A mapping of Swedish lean construction variants in practice: Review and survey

Swedish Lean Construction (LC) practices focus mainly on improving technical process parameters – however, issues claimed to have been solved by LC (e.g., high production costs), are still apparent. This study reports on a survey about Swedish companies' LC practices. A literature review on Swedish LC variants served as the background. The questionnaire survey itself was answered by around 490 construction-related companies across all Swedish regions. Survey results indicate a cross-sectoral discrepancy of LC knowledge and practices, with almost 65% of respondents claiming not to know about LC – while those doing so, are applying it in variants (e.g., integrated with location-based planning). Such an implementation can either pertain to project portfolios or be required by clients – and is more visible in large contractors and some SMEs claiming to be LC-competent. A stronger cross-industry collaboration may be needed for facilitating LC knowledge in Sweden, as well as underpinning LC practice variants befitting each company’s specific business model.