Everyone related to the construction process has an incentive to get the project done faster and at a lower cost - from the project owners who want to see tangible results for their investment to the contractors and designers who want to do their job well and move on to the next project. Lean Construction is based on the holistic pursuit of continuous improvements aimed at minimizing costs and maximizing value on a construction project: planning, design, construction, activation, operations, maintenance, salvaging, and recycling. If what industry leaders are seeking is incremental innovation that helps them compete better against other contractors, Lean construction is ingenuity strategy.

Any transformation of organizational processes, whether in a single project or enterprise wide, is difficult. How lean is implemented within a construction firm can vary based on many factors and the lean transformation is most effectively driven and planned by individuals within a firm. Getting the needed knowledge into the correct hands in an effective manner is paramount to this process. Several factors must be taken into consideration including, variation in production systems, pull in production, workstructuring, the Last Planner® System, supply chain and assembly, design and pre-construction, and problem-solving principles and tools.

Lean is taking a front seat in the development of secondary education curriculum. There is a definite correlation between the demand for Lean education in the construction industry and its inclusion in college curriculum. While the construction industry is finding itself in Early Majority stage in the Diffusion of Innovation bell curve, education lags slightly behind. They are currently located in the Early Adopter stage, which gives tech schools and universities currently engaged in Lean education a leg up on the competition. AGC Developed the Lean Construction Education Program to educate those currently on the job within the organizations that need it now.