A Case Study in Lean Construction: Parsons Electric Company

The adoption of lean at Parsons is strongly apparent. Parsons has developed a mentoring and coaching approach to building continuous improvement into the company's culture. Building upon a strong core of training developed in-house, the principles are embedded in a way that makes them apparent and strongly emphasized while keeping them simple and clear to those that use them. Everyone within the company is expected to be able to explain why they are doing their work and how it relates to value for their customers. Those values are translated into setting practical goals and checking each week, or at the appropriate interval, to assess if you are meeting your goal and fulfilling your duties to your customer and your team. The culture is further enhanced by the high value placed on the craft workforce Parsons engages in their projects. Building relationships with craft, internal teams, and external partners allows Parsons to build trust. Still, that trust is complemented by strong technical planning and execution that justifies the trust they create. The training and mentoring are further embodied in the ongoing pursuit of excellence in the continuous improvement processes. Training everyone in methods from process planning and 5S to takt time provides a rich and consistent toolset that people are empowered and encouraged to use throughout the company.