MINIMIZING WASTAGE IN CONSTRUCTION

USING SIX SIGMA METHODOLOGY

A PROJECT BY
Monish U. Balsurkar , Akash R. Butole
Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering college
Aurangabad, Maharashtra, 431003

Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION:-

1.1 Introduction to six sigma

Six Sigma is a philosophy based on setting attainable short-term goals while
striving for long-term objectives. Six sigma is a highly disciplined approach used to reduce
the process variations to the extent that the level of defects are drastically reduced to less
than 3.4 per million process, product or service opportunities (DPMO). Six Sigma, in many
organizations, simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. Six Sigma
is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects (driving
towards six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit) in
any process; from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service and also in
construction processes. The Six Sigma method allows us to draw comparisons to other
similar or dissimilar products, services, and processes. In this manner, we can see how far
ahead or behind we are. Six Sigma helps us to establish our course and gauge our pace in
the race for total customer satisfaction.
Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process that helps us focus on developing and
delivering near-perfect products and services. Why Sigma? The word is a statistical term
that measures how far a given process deviates from perfection. The central idea behind
Six Sigma is that if you can measure how many defects you have in a process, you can
systematically figure out how to eliminate them and get as close to zero defects as
possible. In construction field Six Sigma is used specially to prevent wastage during various
construction processes by finding the root causes for wastages and rectifying the same.
The aim of this project to use Six Sigma methodology in construction field so as to
improve construction processes and minimize wastages occurring in various construction
processes so as to increase profit while maintaining the quality standards in construction.
1

1.2 SIX SIGMA PERPECTIVES:

1. Statistical approach.
2. Quality conscious approach combined with profit.
3. Customer satisfaction approach.
Process capability is defined as the probability of a product or service or process meeting
customer requirements. The process capability index is defined as allowable process
spread over actual process spread.
Thus:
Cp = (USL LSL)/6
Where, USL and LSL are the process upper and lower specification limits. A threesigma process (normally distributed) gives a Cp of 1.0 with 66,807 defects per million
opportunities. In contrast, a six-sigma process will give a rate of only 3.4 p.p.m. outside the
limits. The higher the Sigma level, the less likely a process is to create defective parts.This
is a normal distribution curve which shows number of parts falling within and outside the
control limits (as shown in fig.1).

USL

LSL

1.3 HISTORY OF SIX SIGMA:The roots of Six Sigma as a measurement standard can be traced back to Carl
Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) who introduced the concept of the normal curve. Six Sigma as
a measurement standard in product variation can be traced back to the 1920s when Walter
Shewhart showed that three sigma from the mean is the point where a process requires
correction. Many measurement standards (Cpk, Zero Defects, etc.) later came on the scene
but credit for coining the term Six Sigma goes to a Motorola engineer named Bill Smith.
About Bill Smith:
Bill Smith is a key person in inventing Six Sigma concept though many news media
ignore his contribution. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1929, Bill Smith graduated from the
U.S. Naval Academy in 1952 and studied at the University of Minnesota School of Business.
In 1980s, after working for nearly 35 years in engineering and quality assurance, he joined
Motorola, serving as senior quality engineer for the Land Mobile Products Sector. He
passed away after a heart attack in early 90s and Bill Smith is recognized as "The father of
Six Sigma" for his great contribution to the quality's evolution journey.}
In the early and mid-1980s with Chairman Bob Galvin at the helm, Motorola
engineers decided that the traditional quality levels measuring defects in thousands of
opportunities didnt provide enough granularity. Instead, they wanted to measure the
defects per million opportunities. Motorola developed this new standard and created the
methodology and needed cultural change associated with it. Six Sigma helped Motorola
realize powerful bottom-line results in their organization in fact, they documented more
than $16 Billion in savings as a result of our Six Sigma efforts.
Since then, hundreds of companies around the world have adopted Six Sigma as a
way of doing business. This is a direct result of many of Americas leaders openly praising
the benefits of Six Sigma. Leaders such as Larry Bossidy of Allied Signal (now Honeywell),
and Jack Welch of General Electric Company.
GE saved $12 billion over five years and added $1 to its earnings per share.
Honeywell (Allied Signal) recorded more than $800 million in savings.

1.4 MOTIVATION AND NEED OF THE PROJECT:-

The construction industry of India is an important indicator of the development as it

creates investment opportunities across various related sectors. The construction industry
has contributed an estimated 6708 billion to the national GDP in 2011-12 (a share of
around 9%). Civil or Construction is the oldest known engineering field. But still there is no
standard procedure followed while constructing buildings.
Unlike other engineering departments like mechanical, electrical, computer science,
etc where implementation by design is given high importance and a standard procedure is
followed during the work as given by the engineer, construction works or processes have no
standard procedure to follow and implementation according to the design given by the
engineer is merely followed practically on site.
The design of the building is always done precisely with the use of latest software
and techniques but the proper implementation of this design is where civil work fails to keep
the precision and hence problems like over use of materials and wastages of material are
faced by various construction companies. This leads to decrease in profits for the
constructing companies which the companies try to keep constant by increasing prices of
the units of the building which leads to customer dis-satisfaction and less sale of building
units which ultimately leads to less overall profits for the company or the builder or the
owner.
Hence, this project aims to solve the problems mentioned above by using Six
Sigma methodology in construction field so as to improve construction processes and
minimize wastages occurring in various construction processes so as to increase profit
while maintaining the quality standards in construction.

