Intro to Lean Construction: Reducing Waste, Respecting People

Lean Construction is often misunderstood as a set of tools or rules, rather than what truly is—a system of thinking and acting that increases value, reduces waste, and respects people. This session introduces Lean Construction through real-world examples, grounded in operational project work, not theory. Drawing from Dome Construction’s Lean journey and an applied project case study, this presentation walks participants through Lean fundamentals, the eight wastes (TIM U WOOD), and how Lean thinking shows up on real jobsites and in project management workflows. The session is designed to meet participants where they are—whether new to Lean or already practicing continuous improvement—and give them practical ways to start seeing and eliminating waste on their own projects. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of Lean as a people-driven approach to improving work, along with examples they can immediately relate to and apply in their organizations.