Qualitative content analysis from the lean construction perspective: A focus on supply chain management

Abstract

The performance of projects in terms of targeted objectives has always been a very contentious issue in the construction industry. The constant issue at stake is the inability of projects to satisfactorily meet agreed delivery targets. In order to address this quagmire, performance improvement tools such as supply chain management (SCM) were introduced into the industry. The central theme of this discourse is thus concerned with the need to promote performance improvement in construction through the exploitation of the concepts inherent in SCM from the perspectives of lean construction researchers as documented in the annual International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) conferences. The methodological approach adopted for the discourse is qualitative in nature as recent SCM literatures available on the IGLC web portal were subjected to a qualitative content analysis. The research outcomes, which have implications for South African construction, attempt to offer solutions to the mirage of performance-related project management and/or supply chain problems, especially in terms of improving ‘how organisations working together’ overcome complexities and deliver value to stakeholders.