Addressing the performance gap with lean-led design

The “design performance gap” - a situation in which design fails to meet user needs - has been widely discussed in recent years. The problem is related to the fact that designers have insufficient information about user needs. To deal with that, many authors highlighted the importance of involving users during the early stages of the project lifecycle to better identify and manage user requirements and thus generate value. This chapter describes the case study of a hospital megaproject that implemented a participative and inclusive approach, namely Lean-led Design. The objective of this implementation was to ensure efficiency in the delivery of care services by aligning user needs with design solution during the early stages. The chapter offers insights into the Lean-led Design approach in order to handle the project definition complexity of hospitals. This may contribute to enhance the success of other projects.