Achieving a Lean Wayfinding System in Complex Hospital Environments: Design and Through-Life Management
C.N. Rooke1, L.J. Koskela2 & P. Tzortzopoulos3
1Postgraduate Researcher (PhD): School of the Built Environment. The University of Salford Maxwell Building2Professor of Theory based Lean project and production management: School of the Built Environment. The University of Salford Maxwell Building
3Senior Lecturer: School of Built Environment. The university of Salford. Maxwell Building
Abstract
Complex products, such as buildings and other infrastructure, should aim to provide value to the customer over all stages of the product life-cycle. This paper considers some of the challenges associated with maximising customer value when designing, producing, implementing and maintaining a wayfinding system for complex hospital environments. The hypothesis of this paper is that the tri-partite conception of knowledge flow provides a robust evaluative framework for the problems of wayfinding in complex hospital environments. The framework supplements the concepts of information and practice, conventionally applied in knowledge management, with a conception of physical objects and environments as knowledge carrying entities which are constituted, recognised and used in the course of social practice. From a lean perspective, the problems of wayfinding must be reduced or eliminated through adopting a lean knowledge management approach. A review of knowledge management, design, wayfinding and lean literature, together with ongoing participant action research at Salford Royal hospital, are reported in this paper. To ensure that wayfinding information remains immortal throughout the long life cycles of the building, a Through Life Management (TLM) approach is suggested. Thus TLM is viewed as an important consideration in lean construction.
Keywords
Wayfinding, Design, Tri-partite conception of knowledge flow, Lean knowledge management, Unique adequacy
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Reference
Rooke, C. , Koskela, L. & Tzortzopoulos, P. 2010. Achieving a Lean Wayfinding System in Complex Hospital Environments: Design and Through-Life Management, 18th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction , 233-242. doi.org/
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