Agile construction

{{Short description|Management system in the construction industry}}

Agile construction is an integrated system of principles and methods, and a philosophy of doing business adapted to jobsites and overall project delivery in the construction industry. It is born from agile manufacturing and project management, which is mostly used in manufacturing production, automotive and software developing teams.[http://www.mca.net/articles/profitability-of-agile-construction.htm The Profitability of Agile Construction (2006)] By (Parviz) Perry Daneshgari & Michelle T. Wilson It is the application of the Toyota Production System{{cite book|title=Mizenboushi Method|last1=Tatsuhiko|first1=Yoshimura|date=2002|publisher=JUSE Press|location=Japan}}{{cite book|title=Toyota Production System|last1=Ohno|first1=Taiichi|date=1988|publisher=Productivity Press|location=New York}} to the construction industry, with two parallel paths: Measuring (ASTM E2691)[http://www.astm.org/DownloadStandardB.html?ASTM%20HC=ASTM&DESIGNATION=E2691&AdID=&Split=&Campaign=Individual%20Standards%207&gclid=CjwKEAjwovytBRCdxtyKqfL5nUISJACaugG1UQwzmknH9EbGF7DLTixY6oB1rLb8bgzkckZr0VsbBRoCW03w_wcB] ASTM E2691 - 11 Standard Practice for Job Productivity Measurement (JPM) - Active Standard ASTM E2691 | Developed by Subcommittee: E06.81 Book of Standards Volume: 04.12 and improving productivity, as well as segregating and externalizing work through prefabrication and supply chain management.

Like the Toyota Production System, agile construction principles form a system that relies on input from the source of the work information, both up front for planning the project, as well as throughout the life of a project for real-time feedback. The real-time input produces real-time measurements of productivity and allows for improved responsiveness to changes on the jobsite. Iterative and incremental agile construction methods help manage the design and build of efficient, low-risk processes and activities. This means that each time a process is repeated some changes are made to improve the process. Changes for the better are kept and for the worse are discarded.

The eight agile construction principles[https://www.amazon.com/Agile-Construction-Dr-Perry-Daneshgari/dp/B08BWCD2YX Agile Construction for the Electrical Contractor] by Perry Daneshgari PhD {{ISBN|979-8650384700}} (2015) are:

• Agile construction project management
• Agile construction labor productivity measurement[http://mca.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SIS-ABC-Article-May-2015.pdf Reducing Labor Waste with Short Interval Scheduling, Construction Executive Magazine] by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore (2015) and labor productivity improvement
• Agile construction job scheduling and planning[http://mca.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/902ecm-SHORT-INTERVAL-FEATURE.pdf The Secret to Short-Interval Scheduling] by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore - Electrical Construction and Maintenance - Feb 1, 2009
• Agile construction procurement and material management[http://www.constructionexec.com/Articles/tabid/3837/entryid/4984/partnering-with-distributors-for-ef Partnering With Distributors for Efficiency, CE Magazine] by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore (2016)
• Agile construction externalizing work, through prefabrication[http://mca.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Prefab_BIM_article_march_2015_insights.pdf Impact Prefabrication on Industrial Construction Work] by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore (2015) (components or parts pre-assembled off-site by suppliers or in a prefab shop, to reduce time, risk, and complexity)
• Agile construction labor management and labor composite rate reduction (the average cost of a job crew member to the company per unit of time)
• Agile construction estimation accuracy and improvement [http://mca.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IEC-Insights-JAN-FEB16-MCA.pdf Bid to Win: Avoiding Killer Jobs with Better Accuracy, Insights Magazine] by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore (2016)
• Agile construction project financial management{{cite book|title=Agile construction for the electrical contractor|last1=Daneshgari|first1=Perry|date=2010|publisher=Jones and Bartlett Publishers|isbn=978-0763765620|location=Sudbury, Mass.}}

Agile construction principles help contractors to make processes visible, measurable and manageable to improve the ability to rapidly adapt to job site changes, by minimizing the time between when a risk is detected and when it gets corrected. This requires a better mechanism to predict and capture these changes accompanied with a better infrastructure for addressing them.{{cite book|url=https://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/operations-management/assets/agility_foundation_for_change.pdf|title=How to Build an Agile Foundation for Change|date=2008|publisher=PriceWaterhouse Coopers|accessdate=4 August 2016}} Agile Construction project management{{cite web|url=https://www.kth.se/polopoly_fs/1.339912!/Menu/general/column-content/attachment/Mattias_no148.pdf|title=Agile project management in the construction industry|last1=Johansson|first1=Mattias Yllén|website=KTH.se|publisher=Royal Institute of Technology|accessdate=11 March 2015}} can also make gains in pre-design and design phases of construction projects. Accompanied with a well-trained and highly motivated workforce, companies using agile construction operations are able to increase responsiveness and productivity, to reduce cost and to deliver a better customer value.