https://doi.org/10.24928/2021/0178
Construction projects are exposed to a wide diversity of variabilities, which suggests the existence of a correspondent wide diversity of variability coping mechanisms, whether they are designed or not. This wide diversity is not properly accounted for by the concept of buffer, as it neglects the social and informal dimensions of coping with variability. The use of the concept of slack is proposed as an alternative. A companion IGLC 29 paper defines slack and discusses its relationships with proxy concepts such as flexibility and resilience. This paper presents nine practical examples of slack in managerial processes and topics that are of interest for the lean construction community. These examples suggest that, while slack has been concealed by the lack of theorization and consistent terminology, it is ubiquitous in lean construction. Opportunities for future studies are outlined
Slack, complexity, concept map
Saurin, T. A. , Viana, D. D. , Formoso, C. T. , Tommelein, I. D. , Koskela, L. , Fireman, M. , Barth, K. , Bataglin, F. , Coelho, R. , Singh, V. , Zani, C. , Ransolin, N. & Disconzi, C. G. 2021. Slack in Construction - Part 2: Practical Applications, Proc. 29th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) , 197-206. doi.org/10.24928/2021/0178 a >
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