“AgiLean PM” – A UNIFIYING STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK TO MANAGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
A challenge in Lean Construction is how to make it applicable when there is a high degree of complexity and uncertainty. In many construction projects there are changing project requirements, unique products and a need for actions that are highly focused on meeting customer/client expectations. Such scenarios require management methods that are characterised by being flexible and able to react to change. The aim of this thesis is to introduce a method that has such characteristics. Project Management, Lean and Agile paradigms are merged through the application of the fission and fusion approach of nuclear physics. This research is facilitated through a sequential explorative method. In the first instance, interviews with 22 practitioners in the fields of construction project management, Lean and Agile have been conducted. Then a quantitative self-administered questionnaire with 213 useful responses has been utilised to validate the transferability of the interview findings. It is concluded that Lean is not ideally suited to dealing with the dynamic nature of construction projects. Agile methods, which were developed to cope with the high levels of uncertainty inherent to IT projects, are more flexible and able to react to change. Hence utilising Agile-based methods might be the key to the successful utilization of Lean in construction. Therefore a management method based on combining Lean and Agile approaches has potential. Such an approach needs creative thinking to develop a solution that is different to that of “Leagile”. Leagile uses Lean and Agile methods in the execution phase sequentially, through using a decoupling point model to separate the two. This thesis introduces a new paradigm in which such a decoupling or separation does not take place. Rather, project management, Lean and Agile have been merged together to develop a new holistic and strategic framework. The paradigm presented in this thesis is termed “AgiLean Project Management”.
HD28 Management. Industrial Management, TH Building construction
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