Chapter 2 Literature Overview

1: Minimizing waste in construction using Six sigma principles

Project by: Sunil V. Desale and Dr. Sharad V. Deodhar
A case study is carried out in Dhule district in Maharashtra. A Table shows list of prestigious
project and its location along with construction organizations name. So many Works are
going on out of these four organization where selected based on complete availability of
technical data has been taken into consideration who is going to construct residential
bungalow, flat system, and semi Govt.contractor work.

2: Implementing Six sigma in Concrete panel production

Project by: Yong-Woo Kim ,John Hutchison and Seungheon Han
Due to the lack of available information and many organizations reluctance to
disclose Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement Project(PIP) case study, we were able to
study only one case study. The case study is presented in this paper to investigate the Lean
Six Sigma methodology and the implementation in the construction industry. A

brief

description of this case study project is given to provide the context. A description of
the analysis and key findings from this case study is also explained.

3: Improving Precast Production Management

Project by :Luh-Maan Chang*, Chun-Hung Chao, Ya-Hui Lin
Professor, National Taiwan University
The goal of the Six Sigma project is to improve the manufacturing process of precast
column components and achieving savings. The scope is shown including the mold
assembly, the reinforcement cage and embedded assembly, concrete pouring and curing to
the finished product activities, but not includes the banding of the reinforcement cage and
storage of finished products, the above process operated by specific manufacturing crews.

4) Project: Study for Brick Masonary

Project by: Sunil V. Desale and Dr. Sharad V. Deodhar
A case study approach is used to compare the B.B Masonry work, constructed at
two similar, medium sized commercial construction projects located in at Walwadi area of
Dhule city. The objectives of this case study are to qualify the potential benefits. For a
concern site,

Material related problems are identified and linked to the material

management practices. A Study for Brick Masonry is taken.

Chapter 3. DMAIC methodology

3.1 SIX SIGMA METHODOLOGIES:

Balanced Scorecard
Benchmarking
Business Process Management (BPM)
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)
DMAIC
Harada Method
Kaizen
Lean
Metrics
Plan, Do, Check, Act
Project Management, etc.
From the following methodologies DMAIC methodology is used in this project for Six Sigma
implementation on an under-construction project or building for its waste management
which is explained below.

3.2 DMAIC METHODOLOGY:DMAIC (an abbreviation for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) refers
to a data-driven improvement cycle used for improving, optimizing and stabilizing business
and construction processes and designs. The DMAIC improvement cycle is the core tool
used to drive Six Sigma projects. However, DMAIC is not exclusive to Six Sigma and can be
used as the framework for other improvement applications.
DMAIC is an abbreviation of the five improvement steps it comprises: Define,
Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. All of the DMAIC process steps are required and
always proceed in the given order.

For a specific time, there were two sites under observation for the implementation of lean
methodology. These two sites are as follows:

Site: A (Lalitya Apartment)

Specifications :
Located in Osmanpura, behind Eknath mandir, Aurangabad
Area of site is 9600sq ft
RCC framed structure, external 6 internal 4 brickwork
G+4 storeyed building

Site: B (Nandanvan Apartment).

Specifications:
Located on Jalna road, opp. of airport, MIDC, Aurangabad.
Area of site is 10,000 Sq. ft
RCC framed structure, external 6 internal 4 brickwork
G+4 storeyed building

Chapter 4 Lean Six Sigma System Development:

4.1 DEFINE:
The purpose of this step is to clearly articulate the business problem, goal, potential
resources, project scope and high-level project timeline. This information is typically
captured within project charter document. Write down what you currently know. Seek to
clarify facts, set objectives and form the project team. Define the following:

A problem

The customer(s)

The target process subject to DMAIC and other related business/construction processes
Project targets or goal
Project boundaries or scope
A project charter is often created and agreed upon during the Define step.

For site A:

Nature of activity : Construction

Dependency : Independent

Organization type : Privet limited.

Problem area: Material wastage.

Define problem: Wastage of materials during construction process.

Tools used: Flow chart, data collection, bar chart, root cause analysis, improvement
chart.

For site B:

Nature of activity: Construction.

Dependency: Independent.

Organization type: Privet limited.

Problem area: Material wastage.

Define problem: Wastage of materials during construction process.

10

Tools used: Flow chart, data collection, bar chart, root cause analysis, improvement
chart.

4.2 MEASURE:
The purpose of this step is to objectively establish current baselines as the basis for
improvement. This is a data collection step, the purpose of which is to establish process
performance baselines. The performance metric baseline(s) from the Measure phase will be
compared to the performance metric at the conclusion of the project to determine objectively
whether significant improvement has been made. The team decides on what should be
measured and how to measure it. It is usual for teams to invest a lot of effort into assessing
the suitability of the proposed measurement systems. Good data is at the heart of the
DMAIC process:

Identify the gap between current and required performance.

Collect data to create a process performance capability baseline for the project metric,
that is, the process.
Assess the measurement system for adequate accuracy and precision.
Establish a high level process flow baseline. Additional detail can be filled in later.

