Lean construction as an innovative approach for minimising risks in mega-Construction projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The past two decades have witnessed a rapid increase in construction projects within developing countries in the Middle Eastern Gulf region. This coincides with the governments' announcements regarding substantially increased spending on the improvement of infrastructure. Despite this increase, construction companies still face many challenges, including completing projects on time and within budgets, thus promoting a negative image of the industry in that region. The negative impact of the aforementioned challenges has been confirmed through (1) data collected from documents concerning completed construction projects in which the researcher has been professionally involved; (2) the researcher’s experience in the field of construction project management in the Middle East and risk management in particular; and (3) extensive study of the literature in this domain. This has identified a set of the most common problems associated with construction projects in one of the Gulf Area countries - the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) - and has led to them being categorised into three individual risk types, namely Construction Waste; Delayed Schedule; and Project Over Budget. Following a detailed identification and assessment of commonly implemented strategies and a study of the Lean Construction method as the “new” strategy introduced recently to the field, it is proposed that the Lean Construction method could lead to better results in solving these problems. To that end, the objectives of this study are (1) to develop a Lean Construction framework; and (2) to create a Lean Construction Assessment Tool. To achieve these objectives, the research work (a) investigates the linkages between Lean and risk management; (b) reviews the concept of Lean and its application to the construction industry in Saudi Arabia (c) analyses the barriers and success factors; and (d) identifies the benefits of Lean Construction within construction organisations in Saudi Arabia. To that end, the adopted research methodology involves both quantitative and qualitative mechanisms. The implementation plan is fourfold, namely (1) undertaking a comprehensive literature review of the construction domain; (2) implementing a survey instrument among KSA construction professionals concerning the Lean Construction method to identify the barriers to, and the successful aspects of, the Lean concept; (3) developing a framework and assessment tool through content analysis in order to provide a better understanding of the implementation process and the drivers of the Lean Construction method in the construction field; and (4) validating the proposed developed framework of Lean Construction and assessment tool through interviews and an online survey with experts within the construction industry. Among the main findings of this research is the lack of future strategic plans for the construction industry in terms of managing waste and risks in general and specially to KSA. The developed framework of the Lean implementation process highlights the necessity to understand the implementation of Lean Construction within construction organisations as well as the drivers for implementing Lean. It is hoped that the outcomes of this research study will have theoretical and practical significance for successful Lean implementation in construction organisations in KSA. Furthermore, it is intended to provide construction professionals with significant insights to help focus their efforts on value-adding work processes, resulting in better time management and money-saving strategies.