Design of the Building Execution Process in SME Construction Networks

While the implementation of lean management methods in the automotive and aerospace industries is common nowadays, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry is lagging behind in this development. Up to now, research in construction has been focused on product development, while improvement in organizations and processes has been almost ignored. This paper describes an innovative methodology for planning the building execution process, called Integral Building Execution Planning (IBEP), which is suitable for construction networks composed of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The IBEP approach is part of a new production system in construction with the aim to improve process reliability during the execution phase by integrating actors from implementation into planning. The design methodology IBEP was developed within the research project “build4future”, especially by reengineering two completed projects with their participating key actors.