For specific time, all data available for two sites was collected. For successful adopting
of lean methodology, it is most important job to find estimation and costing of project.
Monthly interval for selected 3 materials, viz., AAC blocks, cement, steel was made for
knowing their actual demand and total use. All data is collected and presented in a wellmannered tabular form as shown below.

TOOLS FOR MEASUREMENT:

Process Flowchart
Data Collection Plan/Example
Benchmarking
Measurement System Analysis/Gage R&R
Voice of the Customer Gathering
Process Sigma Calculation

11

Problem definition: Wastage of AAC blocks during construction.

Site: A
Table 1
DESCRIPTION

Decemb
er
2014

Januar Februar Marc

y
y
h
2015
2015
2015

April May
201 2015
5

Total

ESTIMATE

575

1321

1948

648

167
0

980

7142

TRANSPORTATIO 3
N DAMAGE

136

46

23

12

224

USED

557

1284

1902

634

163
9

963

6979

ON SITE
DAMAGE

18

30

46

14

31

17

156

% WASTE

3.13%

2.3%

2.3%

2.16
%

1.8
%

1.73
%

2.18
%

12

Problem definition: Wastage of AAC blocks during construction.

Site: B
Table 2
DESCRIPTION

Decemb
er
2014

Januar Februar Marc

y
y
h
2015
2015
2015

April
2015

May Total
2015

ESTIMATE

1072

900

600

750

380

450

4152

TRANSPORTATI
ON DAMAGE

11

19

57

1051

871

592

740

376

446

4076

21

29

10

76

1.95%

3.22%

1.33%

1.34
%

1.05
%

0.89
%

1.83
%

USED

ON SITE
DAMAGE

% WASTE

13

Problem definition: Wastage of cement during construction.

Site: A
Table 3
DESCRIPTIO
N

Decembe
r
2014

Januar
y
2015

Februar
y
2015

March
2015

April
2015

May Total
2015

ESTIMATE

370
bags

340
bags

710
bags

240
bags

680
bags

180 2520
bags

USED

350
bags

335
bags

685
Bags

238
bags

676
bags

179 2463
bags

WASTED

3.5
bags

2
bags

5.5
bags

1.39
bags

3.33
bags

1
bag

16.72

% WASTE

1%

0.58%

0.77%

0.57
%

0.49
%

0.5
%

0.66
%

14

Problem definition: Wastage of cement during construction.

Site: B

DESCRIPTION

December January February March

2014
2015
2015
2015

ESTIMATE

200

520

650

1370 400

120

2970

USED

200

460

380

1040 360

120

2560

WASTED

Nominal 1.6

4.6

Nominal11

% WASTE

0.32% 0.48%

15

April May
2015 2015

1.44

0.43% 0.36%

Total

0.37%

Table 4
Problem definition: Wastage of steel during construction.
Site: A
Table 5

DESCRIPTION

December January February March

2014
2015
2015
2015

April
2015

May

Total

2015

ESTIMATE 3050 kg

3092 kg 4585 kg

2065
kg

3563
kg

1500 17855
kg
kg

Wastage

5 kg

2.5kg

12kg

4kg

5kg

1kg

29.5
kg

% WASTE

0.16

0.08

0.28

0.19

0.15

0.06

0.17
%

16

Problem definition: Wastage of steel during construction.

Site: B
Table 6

DESCRIPTION

December January February March April

May
2014
2015
2015
2015 2015
2015

ESTIMATE 5394 kg

950 kg

6885 kg

1000
kg

Wastage

13 kg

4 kg

26 kg

% WASTE

0.24

0.42

0.38

17

7130
kg

Total

4960
kg

26319
kg

3.2 kg 19.2
kg

8 kg

73.4
kg

0.32

0.16

0.27
%

0.27

Chapter 5 Performance Analysis

5.1 Analyse:
The purpose of this step is to identify, validate and select root cause for elimination. A
large number of potential root causes (process inputs, X) of the project problem are
identified via root cause analysis (for example a fishbone diagram). The top 3-4 potential
root causes are selected using multi-voting or other consensus tool for further validation. A
data collection plan is created and data are collected to establish the relative contribution of
each root causes to the project metric, Y. This process is repeated until "valid" root causes
can be identified. Within Six Sigma, often complex analysis tools are used. However, it is
acceptable to use basic tools if these are appropriate. Of the "validated" root causes, all or
some can be

List and prioritize potential causes of the problem

Prioritize the root causes (key process inputs) to pursue in the Improve step
Identify how the process inputs (Xs) affect the process outputs (Ys). Data is analyzed to
understand the magnitude of contribution of each root cause, X, to the project metric, Y.
Statistical tests using p-values accompanied by Histograms, Pareto charts, and line
plots are often used to do this.

Detailed process maps can be created to help pin-point where in the process the root
causes reside, and what might be contributing to the occurrence. Analysing the time lapsed
for the construction and identification of the ways to eliminate gap between the current
performance of the system or process and the desired goal. Improving the top causes
identified in the Analyse phase, with the intent of either controlling or eliminating those
causes to achieve breakthrough performance. This step use creative ways to find new
ways to do things better, cheaper or faster.

