Agile Concept in Construction Sector [PDF]

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Agile concepts and methodologies have originated and evolved from the software and manufacturing industry. They, now, have finally penetrated the domain of construction. The industry that relies on the waterfall method (orderly and systematic approach) for the execution of projects is now bracing itself to work with the Agile(flexible) approach.

Agile approach is a short iterative based system that allows a typical bulky process of product development(construction activity), to be shortened substantially by the fast pace trial and error cycles. Agile methods aim to respond quickly to changing requirements without excessive rework.

Agile, instead of being taken as a methodology, should be considered as a philosophy. It’s an umbrella term for an approach to project management that prioritizes incremental, feedback-driven change into software development. It uses an informal communication style where there are minimum rules, practices, and documents. Projects are designed and built on tete-a-tete discussions, meetings, and the flow of information to the clients.

Agile methodologies commonly control scope through the use of value prioritization techniques, such as YAGNI (You Aren’t Going to Need It) or MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Want but won’t get this time). Temporal control of projects is necessary because of budgetary implications and knock-on effects - Scrum and some other methodologies, such as Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM), use the concept of timeboxes (regular incremental deliveries) which are often rigidly enforced.

Some of the best known agile methods are- Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, Feature-Driven Development (FDD), Dynamic System Development Method (DSDM), Adaptive Software Development (ASD), Crystal, and Lean Software Development (LD).

In this article, we discuss the vital points that one should be aware of when incorporating Agile methods in construction :

1. Agile methods aim to minimize the use of documentation to facilitate flexibility and responsiveness to vacillating conditions, implying that less planning and more freedom is used in agile projects than in traditional project management.
2. Agile methods are more common in technology projects as they directly address the challenges so often faced in dealing with dynamic projects in changing environments.
3. Agile methods do require upfront planning. Significant communication and working with the customer is needed to provide project requirements for the first release.
4. It is important to maintain a balance between traditional methods and Agile methods while executing a project. Critical elements like the scale of the project, safety needs, and known future requirements, call for upfront planning even in Agile projects, whereas volatile, high-change environments call for less upfront planning and a greater use of Agile methods.
5. Agile methods also depend upon prompt customer involvement, both in defining aims for the project and providing feedback to progressive models as the project moves through its life span. The repetitive nature of Agile allows for frequent interaction, adjustments made on the fly, and rethinking project requirements in view of new information or customer requests.
6. Agile methods are particularly suitable when it is difficult to understand a system’s functionalities during the early phase of the process, owing to constantly changing requirements, changing environmental factors, or changing market conditions.
7. Agile Methods recognize that changes throughout the project force scope control to be an ongoing task: project scope should only be defined as far as we are currently truly able to comprehend and prioritize it, from the perspectives of value realization and risk mitigation.
8. Agile project management can be seen as ‘management as organizing’; indeed, an agile project manager is very much seen as a facilitator who enables small, self-organizing multi-disciplinary teams to decide for themselves how they satisfy their value goals.
9. Agile project management has emerged from double-loop learning, i.e., by questioning the governing variables such as methodologies. Double-loop learning continues throughout the agile project through the formal use of iterative development and through the informal learning inherent in small interactive multi-disciplinary teams.
10. Agile techniques concern many features of an organization, including processes, people, management and organizational structures, vendor relationships, and business strategies. Agile refers to the use of resources and people that can be changed or reconfigured, quickly and easily for coping with variability and uncertainty.

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