The highway construction industry constantly looks to increase productivity while public transportation agencies face challenges of shrinking budgets and staff numbers, even as the work continues to increase in size and demand. As a paradigm to maximize value and minimize waste with the resources available, Lean offers promise to enhance productivity, quality, and service. This study investigates the implementation of Lean by evaluating Lean conditions, practices, benefits, and challenges as expressed by U.S. and UK public transportation highway agencies as well as comparing the implementation of Lean between these agencies. Using a comprehensive literature review and formal interviews with six state departments of transportation along with Highways England from the UK, the findings show that Lean is intended to make process improvements to boost products and services to consumers. By creating a culture of continuous improvement, transportation agencies can improve their processes and increase their efficiencies and performance. Conversely, transportation agencies struggle to educate their employees and stakeholders in their understanding and practices of Lean, which causes confusion and ineffectiveness. Comparing the U.S. and UK transportation agencies, the approach to Lean implementation differs from a top-down approach for U.S. agencies to a bottom-up approach for Highways England. Furthermore, Highways England has an established tool for measuring Lean while development of quantifiable Lean measures is in its infancy in U.S. agencies. Overall, while the sample is limited, this exploratory study provides information for transportation agencies to use in consideration of implementing Lean.

公路建设行业不断寻求提高生产力，而公共交通机构面临着预算和员工数量缩减的挑战，即使工作规模和需求不断增加。作为利用可用资源最大化价值和最小化浪费的范例，精益承诺提高生产力、质量和服务。本研究通过评估美国和英国公共交通公路机构所表达的精益条件、实践、好处和挑战，以及比较这些机构之间精益的实施情况，来调查精益的实施。使用全面的文献回顾和对六个州交通部门以及来自英国的英格兰公路部门的正式采访，调查结果表明，精益旨在改进流程，以提升为消费者提供的产品和服务。通过营造持续改进的文化，运输机构可以改进流程并提高效率和绩效。相反，运输机构努力教育其员工和利益相关者对精益的理解和实践，这会导致混乱和低效。比较美国和英国的运输机构，精益实施的方法不同于美国机构的自上而下的方法和英格兰公路局的自下而上的方法。此外，英格兰公路局拥有衡量精益的成熟工具，而可量化的精益衡量标准在美国机构中尚处于起步阶段。总的来说，虽然样本有限，