TOOLS FOR ANALYSE:

Histogram
Pareto Chart
Time Series/Run Chart
Scatter Plot
Regression Analysis
Cause and Effect/Fishbone Diagram
5 Whys
Process Map Review and Analysis
Statistical Analysis
18

Hypothesis Testing (Continuous and Discrete)

Non-Normal Data Analysis
Qualitative analysis:
Asked for expert advice, on site investigation, investigate best practices through
benchmarking, fishbone analysis.
Graphical analysis:
Analyse historical data using box plots.
Pareto plots to identify the potential inputs
Risk analysis:
Failure mode effect analysis(FMEA)

19

For site A problem analysis of AAC block wastage is as follows:

This whole root cause description is dependent on reason analysis. It includes following
reasoning:

1. AAC blocks transportation damage

WHY?
-Type of vehicle used is not suitable for proper transportation (vehicle)
- Blocks are originally transported from Nasik.(Distance)
(cannot be controlled or changed)

2. AAC blocks on site damage

WHY?
- Blocks are not properly loaded and placed.(unloading)
- Improper way of stacking of blocks & careless handling. (storage and handling)
- Less supervision on labours.

For site B problem analysis of AAC block wastage is as follows:

20

Site: B
On site

Transportation

Handling
Vehicle
Route

Storage
Supervision

Distance
Damaged

Careless use
Design
change

Brickwork

Wastage of
AAC blocks

Lack of Skills
Labour

This whole root cause description is dependent on reason analysis. It includes following
reasoning:

1. AAC blocks transportation damage

WHY?
-Type of vehicle used is not suitable for proper transportation (vehicle)
- Blocks are originally transported from Nasik.(Distance)

2. AAC blocks on site damage

WHY?
-Changes made to design while construction was in progress. (Brickwork)
-Blocks are not properly loaded and placed.
- Improper way of stacking of blocks & careless handling.

21

22

For site A problem analysis of cement wastage is as follows:

Site: A
Climate

CAUSE ANALYSIS

Over ordering

Labour tendency to use

more concrete while
concreting

Wastage of
CEMENT

Improper
storage

Lack of good
supervision

Loss during
concreting

This whole root cause description is dependent on reason analysis. It includes following
reasoning:

Cement wastage on site

WHY?
- Due to sudden rainfall and improper storage of cement bags, resulted in watering effect on
cement. (Climate change )
- Labour uses more cement while concreting. (Labour tendency )
- Ignoring measuring in design. (Over ordering )

23

For site B problem analysis of cement wastage is as follows:

Site: B

Unmeasured
use

CAUSE ANALYSIS

On site
Handling
Storage
Wastage of
CEMENT

Lack of skill

Tendency to
use more
concrete

labour

Cement wastage on site

WHY?
- Unavailability of proper shed for cement . (Storage, handling )
- Labour uses more cement while concreting. (Labour tendency )
- Ignoring measuring in design. (Over ordering )

24

25

For site A problem analysis of steel wastage is as follows:

Site: A
Ignorance in
design

CAUSE ANALYSIS

Over ordering

CUTTING WASTE

Wastage of
STEEL

Lack of good
supervision

No availability of
PRECISED record

This whole root cause description is dependent on reason analysis. It includes following
reasoning:

Steel wastage on site

WHY?
- Steel design of building was not properly checked. (Ignorance in design)
- Ignoring measuring in design. (Cutting waste)
- Ignoring steel design resulted in extra order. (Over ordering)

26

For site B problem analysis of steel wastage is as follows:

Site: B
Ignorance in
design

CAUSE ANALYSIS

Designing more than

sufficient.

Wastage of
STEEL

Lack of good
supervision

CUTTING WASTE

This whole root cause description is dependent on reason analysis. It includes following
reasoning:

Steel wastage on site

WHY?
- Steel design of building was not properly checked. (Ignorance in design)
- Ignoring measuring in design. (Cutting waste)
- Ignoring steel design resulted in extra order. (Over ordering)

27

28

5.2 IMPROVE:
The purpose of this step is to identify, test and implement a solution to the problem; in
part or in whole. Identify creative solutions to eliminate the key root causes in order to fix
and prevent process problems. Use brainstorming or techniques like Six Thinking
Hats and Random Word. Some projects can utilize complex analysis tools like DOE (Design
of Experiments), but try to focus on obvious solutions if these are apparent.

Create innovative solutions

Focus on the simplest and easiest solutions
Test solutions using Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle
Based on PDCA results, attempt to anticipate any avoidable risks associated with the
"improvement" using FMEA
Create a detailed implementation plan
Deploy improvements

Designing the factors to be improved and implemented such as Cement ,Bricks,

Formwork, Reinforcement and Labour. Measuring the losses and variation using the
methodology so as to rectify it further for minimum wastage.
An action plan is proposed to improve the current system of construction. Therefore, an
Expert Supervisor is appointed, to supervise and implement the action plan at the
construction site.However, practically it is impossible to rectify wastage @ 100%

29

SITE A : Action Plan (Material AAC blocks )

Monthly action plan was made for improvement as follows.

Month- December 2014

Due to improper handling and stacking of blocks, 18 blocks out of 575 i.e., 3.13% were
damaged in this month.
Therefore, instructions were given to labour to handle blocks properly.

