Design and Documentation Quality Problems – A Lean Thinking Opportunity Paul A. Tilley Salford Centre for Research and Innovation in the Built & Human Environment, Salford University Abstract For some time, the construction industry has been portrayed as being uncompetitive and inefficient when compared to other industries. Projects running over budget, over time and plagued with rework, variations and disputation, still occur all too frequently. Poor design and documentation quality standards have often been identified as major contributors to these project ailments. With design and documentation quality having such a major influence on the overall performance and efficiency of construction projects, any improvements can only lead to corresponding improvements in the efficiency of the construction process. In trying to determine the causes of design and documentation deficiencies, a number of studies have identified a variety of external factors; including low design fees, insufficient design time, inexperienced staff, inappropriate procurement methodologies and poor communications, to name a few. Various recommendations aimed at improving design and documentation quality have previously been made, however the majority of these recommendations require industry-wide initiatives and are generally outside the control of the designers themselves. This paper suggests that improving the way in which the design process is managed, may provide more immediate results and enable designers to be more directly involved in improving the quality of their output. Lean Construction is a term used to describe the adoption of “lean production” philosophies to try to improve the efficiency of the construction process and there is a growing volume of literature documenting the success of Lean Construction implementation. By introducing lean production principles to the process of design, it is felt that an improved management strategy can be developed that will improve the quality of design and documentation produced. This paper provides an overview of an ongoing study into “Lean Design Management”, which is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of the design process and improve the quality of its output. Keywords Design Management, Design Quality, Lean Construction, Lean Design Management Introduction For some time, the construction industry has been portrayed as being uncompetitive and inefficient when compared to other industries – like manufacturing – (Latham, 1994; Egan, 1998) with the quality of design and documentation produced being identified as a major contributing factor (Syam, 1995; Tilley & Barton, 1997). In an ideal world, the design and documentation provided for construction projects would be complete, precise and unambiguous. Unfortunately, contractors are often supplied with project documentation that is considered to be substandard or deficient due to incomplete, conflicting or erroneous