The disciplined adoption of Lean Management has increasingly proven to be the key for small teams to achieve ever more ambitious goals. The career of civil engineer and architect Felipe Portaro Alberto offers a compelling example of this approach in practice. A senior professional specializing in corporate construction and high-complexity projects, Alberto has applied lean principles within major organizations to reduce waste, accelerate delivery timelines, and raise quality standards. From landmark heritage buildings to the revitalization of multinational corporate offices, his work demonstrates how lean methods can transform fragmented processes into cohesive, predictable workflows.
At the core of his operational philosophy lies a simple yet powerful principle: clearly understand what truly adds value for the client—and eliminate everything that distracts from that objective. “Lean isn’t about cutting costs,” Alberto explains. “It’s about removing the obstacles that prevent work from flowing.” His scope of work spans planning and scope definition, supplier audits, and rigorous schedule management. According to him, when every phase of a project is properly mapped and monitored, even small teams can achieve exceptionally high levels of productivity.
This approach has shaped key moments throughout his career. One of the most emblematic examples dates back to 2016, during his tenure at Duraflex Flooring and Coatings. There, Alberto participated in the restoration of flooring in a protected building designed by renowned Brazilian architect Vilanova Artigas, as well as in the renovation of executive areas at UOL’s headquarters on São Paulo’s Faria Lima Avenue. Working in such sensitive environments required strict process standardization, meticulous supply control, and the complete elimination of rework. Lean methods were essential to maintaining predictability in projects where any unplanned intervention could compromise the architectural integrity of the space. “When the workflow is clearly mapped,” he notes, “the team gains confidence—and time stops being the enemy.”
Additional projects highlight the strategic role of lean management in high-profile corporate environments. In 2022, while at CBRE Brazil, Alberto managed the delivery of Google’s final office within the iconic Pátio Malzoni building, as well as the full renovation of the nine-story building housing Google for Startups. These multidisciplinary projects—bringing together architects, engineers, international suppliers, and clients with strict compliance standards—required an approach capable of eliminating communication noise and shortening unproductive cycles. Lean management emerged as the natural solution.
Among the practices adopted were clearly defined scopes, reviewed in short cycles to prevent deviations; continuous supplier performance audits to ensure adherence to quality standards; and a structured communication routine centered on short, focused meetings rather than lengthy, inefficient discussions. Rigorous monitoring of technical, legal, environmental, and safety risks allowed potential obstacles to be identified early—issues that in more traditional settings would often surface only during execution. “When predictability is in place, productivity increases almost automatically,” Alberto explains, noting that the combination of standardization and continuous feedback shaved weeks off the original schedule.
His experience also extends beyond the corporate sector. At Dia Group, first in 2021 and again between 2024 and 2025, Alberto demonstrated how lean principles can be decisive in retail environments, where each day of delay has a direct impact on revenue. There, he implemented daily construction reports with key performance indicators, standardized supplier quotations to accelerate decision-making, and established a transparent workflow for managing open issues and critical points. He also reinforced strict compliance with environmental and safety regulations, eliminating interruptions that often disrupt execution momentum. The results were immediate: greater predictability in store renovations, fewer scope changes, and stronger control over operational costs. “Lean is discipline,” he emphasizes. “When the process is respected, teams become stronger—and results follow.”
Widely adopted in manufacturing and, more recently, in technology companies, lean philosophy has been steadily gaining ground in traditionally resistant sectors such as construction. The reason is clear: increasing project complexity, combined with pressure to deliver more with fewer resources, demands methods that ensure agility without compromising quality. The core pillars of lean—waste elimination, continuous improvement, flow creation, visual management, and people engagement—have proven especially effective in environments where delays, rework, and communication failures are common.
In Alberto’s case, lean principles aligned naturally with his background in planning, scope definition, and risk control. Value stream mapping helped uncover hidden bottlenecks such as prolonged material wait times, supplier misalignment, and non-standardized steps that led to inconsistent quality. The introduction of visual management tools—dashboards, checklists, and performance indicators—made progress visible to everyone involved, reducing uncertainty and speeding up decision-making. “Lean provides a common language that makes it easier to integrate diverse teams,” he says.
His accumulated experience also shows that lean teams can be highly competitive when supported by robust processes. In most of the projects he led, teams were intentionally kept small—composed of a limited number of engineers, architects, and technical staff—making the elimination of redundancies and clarity in task distribution essential. Standardization not only reduced errors but also increased the team’s ability to respond quickly to scope changes, a critical capability in corporate construction, where adjustments are often ongoing.
The financial impact is equally significant. In environments where every operational hour affects the budget, lean management helps build cost predictability and prevent overruns. Alberto’s experience with financial controls, scheduling, and supplier audits reinforces this point: structured processes not only accelerate execution but also protect margins and ensure project sustainability. In global organizations such as CBRE, this discipline is particularly relevant, as performance indicators and deadlines are monitored at an international level.
In practice, Lean Management has moved beyond the status of a methodology to become a true competitive advantage. Its growing adoption across construction, retail, and real estate signals a clear trend: companies that invest in lean teams supported by well-defined processes expand their execution capacity and respond more quickly to market demands.
Felipe Portaro Alberto’s career reflects this shift. From historic buildings to technology offices and retail operations, his work demonstrates that efficiency is not the result of large teams, but of clear processes, operational discipline, and continuous improvement. “When everyone understands the flow,” he concludes, “a project stops being a sequence of emergencies and becomes a coordinated operation.”
In a business environment where deadlines are tighter and resources more limited than ever, lean management stands out as the path to transforming compact teams into highly productive structures—and, as the projects led by Alberto show, into true operational powerhouses.
Final Note
This article was developed with the participation of specialist Felipe Portaro Alberto, a professional with a solid background in Civil Engineering and Architecture and more than 13 years of experience in construction planning, management, and execution. Recognized for his strategic role in high-impact projects, Alberto stands out for his ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, optimize processes, ensure quality and safety standards, and consistently deliver results in highly complex environments. His technical expertise and strategic perspective contributed decisively to the accuracy and depth of the insights presented in this article.
By Theodore Huxley