Month January 2015

In this month, out of 532 blocks, 126 blocks were broken in transportation.
Therefore, supervisor was advised that, such amount of broken blocks should not be
accepted and returned back to consigner. Also, these 126 broken blocks must be stacked
separately and labours were instructed to use these blocks first.

Month- February 2015

In this month out of 1948 blocks, 46 blocks were damaged.
Hence about 2.3% waste occurred.
Therefore, supervisor was suggested to guide labour about handling of AAC blocks.

Month- March 2015

In the month of March out of 648 bricks only 14 bricks were broken. This is a less amount of
wastage as compared to previous month as the percentage wasted is 2.16% .As the
estimate was less the delivery was made with other materials which damaged few blocks.

Month- April-May 2015

As per the measurement chart, only 48 blocks were broken but not totally damaged out of
2650 blocks, which is a very significant reduction in wastage as compared in previous
month. Here the lean methodology was applied throughout the construction activity and thus
only 1.8% of damage occurred.
30

SITE A : Action Plan (Material Cement )

Month- December 2014

In this month, out of 370 estimated cement bags, 350 bags were used with wastage of 3.5
bags. Hence, about 1% wastage of cement occurred due to use of cement without
measuring by labour and without knowing sufficient amount needed.
Therefore, supervisor at the site was suggested to give proper knowledge to labour for use
of cement. Also labour were suggested to use only necessary amount of cement.

Month January 2015

In this month, out of 340 estimated cement bags, 335 bags were used with wastage of 2
cement bags. Hence about 0.58% wastage occurred. Though, labour was suggested to use
particular amount of cement, unfortunately 2 bags wasted.
Therefore, strict suggestions were given to labour about sufficient amount of use.

Month- February 2015

In this month the percentage wastage was increased from 0.58% to 0.77% due to the
delayed in work and some minor issues with the construction activities. To avoid these
problems the supervisor and site engineer was given a qualitative checklist and lean
procedure which can help to create a work structure.

Month- March 2015

In this month the wastage was reduced from 0.77% to 0.57%. An assessment was done to
check whether the procedure was followed by the supervisor and the checklist was
redesigned eliminating the errors.

Month- April-May 2015

In these months the percentage of waste was reduced to 0.5% which was marked as
optimum level of reduction as further reduction would lead to economic and time loss rather
which outcomes the gain. Hence, the supervisor was advised to operate under that system.

31

SITE A : Action Plan (Material Steel )

Month- December 2014

In this month, out of 3050kg of estimated steel, total 2853 kg of steel was used with 5 kg of
wastage. About 0.16% waste.

Month January to February 2015

In this month, out of 3092 kg of steel estimated, 3080 kg of steel was used with 2.5 kg
wastage. About 0.08% waste.
REASONSCutting waste occurred while using steel in construction which is unavoidable.

Month- March-June 2015

From the previous months it was observed that the loss of time required to manage the
cutting waste of steel was not worth the economic gain. Hence, a rather alternative was
chosen which included to perform the reuse of steel. This was done by using the remaining
steel in various construction activities.

32

SITE B : Action Plan (Material AAC blocks )

Month- December 2014
Out of 1072 blocks 21 blocks were damaged during the construction process i.e 1.95% of
blocks were wasted.
Blocks were wasted due to bad adjustments in blocks as the wall sizes were not in standard
dimensions.
Hence, it was suggested to use good quality of cutting machine for less broken pieces.

Month- January 2015

Out of 900 blocks 29 blocks were damaged (i.e.3.22%) because, some portion was required
to deconstruct due to change in the design plan.
Hence the designer was advised to thorough the design plan and supervisor was advised to
check the design plan regularly. In addition to this , the broken block pieces were piled at
one single place and labours were instructed to use these blocks if suitable and not to cut
the fresh blocks.

Month- Feburary2015
As compared to analysis of previous month and its improvement, only 8 blocks were
damaged out of 600 blocks i.e. 1.33% wastage.
In this improvement phase, the labors were instructed to handle and store the bricks
properly.

Month- March 2015

The wastage percentage remained unchanged so a procedure and checklist was prepared
and the supervisor was advised to follow it to reduce more amount of wastage.

Month- April-May 2015

In these two months, due to the use of lean system given to the supervisor, a significant
results were observed as only 1% wastage occurred in the construction activity. Also
33

attempt was made to use all the damaged and non-useful blocks for waterproofing. This
system was advised to keep operating in future work.

SITE B : Action Plan

(Material Cement )

Month- December 2014:

In this month, out of 200 estimated cement bags. As per information given site engineer
approximately 200 bags were used with nominal waste.

Month- January 2015 :Here out of 520 cement bags 460 bags were used and half bag was wasted due to nonmeasurement use of cement.
Hence, supervisor was suggested to instruct the labours to use cement by measuring it do
decrease the over use of cement.

Month-February 2015 :
In this month, out of 650 bags 3bags were wasted from which 2bags were wasted due to
unpredicted rainfall, because proper ground protection from water entering in the shelter
was not provided.

Month- March-June 2015

In these months, the prepared system and checklist proved a useful way to reduce the
wastage as the total wastage was observed to be only 0.37% .Hence this was marked as
the optimum wastage reduction. The engineer was advised to manage the inventory control
for further easy assessment of the work.

