THE NEED FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT: CRITICAL CHAIN AND AGILE METHODOLOGIES WITHIN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

THE NEED FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT: CRITICAL CHAIN AND AGILE METHODOLOGIES WITHIN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Introduction

Project management entails coordinating performance and different activities that help in creating a strong context that promotes a successful change based on the underlying issues within given project development. Different factors need to be assessed in helping to understand various measures that can be undertaken to help improve the level of project coordination. Construction projects are managed based on a given timeline, which must be adhered to in controlling falling behind. The key elements that are being assessed in this case focus on the incorporation of agile methodologies in critical chain scheduling,  collaboration, and the involved benefits in reducing scheduling durations on construction projects. The flexibility of the project management system involves key strategies that improve the quality of the production process while creating an organized environment for successful change.

The success of any project is based on scheduling planning and control. Different measures are considered in creating a well-organized system to promote change and a successful level of development. Building a strong change approach is based on the need to create a highly diversified system that presents a well-organized system for change and overall development. Millhiser and Szmerekovsky (2012) identify that increasing complexity of construction projects, planning, and control presents major issues in construction scheduling management. The goal of scheduling within a given project is to ensure that it is completed on time. Different approaches have been adopted with a significant emphasis on the successful completion of these projects. It is crucial to create a well-organized system that promotes a successful change and development of better practices that improve on the level of change.

The combination of traditional and modern techniques in project planning and management offers a more clear ad more strategic system that can be undertaken to help improve the level of success within a given project. Building change that is developed based on the hybrid between traditional and modern techniques presents a well-organized structure that makes it possible to achieve more exceptional outcomes in project management.

Research aim

Effective project management requires an understanding of better processes that need to be assessed and help improve the level of change. Building more reliable systems that can promote on-time project completion, present emphasis on better traditional and modern techniques.  Therefore the paper aims to determine the importance of critical scheduling and agile methodologies in recuing schedule durations on construction projects.  Building positive systems identify better approaches that can help maintain a more substantial platform that can promote a successful change in construction projects management.

Objectives

To determine how critical chain scheduling contributes to agile being utilized on construction projects.

To evaluate the influence of agile project management on project scope success criteria on construction projects.

To identify the benefits of implementing critical chain scheduling and agile methodologies in reducing schedule durations on construction projects.

The effective management of projects requires a strong link between the traditional and modern systems, which present a better strategy that can be assessed in promoting change in attaining the developed goals in reducing the project completion time. Different strategies that are developed within a given context focus on ensuring that there is a development of practical measures that promote quality project management based on a focus on each factor within planning, coordinating, and controlling the adverse outcomes.

Hypothesis

Null hypothesis 1 (Ho1): Critical Chain scheduling does not have a statistically significant influence on agile being utilized on construction projects.

Alternative hypothesis 1(Ha1): Critical Chain scheduling has a statistically significant influence on agile being utilized on construction projects.

Null hypothesis 2 (Ho1): Agile project management does not have a statistically significant influence on project scope success criteria on construction projects.

Alternative hypothesis 2 (Ha3): Agile project management has a statistically significant influence on project scope success criteria on construction projects.

Null hypothesis 3 (Ho2): There is no statistically significant correlation between chain scheduling and agile methodologies in reducing schedule durations on construction projects.

Alternative hypothesis 3 (Ha3): There is a statistically significant correlation between chain scheduling and agile methodologies in reducing schedule durations on construction projects.

Literature review

Project management has evolved over the years, with a greater emphasis on quality and time taken to complete construction. The traditional approaches that have been developed present a focus on basic strategies that are employed in promoting change based on the project that is developed. The critical criteria that are assessed include initiation, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing based on the project guidelines. However, it is important to understand that these basic elements present fundamental aspects in project management without a proper focus on the duration or quality of the construction process.

The traditional approach to project management

Project management outlines a clear path that is to be undertaken with a clear focus on different processes that need to be embraced in improving outcomes. Developing a clear strategy help identify various measures that can be followed to achieve successful project completion (Leach, 1999).  However, project development is not always a straightforward process since the likelihood of changes during the project is very high, considering that project planning is developed based on estimation. Experience and knowledge within the construction field also play a major role in the changes that are implemented within the project. The traditional project management, however, does not provide room to change the project specification during the process. This means that it is essential for project planners to understand the project with an emphasis on knowledge and experience so that it would be possible to make an accurate plan.

The traditional project management process requires a lot of project documentation that presents a highly identified, unique system that can help improve research findings. Thus, in traditional project management, planning takes a long time in a bid to develop an accurate plan for information synthesis. The implementation of a project in a sequence means that there is less room for change once the previous stage has been developed (Sommer et al.,2013). Inexperienced planners and project managers end up developing construction projects that have many errors.  Despite the introduction in the 1950s, project management had been in use for years.

According to Boehm and Turner (2005), a Gantt chart is an essential technique in traditional project management mainly based on the ability to help in project organization and implementation of better approaches that improve on the project development.  It helps in giving an overview of the project and important processes that can be integrated within the system to promote improved change. Presenting a project within the defined timeline is crucial in helping create a reliable system that promotes change and positive level development on better approaches that define improved project development (Boehm & Turner, 2005).

Therefore a major challenge on traditional project management is the inability to incorporate changes once the project starts. This creates a difficult situation, especially when an error is detected during project development. However, traditional project management technique also includes essential aspects that need to be protected and help improve the quality of construction projects while also maintaining a reliable system that can help promote improved outcomes. The planning and organization, as well as the commitment and alertness to the project, are essential in building a quality project.

Alternative approaches

Different approaches have been developed focusing on improving the traditional project management while also maintaining a different perspective to project management.  Critical chain project management and agile project management are essential management approaches that have been developed in the recent past and emphasize various aspects that promote successful project management.  The literature review has been developed with an emphasis on these approaches, which present a structured process in improving construction project development.

Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)

Critical chain project management presents a well-defined focus on project management based on essential planning and management of projects based on the resources that are needed to control and execute projects. This approach is different from traditional project management, considering that it strives to keep resources leveled and requires a flexible operational platform.  According to Suwa, Morita, and Sandoh (2010), Critical Chain project management is defined as a technique for scheduling projects with a critical focus on slack time and resources to avoid any form of project disruption. CCPM has emphasized two aspects of project management, which include time and resource management. Maintaining a reliable assessment of the underlying issues in information management presents a well-defined system that defines a successful change (Herroelen and Leu, 2001).  According to Rand (2000) asserted that the CCPM is developed with a specific focus on projects that are more likely to experience late completion, over-spending, and the need to control the specifications within the project development.  The practical implementation of the CCPM plays a major role in construction projects considering that it contributes to around 50% in reducing project timeline with a focus on successful production (Georgy, Marzook and Ibrahim, 2013).

Management of resources during project development is a necessary process that needs to be undertaken and ensure that there is a successful determination of accurate results (Rand, 2000).  Controlling challenges during construction present a well-defined system that can help maintain a definite system that improves change.  According to Davalu et al. (2019), project planning is an important concept that helps create a highly structured system that promotes positive change and improved levels of development. The article further identifies that the management of resources helps build a strong system that identifies change processes that help improve a major emphasis on the existing change based on the processes that are identified within a given project. Resource management within project development include persons, equipment as well as physical spaces within which projects are undertaken. Ribeiro and Fernandes (2010) asserted that improving the level of competitiveness within the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) outlines necessary measures that help manage construction project management.

References