ABSTRACT
Chinese Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) industry is under the reform resulting from the large amount of waste production, huge energy consumption and severe environmental pollution. Aiming to maximize the project value while reducing the waste and cost, lean thinking is referred from manufacturing industry to construction since two industries have several similarities. This paper reviewed the change of lean thinking from production to construction, the differences between traditional and lean construction (LC), and the current situation of Chinese LC situation. Besides, a case study was assessed to examine how the LC management works in a practical project in China. Through the research, project schedule is divided into several hundred sub-items to assist the site supervisors to manage the construction progress. In addition, utilizing prefabrication parts and digital technology are two effective approaches to conduct the LC in the project.
