Is agile project management applicable to construction

TLDR

Agile Project Management (APM) has evolved as a distinct approach, differing from lean, agile production, and leagile construction. APM is defined by its philosophy, organizational attitudes and practices, planning, execution, control, and learning processes. The study finds that APM delivers significant benefits in information systems, shows promise for pre‑design and design stages, faces adoption hurdles in actual construction, and, if overcome, could provide benefits beyond single projects.

Abstract

This paper briefly summarises the evolution of Agile Project Management (APM) and differentiates it from lean and agile production and ‘leagile’ construction. The significant benefits being realized through employment of APM within the information systems industry are stated. The characteristics of APM are explored, including: philosophy, organizational attitudes and practices, planning, execution and control and learning. Finally, APM is subjectively assessed as to its potential contribution to the pre-design, design and construction phases. In conclusion, it is assessed that APM offers considerable potential for application in predesign and design but that there are significant hurdles to its adoption in the actual construction phase. Should these be overcome, APM offers benefits well beyond any individual project.