34

5.3 Control :
Control:
The purpose of this step is to sustain the gains. Monitor the improvements to ensure
continued and sustainable success. Create a control plan. Update documents,
business process and training records as required.
A Control chart can be useful during the Control stage to assess the stability of the
improvements over time by serving as guide to continue monitoring the process and
provide a response plan for each of the measures being monitored in case the
process becomes unstable.
Control phase is about sustaining the changes made in the Improve phase to
guarantee lasting results. The best controls are those that require no
monitoring.Controls are required to ensure that the improvements are
maintained over time.

A check list is prepared which determines total improvement.

Choose type of construction Small scale

Medium scale

Large scale

Small scale projects

Define material and its specifications

Bought material should satisfy specific limits

Transportation of materials
35

Distance between site and supplier should be minimum as possible. If possible, stable
vehicle should be preferred for transportation.

Contract
As far as possible, contract should be taken without material; materials which satisfy
specification should be provided with optimum cost.
If not possible, the quality of materials should be checked thoroughly according to its
specifications.

On site
Due to being a small scale project, if latest equipments are not available, then skilled labour
should be preferred so as to minimize waste due to delay mistakes and overuse.

On site usage of materials

1. BRICKS
Choosing type of bricks
Machine made AAC blocks/ bricks are more preferred than handmade red bricks.
Stacking of bricks
1. Stacking in pile formation
2. Providing appropriate shelter
3. Stacking near to working area

Prefer use of cutting machine for bricks than normal cutting.

36

As per the requirement, prefer use of broken bricks instead of fresh ones.

Reuse of broken bricks pieces :

Reuse of AAC blocks

Small broken pieces of AAC blocks should be used for PCC flooring.

Reuse of red bricks Small broken pieces of red bricks should be used for waterproofing
purposes.

2. CEMENT
Stacking of cement
1. Cement should be stacked on higher ground.
2. Appropriate arrangements must be made under cement bags to avoid contact with
water. For ex. Place cement bags over bamboos to prevent contact from water
beneath it.
Handling of cement
Place plastic sheet below cement bags to avoid wastage of cement while handling.

Avoiding overuse of cement

To maintain M15 grade mix design (1:2:4), it is advised that 6 liter tub must be used for
concrete proportion to avoid overuse of cement annually.

3. STEEL
Precise design estimation of steel requirement so as to order the steel accordingly.

37

Specify the order of steel bar length 32 feet or 30 feet only.

Reuse of steel cutting wastage

The steel wastage from cutting can be used for construction of lintels and compound walls.
It is recommended to use steel rapidly and order accordingly to avoid rusting of steel.

Medium scale projects

Define materials and their specifications.

Materials satisfying the specific limits should be bought. Most minimum costing brand with
satisfying specification should be used.
Transportation of materials
Truck for transporting materials is recommended. If not, possible, then tractor
with 2 axle is preferred.
If received materials like bricks are broken more than 15% of ordered quantity
then consignment should not be accepted and returned to consigner.

Contract
As far as possible, contract should be taken without material; materials which satisfy
specification should be provided with optimum cost.
If not possible, the quality of materials should be checked thoroughly according to its
specifications.

On site
Machines such as mixer, material lift, vibrators etc. should be used. Skilled labour to
avoid mistakes and delay.
38

On site usage of materials

1. BRICKS
Choosing type of bricks
Machine made AAC blocks / bricks are more preferable than handmade red
bricks.

Stacking of bricks
1. Stacking in pile formation
2. Providing appropriate shelter
3. Stacking near to working area

Handling of bricks
Circulation of bricks within the site should be carefully done and handled. If
possible, instrument should be used.

Reuse of broken bricks

Small broken pieces of AAC blocks should be used for PCC flooring and compound wall.

2. CEMENT
Stacking of cement bags
1. Cement should be stacked on higher ground.
2. Appropriate arrangements must be made under cement bags to avoid contact with
water. For ex. Place cement bags over bamboos to prevent contact from water
beneath it.
39

Handling of cement
Place plastic sheet below cement bags to avoid wastage of cement while handling.

Avoiding overuse of cement

To maintain M15 grade mix design (1:2:4), it is advised that 6 liter tub must be used for
concrete proportion to avoid overuse of cement annually.
Preparation of cement concrete shall be restricted to anticipated daily usage Release of
cement to labour shall be controlled by the site in-charge on daily consumption basis.

3.STEEL
Specify the order of steel bars of length 40 feet and 32 feet only. Rest is same as small
scale construction.
Usage of steel shall be planned and executed by site in-charge to minimize wastage. As
and when smaller length pieces of steel are available to meet the requirement, the same
shall be used rather than cutting from long pieces. This requires effective control and
monitoring by site in-charge.
Instructions to Contractor:
1. Provision of waste reduction training to on-site staff is also considered important in raising
environmental awareness and helping site staff generating a better working procedure to
reduce generation of materials wastage.
2. Use suitable, safe and secure storage For trades or materials where just in time
deliveries cannot be set up, suitable, safe and secure storage should be provided so that
damage during storage and moves is avoided.
3. Consider mechanical systems and machinery for moving materials This is particular
useful for trades where materials are delivered in large quantities ( brickwork, block work).
4. By using mechanical handling of materials damage and loss during materials movement
on site is minimised.
5. Consider off site construction Off site construction of elements is becoming a popular
method to improve efficiency and quality. Offsite construction minimises the amount of work
required on Site and in particular reduces wastage.

