Evaluating a lean construction intervention at vocational high-school: Responses and readiness

Muhammad Sapto Nugroho; Feby Kartika Sari; Darmawan Pontan; Sri Novianthi Pratiwi; Nesya Widiastama; Ananda Maulana Yusuf

doi:10.17509/dedicated.v4i1.657

Authors

Muhammad Sapto Nugroho Universitas Trisakti
Feby Kartika Sari Universitas Trisakti
Darmawan Pontan Universitas Trisakti
Sri Novianthi Pratiwi Universitas Trisakti
Nesya Widiastama Universitas Trisakti
Ananda Maulana Yusuf Universitas Trisakti

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17509/dedicated.v4i1.657

Keywords:

curriculum, last planner system, lean construction, vocational education

Abstract

This study evaluates the contextual relevance of introducing Lean Construction to Vocational High School (SMK) students in Indonesia through a triangulation assessment of student workshop responses, curriculum alignment, and graduate employment data over three years. The novelty of this study lies in the simultaneous assessment of all three dimensions at the vocational education level, a topic that has rarely been addressed in the Lean Construction education literature. A short workshop combining a Lean Construction lecture and a LEGO-based Last Planner System® (LPS) simulation was conducted with 59 12th-grade students in the Building Construction, Sanitation, and Maintenance (KGSP) program at SMKN 26 Jakarta. Results indicated that 98% of students rated Lean Construction as important or very important, and 83.05% expressed interest in learning more. Curriculum analysis of official Learning Outcomes (Capaian Pembelajaran/CP) documents confirmed that Lean principles were not included in Phase E or Phase F Learning Outcomes. Three-year tracer study data (210 graduates from the 2023-2025 cohort) consistently indicated that the construction sector was the primary employment destination for employed graduates. This paper argues that the existing KGSP curriculum provides a strong technical foundation and can be enriched by integrating Lean principles into existing courses, particularly for graduates working in drafter and inspector roles.

References

Aisyah, R. A., & Putra, P. (2024). Towards sustainable lean construction in Indonesian contractor: Effort & learning from PT PP (a Government-Controlled Construction & Investment Company). Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 32), 1(1), 1159-1169.

Aisyah, R. A., Gunawan, K., & Gazali, A. (2023). Lean construction through waste register method: A case studies project in Indonesia. Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 31), 1(1), 1303-1313.

Anggraini, W., Harpito, H., Siska, M., & Novitri, D. (2022). Implementation of lean construction to eliminate waste: A case study construction project in Indonesia. Jurnal Teknik Industri, 23(1), 1-16.

Ariansyah, K., Wismayanti, Y. F., Savitri, R., Listanto, V., Aswin, A., Ahad, M. P. Y., & Cahyarini, B. R. (2024). Comparing labor market performance of vocational and general school graduates in Indonesia: insights from stable and crisis conditions. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 16(1), 5-14.

Ballard, G., & Tommelein, I. (2021). Current process benchmark for the last Planner® system of project planning and control. Lean Construction Journal, 1(1), 53-155.

Bhatnagar, S., Jacob, G., Devkar, G., Rybkowski, Z. K., Arefazar, Y., & Obulam, R. (2023). A systematic review of lean simulation games in the construction industry. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 19(6), 701-719.

Bigwanto, A., Widayati, N., Wibowo, M. A., & Sari, E. M. (2024). Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to measure effectiveness of lean construction in Indonesian project. Sustainability, 16(15), 1-14.

Bigwanto, A., Widayati, N., Wibowo, M. A., & Sari, E. M. (2024). Lean construction: A sustainability operation for government projects. Sustainability, 16(8), 1-16.

Binu, B. S., & Gupta, P. (2024). Awareness of lean construction concepts in the construction industry of the UAE. Lean Construction Journal, 1(1), 59-84.

Carvalho, M. T. M., de Freitas Avelar, A., Renk, M. B., & Oliveira, M. F. (2024). Serious games as a lean construction teaching method - a conceptual framework. European Lean Educator Conference (ELEC), 1(1), 245-254.

Drevland, F. (2022). Teaching university students the last planner system through learning-by-doing. Proceedings of the 30 Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC30), 1(1), 902-912.

