A Framework for Lean Construction Supply Chain; Bibliometric Analysis Approach

Abstract

Lean construction supply chain is a project management technique adopted from the manufacturing sector aimed at improving the performance of the construction industry. However, it’s implementation is confronted with some barriers in the construction industry such as; poor understanding of lean concept and absence of framework explaining the application. Therefore, this study developed a framework for lean construction supply chain adopting a bibliometric analysis approach. Bibliometric analysis is a statistical analysis of articles for revealing the school of thought, issues and problems in an area of study. The articles adopted for the analysis of this study were extracted from Scopus, Google Scholar and other online databases. The retrieved articles were inputted into VOS viewer software to reveal the network analysis. The analysis showed the significant countries and school of thought supporting the lean construction supply chain. The findings from the analysis showed that the construction industry in most African countries is slow towards the adoption of the lean concept. The network analysis showed that the practice of lean construction supply chain revolves around waste reduction, just in time, integration and pre-fabrication. This practice formed the variables used for developing the framework. The study recommends that further research should be conducted to validate the framework developed from the study. The study contributes to improving the practice of lean thinking within the construction industry.