Agile construction

Last updated

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. [1] It is the application of the Toyota Production System [2] [3] to the construction industry, with two parallel paths: Measuring (ASTM E2691) [4] and improving productivity, as well as segregating and externalizing work through prefabrication and supply chain management.

Contents

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 [5] are:

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. [11] This requires a better mechanism to predict and capture these changes accompanied with a better infrastructure for addressing them. [12] Agile Construction project management [13] 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. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Software architecture</span> High level structures of a software system

Software architecture is the set of structures needed to reason about a software system and the discipline of creating such structures and systems. Each structure comprises software elements, relations among them, and properties of both elements and relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Construction</span> Process of building or assembling a building or infrastructure

Construction is a general term meaning the art and science of forming objects, systems, or organizations. It comes from the Latin word constructio and Old French construction. To 'construct' is a verb: the act of building, and the noun is construction: how something is built or the nature of its structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Employment</span> Relationship between employee and employer

Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other entity, pays the other, the employee, in return for carrying out assigned work. Employees work in return for wages, which can be paid on the basis of an hourly rate, by piecework or an annual salary, depending on the type of work an employee does, the prevailing conditions of the sector and the bargaining power between the parties. Employees in some sectors may receive gratuities, bonus payments or stock options. In some types of employment, employees may receive benefits in addition to payment. Benefits may include health insurance, housing, and disability insurance. Employment is typically governed by employment laws, organisation or legal contracts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Productivity</span> Average measure of the efficiency of production

Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production process, i.e. output per unit of input, typically over a specific period of time. The most common example is the (aggregate) labour productivity measure, one example of which is GDP per worker. There are many different definitions of productivity and the choice among them depends on the purpose of the productivity measurement and data availability. The key source of difference between various productivity measures is also usually related to how the outputs and the inputs are aggregated to obtain such a ratio-type measure of productivity.

Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located. Some researchers refer it to “various materials joined together to form a component of the final installation procedure“.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is a labor union that represents approximately 820,000 workers and retirees in the electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Guam, Panama, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands; in particular electricians, or inside wiremen, in the construction industry and lineworkers and other employees of public utilities. The union also represents some workers in the computer, telecommunications, and broadcasting industries, and other fields related to electrical work.

Construction management (CM) aims to control the quality of a project's scope, time, and cost to maximize the project owner's satisfaction. It uses project management techniques and software to oversee the planning, design, construction and closeout of a construction project safely, on time, on budget and within specifications.

A cost estimate is the approximation of the cost of a program, project, or operation. The cost estimate is the product of the cost estimating process. The cost estimate has a single total value and may have identifiable component values.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shop drawing</span> Technical drawing

A shop drawing is a drawing or set of drawings produced by the contractor, supplier, manufacturer, subcontractor, consultants, or fabricator. Shop drawings are typically required for prefabricated components. Examples of these include: elevators, structural steel, trusses, pre-cast concrete, windows, appliances, cabinets, air handling units, and millwork. Also critical are the installation and coordination shop drawings of the MEP trades such as sheet metal ductwork, piping, plumbing, fire protection, and electrical. Shop drawings are produced by contractors and suppliers under their contract with the owner. The shop drawing is the manufacturer’s or the contractor’s drawn version of information shown in the construction documents. The shop drawing normally shows more detail than the construction documents. It is drawn to explain the fabrication and/or installation of the items to the manufacturer’s production crew or contractor's installation crews. The style of the shop drawing is usually very different from that of the architect’s drawing. The shop drawing’s primary emphasis is on the particular product or installation and excludes notation concerning other products and installations, unless integration with the subject product is necessary.

A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. A specification is often a type of technical standard.

An electrical contractor is a business person or firm that performs specialized construction work related to the design, installation, and maintenance of electrical systems. An electrical contractor is different from an electrician; an electrician is an individual tradesman and an electrical contractor is a business person or company that employs electricians. Both usually hold licenses and insurances to properly and safely operate a business, protecting the employees and home owners/business owners from insurance liabilities. These requirements vary from state to state. Electricians may work for an electrical contractor, or directly for individuals or companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Electrical Contractors Association</span> American industry trade association

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) is a trade association in the United States representing the electrical contracting industry through advocacy, education, research, and standards development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modular construction</span> Construction technique

Modular construction is a construction technique which involves the prefabrication of 2D panels or 3D volumetric structures in off-site factories and transportation to construction sites for assembly. This process has the potential to be superior to traditional building in terms of both time and costs, with claimed time savings of between 20 and 50 percent faster than traditional building techniques.