40

6. Programme and monitor construction activities This can be achieved by creating

procedure which allows monitoring of performance and control of the construction process.
Project management activities should also include regular reviews of the materials
management process. Planning work helps in fast competition of project.
7. Use packaging in an efficient way Contractors and sub-contractors should investigate
ways of packaging. Where possible, take back schemes for packaging unused materials.

41

Qualitative Checklist

Focus on: Producing an accurate estimate of the materials required for the project as this
is the first step in avoiding unnecessary waste.
Think about: Ways to ensure accurate estimates includes obtaining robust and reliable
Information and using this information to produce accurate measures
How was the material
quantity calculated?

CAD take-off
Measure from printed
drawings
Cost plan / BQ quantity
Site measurement
Other (please specify)

Remarks

Focus on: The waste allowance can be split between design waste (i.e. off cuts) and
construction process waste. By doing this, more accurate estimates can be
made, resulting in tighter material ordering and more focused mitigating actions.
Think about: Using accurate material estimates, what are the factors that generate waste
and how they relate to design and/or the construction process

How was the allowance for

construction process waste
developed?

Are there opportunities to

reduce this wastage
through
the construction process? If
so, what are they?

Based on historical data

Personal experience
Other (Please identify)

Remarks

Remarks
Yes.......................
No........................

42

Focus on: Identifying the largest contributors to waste specific to this project and in
identifying
ways to reduce this waste with minimal effort.
Think about: How opportunities to reduce waste can be achieved

To what extent do the

following factors influence
the
waste allowance and why

1 - Material delivery

Remarks

2- On site storage
3- Co-ordination &
sequencing
4- Complexity of design
5- Rework
6- Design changes
7 - Others (please list)
...................................

Focus on: How to minimise the quantity of materials which are unused.
Think about: How to reuse or recycle materials that are left over after work is completed.
What will be done with
unused materials?

Returned to supplier
Taken away by subcontractor
Given away
Recycled

Remarks

What will be done with

damaged materials?

Recycled
Sent to landfill
Other

Remarks

43

Focus on: How work is planned to avoid damage and rework.

Think about: Who takes responsibility for reducing waste.
Is work programmed in a
way that avoids
damage and rework?

Responsibility

Does the programme

include project reviews
that require waste
performance assessments?
Are procedures in place to
record the causes
of waste on site and prompt
effective actions?
Is training in place to
educate people on how
to reduce waste?

44

Remarks

Various planned flow chart were provided for both sites for all materials.
For both sites flow chart for reducing AAC blocks wastage is as followsTRANSPORTATION OF MATERIAL

UNLOADING MATERIAL

LARGE AMOUNT OF BROKEN

BLOCKS

YES

NO

RETURN TO THE CONSIGNER

Supervised handling

Proper cutting (use of machine)

Stacking of blocks at particular

place

Reuse of cut block

45

For both sites flow chart for reducing cement wastage is as

follows-

ACCURATE DESIGN CHECK

PROPER DEMAND OF CEMENT

SUPERVISED PROCEDURE

DAILY OBSERVATION

SUFFICENT USE WITHOUT HARMING QUALITY

46

For both sites flow chart for reducing steel wastage is as

follows-

DESIGN BY USING MODERN SOFTWARE

PROPER DEMAND OF STEEL

REGULAR RECORD OF STEEL USE

DAILY OBSERVATION

ATTEMPT TO DECREASE CUTTING WASTE

47

Chapter no. 6 Evaluation

6.1 Comparison of work structure before and after the start of the project
From the above data compilation, the wastage of the materials were compared with
the current wastage and the wastage before starting the project. It was found that a major
units of materials wastage was minimized and the lean methodology also proved a
continuum improvement in the ways of material management.
Following data shows us the improvements before starting the project.

BEFORE

AFTER

Broken bricks were discarded

Stacking of broken bricks

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Manual cutting of bricks

Use of machine for cutting

Improper stacking of cement bags

Provision of storage for cement bags

49

Improper stacking of bricks

stack bricks

Proper way to pile and

Mix left unattended led to wastage

Use of machine for mixing

50

Unused damaged bricks left unstacked

Reuse of damaged bricks

The above images shows the implementation of Improvement Phase in Lean

methodology.

6.2 Graphical representation of monthly reduction in wastage

Bar chart showing the reduction of Bricks wastage

3.50%
3.00%
December

2.50%

January
2.00%

Febuary
March

1.50%

April
1.00%

May

0.50%
0.00%
AAC Blocks Site A

AAC Blocks Site B

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Bar chart showing the reduction of Cement wastage

1%
1%
1%
December

1%

January

1%

February

1%

March

0%

April

0%

May

0%
0%
0%
Cement Site A

Cement Site B

6.3 Benefit of the project:

According to the measurement charts and implementation of the solutions, we can

observe the difference of material use in each month. This project has proposed a way to
use the optimum amount of materials and a common framework for almost every
construction activity.
As this project is a Cost-Saving project, it is obvious that it will not be able to trace a hard
benefit. But due to wastage minimization, the original cost of the construction can be
reduced thus increasing the percentage profit. This economic gain is called as Soft benefit.
Hence, in this project an attempt has been made to gain a soft profit.

