Lean in the Public Sector.

Abstract

The Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Industry (AEC) is a critical socio-economic activity that is responsible for 8% of the GDP in the world, in parallel, it also is responsible for the generation of 100 million jobs worldwide. In this context, the generation of value is driven by the execution of capital projects. Nonetheless, despite its importance, the sector´s productivity historically is behind other industries, and poor performance of projects is often the norm rather than the exception. The running of projects in the Public Sector is not immune to these issues. An effective strategy to address this condition is the use of the Lean approach.

Thus, this special issue of the Revista de Ingeniería de Construcción is focused on providing insight into the application of Lean in the Public Sector (LIPS). Articles evidencing the results of LIPS in the United States, UK, Finland, and Chile are presented as part of this effort. Following this premise, the authors who contribute to this special issue have provided an inspiring insight into the use of LIPS around the world evidencing the potential of its outcomes. Despite the progress and the encouraging results, much work is still required to widespread the benefits of this approach.