When I hear a great performance by a world class orchestra, I find myself in awe of the musicians’ precision and the resulting music. However, though it appears flawless to an unsophisticated listener, such as me, the members of the orchestra realize the music could be better. They are driven by the unattainable goal of perfection — a pursuit that results in a sublime work in progress. How do I, as an engineer, think like the orchestra and move my product closer to perfection? One answer is lean design, rooted in building information modeling (BIM) tools.
Lean thinking originated in the manufacturing sector and was mastered by Toyota with its Toyota Production Method (TPM). Simply, lean design is the generation of client value through the elimination of waste by continuous improvement. It starts with the understanding of waste in the design process. TPM defines seven wastes.