Chapter 10
Lean Design
Better, Faster, and Cheaper
In recent years, health systems have partnered with their architects and construction builders to embrace “Lean design” principles and practices. It is possible to build, renovate, or finish out spaces in a way that breaks traditional trade-offs. Spaces and buildings can work better (for patients and staff), faster (completed before estimated dates), and cheaper (coming in under budget or less expensive than similar projects). As with anything Lean, these benefits come from engaging people and improving processes, not by cutting corners or somehow limiting the value that is being created.
What problems are being solved with Lean design? For one, traditional design processes don’t involve frontline ...
