Agile construction is an integrated system of principles and methods, and a
philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
of doing business adapted to jobsites and overall project delivery in the construction industry. It is born from
agile manufacturing and
project management
Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...
, which is mostly used in manufacturing production,
automotive and
software developing teams. It is the application of the
Toyota Production System
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an integrated socio-technical system, developed by Toyota, that comprises its management philosophy and practices. The TPS is a management system that organizes manufacturing and logistics for the automobile ...
to the construction industry, with two parallel paths: Measuring (
ASTM
ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is a standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical international standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and s ...
E2691) and improving
productivity
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 proce ...
, as well as segregating and externalizing work through
prefabrication
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 research ...
and
supply chain management
In commerce, supply chain management (SCM) deals with a system of procurement (purchasing raw materials/components), operations management, logistics and marketing channels, through which raw materials can be developed into finished produc ...
.
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 are:
* Agile construction
project management
Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...
* Agile construction labor productivity measurement and labor productivity improvement
* Agile construction job scheduling and planning
* Agile construction
procurement
Procurement is the process of locating and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. The term may also refer to a contractual ...
and material management
* Agile construction externalizing work, through
prefabrication
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 research ...
(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
* Agile construction project
financial management
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. Agile Construction project management 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.
See also
*
Electrical contractor
An electrical contractor is a business person or business entity, firm that performs specialized construction work related to the design, installation, and maintenance of electrical systems.
An electrical contractor is different from an electricia ...
*
Procurement
Procurement is the process of locating and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. The term may also refer to a contractual ...
*
Productivity
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 proce ...
*
Agile management
References
Additional References
*Daneshgari, Perry, and Heather Moore
Prefabrication Handbook for the Construction Industry: Agile Construction Application through Externalizing Work 2019.
*Industrialization of Construction: How it will happen, and how to stay ahead using Agile Construction (2024)
[{{cite book, last1=Daneshgari, first1=Perry, title=Industrialization of Construction: How it will happen, and how to stay ahead using Agile Construction, date=2024, publisher=KDP, isbn=9798378615001, pages=278]
*Moore, D. H., and O'Dell, D (2022). ''Gang Boxes – Making them come alive with Agile Intelligence™''. IEC, Insights Magazine.
*Daneshgari, D. P., & Moore, D. H. (2021). ''How Will Working from Home Catalyze Industrialization?''. CFMA.
*Moore, D. H. and Parvin, S (2021). ''How Industrialized are You? Measuring Your Company’s Progress''. CFMA.
*Daneshgari, D. P., & Moore, D. H. (2020). ''Jobsite to Garage: Changing the Mindset of Prefab & Modular Construction''. CFMA.
*Daneshgari, D. P., & Moore, D. H. (2014). ''Is Prefabrication Making You Money?''. EC&M.
*Daneshgari, D. P.(2013). ''The Industrialization of Construction''. Dassault
*Daneshgari, D. P., & Moore, D. H. (2017). ''Winds of Change and the Event Horizon''. IEC, Insights Magazine.
*Daneshgari, D. P., & Moore, D. H. (2016). ''A Safe Jobsite is a More Productive Jobsite''. IEC, Insights Magazine.
*Daneshgari, D. P., & Moore, D. H. (2015). ''Applying Scalable Prefabrication to Industrial Construction Work''. Construction Executive.
*Daneshgari, D. P., & Wilson, M. (2006). ''The Profitability of Agile Construction®''. CFMA.
*Daneshgari, D. P., & Moore, D. H. (2024). ''Connecting the Dots: AI & the Future of Construction''. CFMA.
*Daneshgari, D. P., Moore, D. H. Daneshgari, J. (2025) Outcomes Over Outputs: A Leader’s Guide to Measuring: CFM
*Daneshgari, D. P. Moore, D. H. (2025) AI & Construction: Separating Data from Debris: CFM
*Daneshgari, D. P. Moore, D. H. (2022) Planning Job-Site Lighting Installations: EC&
*Nimmo, P. (2025) How to Make Off-Site Material Storage Decisions: EC&
Construction management
Project management