AGC's Certificate of Management - Lean Construction (CM-Lean)
Lean Construction Education Program (LCEP) for construction industry

 

The AGC's Certificate of Management-Lean Construction (CM-Lean) is an assessment-based certificate credential that denotes knowledge and understanding of concepts related to lean adoption, practice and process transformation outlined in AGC’s Lean Construction Education Program (LCEP).

Successful candidates will carry the CM-Lean designation.

Why Lean Construction?

Lean Construction is a set of ideas, practiced by individuals in the construction industry, based in the holistic pursuit of continuous improvements aimed at minimizing costs and maximizing value to clients in all dimensions of the built and natural environment includes planning, design, construction, activation, operations, maintenance, salvaging and recycling.

Everyone related to the construction process has an incentive to get the project done faster and at a lower cost - from the project owners who want to see tangible results for their investment to the contractors and designers who want to do their job well and move on to the next project.

Lean is most effective when embraced by everyone including senior management, all departments of the organization and every stakeholders associated with respective project. Practicing lean can be beneficial for an individual’s work to entire project activities, for vendors to trade partners, clients to end customers, design to supply chain, execution to commissioning processes of our construction projects. Lean is also an individual journey, where every project team members must work together on a daily basis, incorporating lean principles into their most basic work, to see the true benefits of lean.

Several international owner (both from private & public sectors) & contractor organizations incorporated Lean Construction concepts as part of their project delivery strategy to make project planning more predictive and acheive overall reduction of project cost. US and UK are well ahead of the curve in implementing Lean to improve collaboration and project efficiency as per Smart Market Report (2013) by McGraw Hill Construction^[1] . Indian & Middle East companies are practicing Lean Construction for sometime and started reaping the benefits like improved productivity, increased performances etc in their projects.

The International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) 2018 conference conducted in Chennai showcased several success stories of Lean Implementations in India^[2] . ILCE (Institute for Lean Construction Excellence) charter members like L&T Construction, Shapoorji & Pallonji, Afcons, URC Constructions, TATA Housing etc and several other organizations are practicing Lean concepts in their projects.

Premier education institutes like IIT Madras, IIT Mumbai, NICMAR etc incorporated Lean Construction into their curriculum and several researches are happening on the adoption of Lean practices in Planning, Execution, Design, Procurement & Supply Chain aspects of Construction projects.

Lean Construction is already on roll and, as the next phase major construction companies will soon be looking for Lean certified professionals to be part of their project team. Going forward Lean Construction will be the way of working and being a Certified Lean Professional will act as an advantage for positions in construction companies in India & abroad.

What is the CM-Lean Credential?

The AGC's Certificate of Management-Lean Construction (CM-Lean) is an assessment-based certificate credential that denotes knowledge and understanding of concepts related to lean adoption, practice and process transformation outlined in AGC’s Lean Construction Education Program (LCEP). To take the CM-Lean exam, candidates must complete the seven Lean Construction Education Program courses.

Lean Construction Education Program (LCEP)

Lean Construction Institute (LCI), the pioneering institute of Lean globally, has partnered with the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)^[3] to bring Lean education to the global community and to provide a structured learning program cum certification for aspiring Lean Construction practitioners.

To help construction professionals develop the knowledge needed to build lean, AGC has developed the 35 hours Lean Construction Education Program. Construction professionals at all experience levels will learn the building blocks necessary to transform their projects and companies into a lean operating system.

Architect, Designing & Engineering, Consulting, Contracting, Owner and Vendor organization members including project & construction management professionals working in the areas like planning, monitoring & scheduling, design, execution, contract, procurement, quality, tender, billing etc and those who interested to learn Lean Construction concepts, tools & techniques can attend LCEP training to pursue CM-Lean credentials.

Construction professionals working in Real Estate – residential, office & commercial, Infrastructure, Industrial, EPC, Building & Factories, Oil & Gas projects will benefit by gaining knowledge, education & by developing practical skills on Lean Construction concepts.

Unit 1
Variation in Production Systems
 

Details how the fluctuation and deviation (variation) contribute to the problem of workers waiting for works and works waiting for the workers, a typical construction industry challenge and defines Lean Construction strategies to manage & control variations.

Unit 2
Pull in Production
 

Differentiate the current system of releasing work based on predetermined schedule without considering the present status of execution (Push System) against Lean system which release work based on the status of the system and the need for work downstream (Pull System)

Unit 3
Lean Workstructuring
 

Discusses the concepts of pull planning and defines the Lean workstructuring (LWS) for preconstruction and construction phases.

Unit 4
The Last Planner® System
 

The collaborative, commitment based planning system that integrate should-can-will-did planning that produces predictable workflow and rapid learning in construction projects are detailed.

Unit 5
Lean Supply Chain and Assembly
 

Application of Lean strategies to Supply Chain & Assembly and building Lean culture in project as well as organization for waste elimination, continuous flow and site operations pull are elaborated.

Unit 6
Lean Design and Pre-construction
 

Introduction to the concepts of value based management, lean in design processes and relational contracting.

Unit 7
Problem-solving Principles and Tools
 

Introduces the importance of teamwork in solving problems and useful tools to support Lean Construction problem solving processes.

 

CM-Lean Exam Eligibility

 

To take the CM-Lean exam, candidates must successfully complete the seven Lean Construction Education Program courses (taught as per AGC course design by an approved instructor), provide AGC with record of completion and have an approved application in advance of exam administration. The CM-Lean exam is now available ONLINE to all eligible candidates.

 

Cost to earn CM-Lean

 

Participants will need to pay to attend all seven LCEP and the exam fee. The cost of the individual LCEP courses varies by training location but is generally somewhere between $1,400 and $2,400 for all seven courses (includes the cost of course books). And, the fee for the CM-Lean exam is $575
We are exploring the options to offer the LCEP course with competitive pricing for the construction industry in India. Please express your interest to know details.

 

CM-Lean exam format

 

The CM-Lean is a 150 question, multiple-choice exam, derived directly from the LCEP course content. Each question provides four answer options with one correct option. All items on the exam will be scored with the same point value. Four hours will be given to complete the exam and total exam time is calculated in the testing software. The CM-Lean exam is based on learning concepted from within the courses. The 150 questions of the exam can be found within the course materials.

 

CM-Lean Validity & Renewal

 

The CM-Lean credential is valid for three (3) years. The CM-Lean was designed to denote knowledge and understanding of concepts related to Lean Construction adoption, practice and process transformation outlined in AGC’s Lean Construction Education Program. Because Lean Construction concepts are always evolving, individuals need to keep current with these advancements and continue their learning through continuing education. Prior to the three-year anniversary, the CM-Lean holder must submit thirty (30) hours of Lean Construction-related continuing education (CE) hours to renew the CM-Lean credential.

1. ^ https://www.leanconstruction.org/media/docs/Lean_Construction_SMR_2013.pdf

2. ^ https://iglc.net/Papers/Conference/28

3. ^ https://www.leanconstruction.org/learning/education/agc-lean-construction-education-program/

4. https://www.agc.org/learn/education-training/lean-construction/certificate-management-lean-construction

5. https://www.agc.org/learn/education-training/lean-construction/lean-faq

6. https://www.agc.org/leanforum

AGC Resources (Downloads)

a. Lean Construction Education Program Brochure

b. What are the 8 Wastes in Construction?

c. Respect for People

d. Hand-off Commitment Cycle