The following is a glossary of terms relating to construction cost estimating.

The CIOB Complex Projects Contract2013 was a form of construction and engineering contract, developed by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Its formal name was the 'Contract for Use with Complex Projects, First Edition 2013'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perry Daneshgari</span>

Perry (Parviz) Daneshgari is an Iranian-American entrepreneur, engineer and author born in Ahvaz, Iran. He founded MCA, which appeared on the TV Program World Business Review, in 1990 and has written many books and articles in specialized magazines and websites. Perry has an MBA from Wayne State University and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Karlsruhe, as well as B.S. in civil and mechanical engineering from Northwestern University. He specializes in Agile Construction, a way of doing business that focuses on adaptation and quick changes on job sites and production lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Moore</span> American engineer

Heather Moore is an engineer from Michigan known for her research in construction management and construction productivity. She is the Vice President of Operations at MCA. She studied Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan, and also holds an MBA from the University of Michigan-Flint, and later obtained a Ph. D in Construction Management at the Michigan State University. Her Ph.D. research focused on information entropy, with specific application in construction. Her papers and research have been used in innovation in construction development. She has co-authored two books on improving productivity on construction job sites and has published many articles in specialized magazines, including work referencing both MCA's experience in Agile Construction and the ASTM standard in combination with information entropy. She has also contributed to other books and research work conducted at MCA on topics of productivity and process design.

Automation in construction is the combination of methods, processes, and systems that allow for greater machine autonomy in construction activities. Construction automation may have multiple goals, including but not limited to, reducing jobsite injuries, decreasing activity completion times, and assisting with quality control and quality assurance. Some systems may be fielded as a direct response to increasing skilled labor shortages in some countries. Opponents claim that increased automation may lead to less construction jobs and that software leaves heavy equipment vulnerable to hackers.

The industrialization of construction is the process through which construction aims to improve productivity through increased mechanization and automation. The process commonly involves modularization, prefabrication, preassembly, and mass production.

References

  1. ↑ The Profitability of Agile Construction (2006) By (Parviz) Perry Daneshgari & Michelle T. Wilson
  2. ↑ Tatsuhiko, Yoshimura (2002). Mizenboushi Method. Japan: JUSE Press.
  3. ↑ Ohno, Taiichi (1988). Toyota Production System. New York: Productivity Press.
  4. ↑ 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
  5. ↑ Agile Construction for the Electrical Contractor by Perry Daneshgari PhD ISBN   979-8650384700 (2015)
  6. ↑ Reducing Labor Waste with Short Interval Scheduling, Construction Executive Magazine by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore (2015)
  7. ↑ The Secret to Short-Interval Scheduling by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore - Electrical Construction and Maintenance - Feb 1, 2009
  8. ↑ Partnering With Distributors for Efficiency, CE Magazine by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore (2016)
  9. ↑ Impact Prefabrication on Industrial Construction Work by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore (2015)
  10. ↑ Bid to Win: Avoiding Killer Jobs with Better Accuracy, Insights Magazine by Perry Daneshgari and Heather Moore (2016)
  11. 1 2 3 Daneshgari, Perry (2010). Agile construction for the electrical contractor. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. ISBN   978-0763765620.
  12. ↑ How to Build an Agile Foundation for Change (PDF). PriceWaterhouse Coopers. 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  13. ↑ Johansson, Mattias Yllén. "Agile project management in the construction industry" (PDF). KTH.se. Royal Institute of Technology. Retrieved 11 March 2015.

Additional References

  1. ↑ Daneshgari, Perry (2024). Industrialization of Construction: How it will happen, and how to stay ahead using Agile Construction. KDP. p. 278. ISBN   9798378615001.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.