Purpose: This paper proposes the adoption of Industry 4.0 (I4) technologies and lean techniques for improving operational performance in the healthcare sector.Design/methodology/approach: The research adopted a systematic literature review and feedback of healthcare professionals to identify the inefficiencies in the current healthcare system. A questionnaire was used to get feedback from the patients and the hospital staff about the current practices and issues, and the expected impact of technology on existing practices. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis.Findings: The results indicate that I4 technologies lead to the improvement of the operational performance, and the perceptions about I4 technologies are made through the pre-medical diagnosis. However, a weak correlation between lean practices and healthcare operational performance compared to that of I4 technologies and operational performance indicate that lean practices are not fully implemented in the Sri Lankan healthcare sector to their full potential.Research limitations/implications: This study is limited to two government hospitals, with insights from only the doctors and nurses in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the study is limited to only selected aspects of I4 technologies (big data, cloud computing and IoT) and lean concepts (value stream mapping and 5S). Therefore, recommendations on the adoption of I4 technologies in the healthcare sector need to be made within the scope of the study investigation.Practical implications: The implementation of I4 technologies needs careful consideration of process improvement as part of the overall plan for achieving the maximum benefits of technology adoption.Originality/value: The findings of the research can be used as a benchmark/guide for other hospitals to explore the adoption of I4 technologies, and how process improvement from lean concepts could influence the overall operational performance.

The aim of this study is to identify practices that would enable building construction companies to adopt agile project management methodologies during the design stage of projects that use building information modelling (BIM) solutions in the designing process. Due to the benefits of agile project management methodologies, a considerable amount of research has been conducted regarding the adoption of this methodology for building construction projects. However, waterfall project management is still more widely used in the building construction industry than agile project management is. Several recent studies claim that firms could focus on adopting agile methodologies during the design stage of a building construction project because due to the advent of BIM software solutions, the design stage can be carried out in a manner such as a software development project. Since software development industry is experiencing a widespread adoption of agile methods, if the design stage of a building construction project can be carried out such as a software development project, then there is a possibility to drive agile adoption in the design stage. Based on this information, researchers found an architectural consultancy firm that has been using a BIM solution to adopt agile project management methodologies in the design stage. The authors carried out a systematic literature review and identified 10 possible practices that might drive the adoption of agile practices. Those practices were presented to the architectural consultancy firm to identify practices that they are using to successfully adopt agile methods. The findings suggest that maintaining a backlog, running sprints, engaging a cross-functional team, continuous integration, and iterative/incremental development of the design are practices that have enabled the firm to adopt agile methods. Practical and theoretical implications were derived from the findings, and suggestions for future research and limitations of the study are discussed in the discussion. Concluding remarks are provided in final section of the paper.

Sustainability is emerging as a main consideration throughout the industrial world due to the environmental pollution and degradation happening in a major scale as a result of industrial wastes while lean management is becoming a popular management tool in minimizing waste. Logistics industry contributes for these issues due to the wastes released in a considerable amount. Experts have highlighted that implementing lean principles in parallel to green concepts is more successful; which could lead to waste and cost reduction. A theoretical gap has been identified in the field of logistics in applying lean and green concepts in the context of Industry 4.0. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to address the identified research gap with the objective of examining the important lean practices and green concepts which are expected to enhance the operational performance of logistics functions. A key word based search, analysis of the topic and abstract, full text review were the steps followed respectively, for selecting the most relevant research papers which have been proven as valid, accepted and published to extract the knowledge for this study. As the major contribution, authors have developed a conceptual framework which focuses on the enhancement of operational performance of logistics operations by applying lean and green concepts with special reference to Industry 4.0 technologies. The results of the study will be beneficial for the LSP as it will suggest the strategies, concepts and techniques to enhance the operational performance of logistics functions.

Healthcare is one of the industries that requires the highest quality services for the wellbeing of the society. Today, the demand for healthcare growing rapidly with increasing aging population, rapid urbanization, changing diets, inactive lifestyles and rising obesity levels. The Industry 4.0 technologies and lean techniques can be used to enhance the operational performance of the healthcare supply chain and the patient flow. This paper examines the factors contributing for the inefficiencies in Sri Lankan Healthcare sector and how the operational performance can be optimized through premedical diagnosis of diseases by incorporating Industry 4.0 technologies and lean techniques. Based on a systematic review of literature and feedback of healthcare professionals, the paper identifies the inefficiencies in the current healthcare system. A conceptual framework has been developed by considering the direct impacts from lean management practices and Industry 4.0 technologies on improving operational performance through pre-medical diagnosis of diseases.Thus, patients can take preventive actions and be more health conscious while the healthcare providers and other related parties can plan their medical services and supporting services for arising health requirements making the healthcare industry much more efficient.