Benefits and Difficulties of the Implementation of Lean Construction in the Public Sector: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Lean philosophy has shown successful results in the manufacturing industry since the eighties regarding efficiency, reducing cost and errors. However, the philosophy originated in the private sector, where the work rules are defined by business owners within the framework of some regulation. In the public sector, however, the picture is different. The way of working and carrying out operations and projects is directly defined by regulation, where the owner’s role—as in the private world—is embodied by the entire political system. This article aims to take a comprehensive look at the academic literature on how Lean has been applied in the public sector (LIPS) from a bibliometric perspective and then delve deeper into the concept of lean construction in the public sector (LCPS) through a systematic review. The results give a complete picture of the research in LIPS, revealing that research directions focus on implementing Lean, how it works in the public sector and the human factors involved in its practice and digitalization. Moreover, the advantages and challenges of LCPS have been presented, where again, the human factor is the central concern of researchers.