Influence of BIM and Lean on mitigating delay factors in building projects

Building projects are affected by various phenomena that can affect their success and continuity and, in the worst cases, can lead to project abandonment. The delay has been identified as one of the phenomena with the most significant impact and recurrence; therefore, mitigation actions are required. BIM and Lean Construction are two approaches with great potential to mitigate delay-generating factors. However, more studies need to be conducted to analyze their influence on mitigating schedule delays. Considering this gap, this paper focuses on analyzing the influence of Lean Construction tools, and BIM uses that favor mitigating the main factors that generate variations in the construction schedules of residential buildings. The research method was divided into five main stages: (1) Delay factors identification; (2) BIM uses identification; (3) Lean tools identification; (4) questionnaire design, validation, and application; and (5) influence quantitative analysis. A total of 20 delay factors, eight BIM uses, and eight Lean tools were selected. Next, a consultation was conducted with 50 building project managers and two residential building projects were analyzed. The findings show that implementing BIM and Lean tools greatly influences mitigating delay factors such as errors and deficiencies in design documents, inefficient project planning and scheduling, and poor communication and coordination with designers. BIM uses that have a strong influence on reducing delays include 4D construction planning and 4D construction analysis and optimization. In the Lean domain, the Last Planner System (LPS) and collaborative meetings have a high influence on mitigating delays. This study provides valuable insights for construction project managers to improve overall project efficiency by optimizing the implementation of BIM uses and Lean tools.