For a long time, projects were mainly arbitrated through three criteria:
- cost,
- time,
- and technical quality.
Today, that logic is no longer sufficient.
Projects must also integrate:
- carbon impact,
- operating costs,
- sustainability,
- resilience,
- future uses,
- and overall life-cycle performance.
Lean therefore proposes a different approach:
arbitrate projects not only according to immediate cost, but according to the overall value they create over time.
The objective is not to choose the "cheapest" solution.
The objective is to choose the solution that is:
- most coherent,
- most sustainable,
- and strongest in overall performance.
Simple definition
In many traditional projects:
decisions are mainly steered by the initial investment cost.
The problem is that some solutions:
appear economical in the short term,
but later generate:
- high operating costs,
- more maintenance,
- energy losses,
- low adaptability,
- or a significant carbon footprint.
The Lean approach instead seeks to integrate simultaneously:
- target cost,
- operational performance,
- environmental impact,
- constructability,
- future operations,
- and user value.
The project is then steered through a logic of:
- system thinking,
- life cycle,
- and sustainable value creation.
Why it matters
Projects now operate in a context where:
- environmental requirements are increasing,
- resources are becoming more constrained,
- energy costs are changing significantly,
- and user expectations are evolving rapidly.
In this context:
arbitrating only on immediate cost becomes risky.
Some decisions made to "save money" in the short term can:
- strongly degrade future performance,
- increase operating costs,
- reduce building flexibility,
- or generate significant carbon impacts for several decades.
Lean considers that:
the best decisions optimize the overall performance of the system over time.
This requires:
- more visibility,
- more collaboration,
- and a better understanding of the real impacts of trade-offs.
Concrete example
On a hotel project:
two technical solutions are considered for the energy system.
Option A
- lower initial investment,
- but high energy consumption,
- significant maintenance,
- and low scalability.
Option B
- higher initial cost,
- but better energy efficiency,
- lower operating costs,
- reduced carbon emissions,
- improved comfort,
- and simplified maintenance.
In a classic logic:
Option A could be preferred to respect the initial budget.
In a Lean value-oriented logic:
- the project analyzes:
- global cost,
- life span,
- operations,
- uses,
- and environmental impacts.
The final choice then becomes:
- more coherent,
- more sustainable,
- and stronger in overall performance.
Common mistakes
Arbitrating only on initial cost
Major costs often appear after project handover.
Separating economic and environmental performance
The two dimensions are increasingly interdependent.
Integrating carbon too late
Major decisions are often made in the earliest design phases.
Working in silos
Trade-offs become more relevant when:
- operations,
- maintenance,
- construction,
- and design
are aligned.
Looking for "perfect" solutions
Lean mainly seeks:
- robust compromises,
- coherent with the project's overall value.
Indicators to track
Several indicators can be used to steer these trade-offs:
- Target cost adherence
- Life-cycle global cost
- Carbon footprint
- Energy performance
- Estimated operating cost
- Maintainability
- Future flexibility
- User satisfaction
- Level of constructability
- Cost variability
- Equipment durability
- Return on investment time
The objective is to measure:
- overall performance,
- not only the project's immediate cost.
Frequently asked questions
Why is initial cost no longer sufficient?
Because it represents only part of the project's real performance over its life span.
Does Lean seek to build "greener"?
Lean mainly seeks to:
- reduce waste,
- improve value,
- and optimize systems sustainably.
Do low-carbon solutions always cost more?
Not necessarily over the full project life cycle.
Why integrate operations from design?
Because operating costs often far exceed the initial construction cost.
What is the link between Lean and sustainability?
Both approaches seek to:
- reduce losses,
- improve resource use,
- and create more sustainable value.
Leanfinity offer link
Lean & Green Performance
Offre Leanfinity Découvrir cette offreLeanfinity supports organizations in:
- integrating carbon issues,
- optimizing project trade-offs,
- value-oriented design,
- and improving overall life-cycle performance.
Our approach aims to build projects that are:
- more coherent,
- more sustainable,
- and stronger economically and operationally.
How it works
Define
Clarify the concept and its role in the operating system.
See
Make flows, constraints, gaps, and interfaces visible.
Act
Turn the principle into concrete routines, decisions, and commitments.
Learn
Measure gaps to improve the system without looking for someone to blame.
The Lean approach to trade-offs is based on several principles.
Define the project's overall value
The project clarifies:
Integrate the life cycle
Decisions take into account:
Evaluate several criteria simultaneously
Trade-offs no longer rely only on:
Explore several solutions
Lean encourages:
Collaborate early
Decisions become more relevant when:
work together from the earliest phases.
Make impacts visible
The project seeks to make visible: