Home Builder's Guide to Continuous Improvement: Schedule, Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Cost, and Safety

Presenting well-known tools and techniques, the Home Builder's Guide to Continuous Improvement provides important insights and necessary information to reduce cycle time duration and variation in order to improve quality and customer satisfaction and to minimize costs and accidents. Each chapter offers examples based on the authors' personal experience working with builders and trade contractors. Including figures and graphs to enhance the text, this book contains simple language, using residential construction industry terminology to improve understanding of continuous improvement concepts and practices. No previous math background is required, making it suitable for all levels.

Introduction
Purpose of Book
Target Audience
Benefits of the Book
Examples
Book Format
Cycle Time Management
Introduction
Cycle Time Duration
Cycle Time Variation
Lean Construction
Example
Problems
Introduction
Identification
Ranking
Example
Problem Solving
Introduction
Objectives
Methodologies
Example
Dealing with Data
Introduction to Data
Data Accumulation
Data Analysis
Data Patterns
Example
Root Causes
Introduction
Determination
Selection
Examples
Corrective Actions
Introduction
Determination
Selection
Implementation
Example
Problem Follow-Up
Introduction
Data Collection and Analyses
Process Modification
Example
Relationships
Determining Relationships between Data Sets
Linear Relationships
Nonlinear Relationships
Other Relationships
Predicting Linear Relationships
Example
Sampling and Randomization
Background
Convenience Sampling
Judgment Sampling
Types of Random Sampling
Applications of Sampling
Example
Sample Size Determination
Sampling
Sampling Error
Population Proportion
Example: Population Proportion
Population Mean
Example: Population Mean
Software
Introduction
Excel
QI Macro for Excel
Advanced Analytical Software
Design Expert
QFD Software
Microsoft Project
Continuous Improvement Tools and Techniques
Introduction
Data Transformers
Targeted Objectives
Tools and Techniques
Alphabetized List of Continuous Improvement Tools and Techniques
Quality Function Deployment
Introduction
Kano Model
The WHAT–HOW Concept
The House of Quality
Advantages and Limitations of QFD
QFD Software
Example
Design of Experiments
Approaches to Experimental Design
Objectives of DOE
Factorial Designs
Fractional Factorial Designs
Screening Designs
Robust Design/Taguchi Methods
Optimization Designs
Planning and Running DOE
Types of Experiments
Before the Statistician Arrives
Orthogonal Array
Glossary of DOE Terms
Example
Comprehensive Glossary of Continuous Improvement Terms
Pertinent Web Sites Addressing Continuous Improvement