overproduction waste problem has been reduced or not (Ansah, Sorooshian and Mustafa, 2016). In act or adjust stage continuous
improvement plan is made so that this problem can be reduced further more and if any kind of challenges occur then it can be resolved. Using PDCA model all the above identified causes of overproduction can be resolved.
Plan: At this stage scope of the project should be finalized, all the requirements gathered should be finalized. Other than this qualification of all the people should be checked and if there is requirement of providing training to the employees then proper training
should be provided to the employees so that their overall skills and knowledge can be enhanced or required skills can be developed within them. This should be done 4 to 6 weeks prior to the commencement of the project so that requirements and scope of the
project can be finalized and based on this final schedule of the project can be developed.
Do: Based on the requirement and scope, designing of the project should be done and final developed design should be confirmed by the owner (Bajjou and Chafi, 2018). After finalizing the design analysis of raw material required should be done and a plan
should be created so that requirement of advance ordering of raw material can be eliminated. Plan developed should be communicated to all the stakeholders of the project.
Check: At this stage continuous monitoring and evaluation of the project should be done this will help in analysing appropriate usage of raw materials.
Act/ Action: Lastly if there is requirement of any kind of improvement then adjustment within the project can be done accordingly for continuous improvement of the process.
CONCLUSION
From the above journal it has been analysed that there are various kinds of problems that can occur within construction industry. Waste is one of the main problems which is most commonly faced in this industry out of which overproduction is one of the
main wastage problems that can affect overall cost associated with the project, delay the project and can also affect people associated with the project. Due to this overproduction waste problems other kinds of problems can arise such as inventory waste, lean
waste and many other kinds of waste. It is extremely important to focus on this problem, identify its cause so that solution for the same can be identified. Fishbone diagram is one of the most commonly used cause and effect diagram because of which cause of
the problem can be identified so that it can be related to the solution of the problem.
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REREFENCES
Books and Journals
Ansah, R.H., Sorooshian, S. and Mustafa, S.B., 2016. Lean construction: an effective approach for project management. ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 11(3). pp.1607-1612.
Bajjou, M.S. and Chafi, A., 2018. Lean construction implementation in the Moroccan construction industry. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology.
Bajjou, M.S., Chafi, A. and En-Nadi, A., 2017. A comparative study between lean construction and the traditional production system. In International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa (Vol. 29, pp. 118-132). Trans Tech Publications.
Forgues, E.C., and et. al., 2019. A LEAN APPROACH TO OPTIMIZE BIM INFORMATION FLOW USING VALUE STREAM MAPPING.
Formoso, C.T., and et al., 2017. The identification and analysis of making-do waste: insights from two Brazilian construction sites. Ambiente Construído. 17(3). pp.183-197.
Halttula, H., and et. al., 2017. Early involvement and integration in construction projects: the benefits of DfX in elimination of wastes. International Journal of Management, Knowledge and Learning. 6(2). pp.215-237.
Hossain, M.A., Bissenova, A. and Kim, J.R., 2019. Investigation of Wasteful Activities Using Lean Methodology: In Perspective of Kazakhstan’s Construction Industry. Buildings. 9(5). p.113.
Jiang, R., and et. al., 2018. A SWOT analysis for promoting off-site construction under the backdrop of China’s new urbanisation. Journal of cleaner production. 173. pp.225-234.
Luo, L., and et. al., 2020. Supply Chain Management for Prefabricated Building Projects in Hong Kong. Journal of Management in Engineering. 36(2). p.05020001.
Michaud, M., and et. al., 2019. A lean approach to optimize BIM information flow using value stream mapping. Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon). 24. pp.472-488.
Murata, K., and et. al., 2018, July. Sources of waste on construction site: A comparison to the manufacturing industry. In IGLC 2018-Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction: Evolving Lean Construction
Towards Mature Production Management Across Cultures and Frontiers (pp. 973-981).
Oguntona, O.A., Aigbavboa, C.O. and Mulongo, G.N., 2018, July. An Assessment of Lean Construction Practices in the Construction Industry. In International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (pp. 524-534). Springer, Cham.
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