Garcés, G., Forcael, E., Osorio, C., Castañeda, K., & Sánchez, O. (2025). Systematic review of lean construction: an approach to sustainability and efficiency in construction management. Journal of Infrastructure Preservation and Resilience, 6(1), 1-28.

Gazali, A., Aisyah, R. A., Maharani, Y., Putra, P., & Ziqri, A. (2025). Bridging theory and practice: Evaluating lean construction with LEGO simulations. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33), 1(1), 1494-1505.

Hariyanto, V. L., Daryono, R. W., Hidayat, N., Hadi Prayitno, S., & Nurtanto, M. (2022). A framework for measuring the level of achievement of vocational students competency of architecture education. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 12(1), 157-165.

Herrera, R. F., Sanz, M. A., Montalbán-Domingo, L., García-Segura, T., & Pellicer, E. (2019). Impact of game-based learning on understanding lean construction principles. Sustainability, 11(19), 1-16.

Ibrahim, A., Abdelkhalek, S., Zayed, T., & Meshref, A. N. (2025). Assessment of lean construction practices in developing countries using fuzzy relative importance index. Engineering Management Journal, 11(1), 1-50.

Lappalainen, E., Ibrahim, H. A., Seppänen, O., & Palsola, I. (2022). Findings on the use of the last planner system—a case study. Proc. 30th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), 1(1), 60-71.

Lappalainen, E., Reinbold, A., & Seppänen, O. (2023). Planned percentage completed in construction - a quantitative review of literature. Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC31), 1(1), 1104-1115.

Leicht, R., & Drevland, F. (2024). Lean construction journal - special issue call for lean education: Principles, practices, and simulations for enhancing lean education and training. Lean Construction Journal, 1(1), 1-13.

Malvik, T. O., Torp, O., & Johansen, A. (2024). Awareness, understanding, and use of lean construction in the Norwegian construction industry. Lean Construction Journal, 1(1), 29-58.

Negi, P., Thakur, G., Singh, R., Gehlot, A., Thakur, A. K., Gupta, L. R., Priyadarshi, N., & Twala, B. (2024). Perception of lean construction implementation barriers in the Indian prefabrication sector. Heliyon, 10(1), 1-21.

Ningrum, M. (2025). Efektivitas kebijakan link and match dalam pendidikan vokasi: Menakar kesiapan lulusan memasuki dunia kerja. Jurnal Ilmu Manajemen dan Pendidikan, 5(1), 51-58.

Nopritinoadi, N., & Rulandari, N. (2026). Implementasi pembelajaran berbasis pabrik dan kemitraan industri sebagai upaya penguatan kesiapan kerja lulusan SMKN 1 Kuala Kurun. Educational Studies and Research Journal, 3(1), 68-82.

Prayuda, H., Monika, F., Cahyati, M. D., Hermansyah, H., Afriandini, B., & Budiman, D. (2021). Critical review on development of lean construction in Indonesia. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Sustainable Innovation 2020-Technology, Engineering and Agriculture (ICoSITEA 2020), 199(1), 83-88.

Sadikoglu, E., Jäger, J., Demirkesen, S., Baier, C., Oprach, S., & Haghsheno, S. (2024). Investigating the Impact of lean leadership on construction project success. Engineering Management Journal, 36(2), 206-220.

Subiyantari, A. R., Gazali, A., Handoyo, S. S., & Arifah, S. (2024). Relevance of building engineering education curriculum towards SKKNI building and construction management competencies. Jurnal PenSil, 13(3), 299-313.

Utami, S., Widarto, W., & Arifah, S. (2022). Relevance employability skills of vocational high school students’ department of sanitation building construction and maintenance in DIY to the construction service industry. Jurnal PenSil, 11(3), 186-196.

Wafae, Q., & Abderazzak, B. (2024). A competency framework in lean context. Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 19(3), 1010-1030.

Watfa, M., & Sawalha, M. (2021). Critical success factors for lean construction: An empirical study in the UAE. Lean Construction Journal, 1(1), 1-17.

Wijayanti, M., & Jaedun, A. (2020). The relevance of civil engineering graduate’s competences to work in construction industry. Jurnal Kependidikan: Penelitian Inovasi Pembelajaran, 3(1), 81-94.

Yoana, Y., Auwalin, I., & Rumayya, R. (2024). The role of vocational education on unemployment in Indonesia. Cogent Education, 11(1), 1-11.