6.3.1 Bricks
In case of the bricks, the total percentage wastage on site was 3.13% but using the lean
methodology it was reduced to 1.73%, i.e. the current wastage is 45% less than it was
before starting the project. The amount of AAC blocks which were damaged included in the
wastage were used for waterproofing. This makes the total utilization of the blocks, in other
words the amount of blocks which was estimated for the waterproofing was saved and this
is a soft financial benefit which will ultimately sum up along the other materials boosting the
economic gain.

52

6.3.2 Cement
In case of cement, the wastage of cement only occurs due to carelessness and
improper storage of the cement. But the lean methodology has attempted to reduce its
defects and mistakes and the measurement charts show the wastage reduction percentage.
The soft benefit of the cement is hardly makes any difference in the overall economic gain
but it sure makes an impression on the way of the work structure and how it should have
been. Hence, the project focuses on the management of the use of cement and its storage,
because it may not differ much in the profit but if implemented it can sure prevent any
uncertain losses.

6.3.3 Steel
The major amount of loss in steel was occurred due to the cutting of steel. As the
dimensions of the construction may differ respectively it is impossible to manufacture exact
dimension of individual steel requirement. As a result, in this project an attempt has been
made to reuse the steel instead of reducing the wastage technically. In this case, the steel
of appropriate dimensions were used for other construction activities. This helped to
manage the estimate of the steel thus saving the cost of extra steel required for those
activities.

53

Chapter no. 7 Conclusion

The use of Lean six sigma methodology led to the minimization of the wastage of
materials but in addition to that it provided a work breakdown structure which provided as a
common framework for other exercises of the entire project. The complex project had many
activities which was impossible to be managed individually so the qualitative checklist
prepared proved an effective method to manage every aspect of the wastage management.
The proposed method enabled quality assessment of the design and construction
process, which also served as quality assurance method due to the possibility to avoid
potential defects. The use of lean methodology reduced the percentage of wastage in each
parameter thus increasing the percentage profit. Also the materials were salvaged and
reused which is beneficial as environmental point of view. The finished quality was
assessed by the site engineer and effective results were obtained which satisfied the
customer as well as the owner of the project. This method made an excellent use of project
management softwares, project planning, communication and manager role.
It validated that Lean Six Sigma approach can be effectively applied to the
construction industry, not only to reduce the wastage but also to improve the quality and
economic gain.
Hence, the Six Sigma approach may provide to the construction industry for the
pursuit of high level of quality and minimize the wastage beneficial in terms of finance as
well as environment.

7.1 Scope for future work

The aim of this project is the assessment of each and every exercise and
construction activity of the project. Hence, this is a continuous process and it must be
evaluated periodically. The framework given in the Control phase can prove useful in the
assessment of the each aspects of the activities. As this project was only intended for
limited materials that are Bricks, Cement and Steel, but the project manager can perform
this work structure to manage every material used for the construction and ultimately reduce
its wastage and improve the quality of the project.
This work structure can continue until the completion of the project. The manager
can keep records before the use of this method and after the use of the method to compare
the statistics. At the end of the project, the sum of benefited cost will add in the profit
percentage and will show the overall economic gain
54

Chapter 8 References

1. IJETT - Implementation Barriers for Six Sigma in Construction

http://www.ijettjournal.org/archive/ijett-v4i2p218
2. Minimising waste in construction by using lean six sigma by Sunil V. Desale, Dr Sharad
V.Deodhar
http://www.iaeme.com/MasterAdmin/UploadFolder/MINIMISING%20WASTE%20IN%20CONSTRUC
TION%20BY%20USING%20LEAN%20SIX%20SIGMA%20PRINCIPLE%5CMINIMISING%20WAST
E%20IN%20CONSTRUCTION%20BY%20USING%20LEAN%20SIX%20SIGMA%20PRINCIPLE.pd
f

3. Minimising wastage in construction using Lean six sigmahttp://

www.academia.edu/4752273/
MINIMISING_WASTE_IN_CONSTRUCTION_BY_USING_LEAN_SIX_SIGMA_PRINCIPLES

4 Six Sigma-Based Approach to Improve Performance in Construction Operations journal

by Seung Heon Han, M.ASCE; Myung Jin Chae, Ph.D., P.E.; Keon Soon Im, P.E.; and Ho
Dong Ryu
https://notendur.hi.is/aho4/Lesk%C3%BArs%20hj%C3%A1%20Helga/Six%20SigmaBased%20Approach%20to%20Improve%20Performance%20in%20Construction%20Operat
ions.pdf
5 Six sigma in lean construction systems: Opportunities and challenges Tariq S.

Abdulhamid http://leanconstruction.dk/media/16779/SixSigma%20in%20Lean%20Construction%20Systems_Opportunities%20and%20Challenges.
pdf
6 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering, Department of
Civil Engineering,SSVPS Deore College of Engineering,Dhule ,India
http://www.ijetae.com/files/Volume3Issue5/IJETAE_0513_88.pdf

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