Applying lean concepts in universities: A Simulation-based value stream mapping case Study in construction and technical services

Abstract

In this study, we apply some lean concepts in the maintenance and repair operations performed by the office of construction and technical services in a public university. The customers of these operations include the faculty, staff and students of the university. To create a current state map, we analyzed the process that starts with the maintenance or repair demand of a customer and ends with performing the corresponding maintenance or repair operation by discussing with the responsible staff in the office and analyzing a five-year dataset. The results of the analysis illustrated several facts such as the most used services and technicians, the units of the university demanding the most service etc. In addition, although the types of the services offered by the office were known such as construction, electricity etc., there were no standard definitions for the details of the services. We created a current state map and developed a simulation model to analyze the system, consider different scenarios and help us with the creation of the future state map.