EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE MAIN LEAN TOOLS IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN PERU

Lean Construction (LC) has been applied in various construction projects in Peru for over 20 years in different projects: buildings, roads, sanitary works, mining, sports infrastructure, energy, oil, and industrial plants; as well as a series of tools such as Last Planner® System (LPS), takt time, visual management, among others. However, in Peru, practitioners are focused on LPS, leaving aside other lean tools that can help manage construction projects. The research aims to identify the main lean tools applied in Peru's construction projects and classify them according to the project type. First, a literature review of lean tools applied in Peru is conducted; second, expert judgments are interviewed to validate the tools, and fourteen main LC implementation tools are identified. Then, one hundred and twenty-four engineers answered the survey from various types of projects and classified the primary tools that have been implemented in their respective projects. The data is analysed by linear correlation and reliability. It was found that the primary tools used in Peru are: LPS, Visual Management (VM), Continuous Improvement, Feedback, Big Room, and Value Stream Mapping (VSM). The study found that professionals do not know the benefits of each tool or when to apply it. Also, the professionals implement few tools in the design stage of the projects.