Abstract:
A construction project comprises of conversion and flow activities; conversion activities are value
adding, and flow activities are non-value adding and generally contribute into non-physical waste
(NPW). Unlike material waste, NPW impacts both time and cost. Lean construction can monitor
and control this waste. Though lean practices in construction have shown remarkable
improvements, NPW quantification is still not possible. To address this deficiency, current
research identifies the key macro and micro level factors contributing into NPW and develops a
system dynamics (SD) model using the interrelationships between these factors. The simulation
results reveal that under four constant exogenous factors, 21% NPW is generated in a 24-month
project. Further, the scenario based simulation highlights that lean construction can provide
observable reduction in NPW. The developed model can improve the management practices by
providing a comprehensive understanding of NPW, which in turn can help mitigating its impact
on project progress.
