Lean Office Practices for Architects

About the Book

Lean Office Practices for Architects is a reference book used in the DLR Associates seminar by the same name. A student uses this book along with seminar materials to complete a three day course in Continuing Education. A CD with diagrams, figures and tables support the book when the student begins to learn what lean office practices are and how to preform the cost savings involved with this process. The technique of using a lean process in the practice of architecture is a powerful one. The use of a lap top, wireless routing and portability, on and off the job site is absolutely critical as we enter the last ninety years of this century. I would encourage you, the reader, to skip over those chapters that you have already completed in your study of lean productivity analysis. This reference book was completed after fifteen years of consulting and thirty years of teaching at Clemson University. Whenever I found a "short cut" or a lean process for architects, I put it in a large three ring notebook. This publication is the "best of the notebook".

About the Author

Dan Ryan is presently self-employed as an educational consultant for distance learning. His company began in 1984 after completing a PhD. In 1993, he left Clemson to develop DLR Associates. He is now Professor Emeritus at Clemson. During his thirty year teaching career, Ryan has seen the practice of architecture evolve from simple plotting devices into CAE.  Ryan dedicated his teaching career to seeing that architectural education kept pace with industry's CAE growth. An Iowa native, Ryan attended the UNI where he earned a BA and MA in 1968. In 1968 he became the department head at the newly formed University of Nebraska at Omaha. He advanced within the Nebraska system, becoming the assistant dean in charge of the school of technology. Since moving to Clemson in 1976, Ryan developed several new CAE courses and wrote the textbook for each. As head of the program, Ryan was instrumental in securing improved technology for graphics education. The old mainframe and Calcomp plotter were replaced with new equipment through his efforts (grants and contracts). In 1982, the computer graphics program was tranferred into a new Freshman Engineering program. No longer in charge of the direction or quality of an engineering program or department, Ryan decided that this might be a good time to study for an advanced degree. Two years later Ryan received his PhD. He continued to teach and conduct research into distance education and was invited to present papers at the national distance learning conference held at the University of Maine in 1985,'86 and '87. Through conference contacts, he began doing on-site consulting in distance education and internet course formats. He received a Fulbright Scholarship Nomination from the University of Roorkee, India and was listed in the Who's Who Directory of the computer graphics industry. Danryanbooks@aol.com for contact.