Principles of the Agile Method
The agile method is an iterative approach and management philosophy that focuses on empowering people and their interactions and early and constant delivery of value on projects or business enterprises. It breaks a requirement into smaller segments or pieces that are then prioritized based on their order of importance. Secondly, it promotes collaborative working, including the customers. Third, it reflects, adjusts, and regularly learns to satisfy the customer or project owner. Fourth, the method integrates planning with execution to allow quick and effective responses to changing requirements (Nicholas & Steyn, 2020).
In agile methods, a team works closely with the end users, focusing on a core deliverable over time. The users drive the project’s design to affect the outcomes significantly. Benefits and innovation are prioritized through collaboration with a focus on customer satisfaction, teamwork, quality, and effective management (Nicholas & Steyn, 2020). Agile emphasizes shifting from control to consensus, where people and teams achieve benefits through accountable, high-performing teams, openness, communication, and learning from feedback.
Applying the Agile Method in Building: Eiffel Tower Example
Eifel Tower is 1,067 feet tall and was a success from a financial and time perspective due to the use of the agile methodology in the construction process. The project was completed in a record time of 2 years, a contradiction from the Sagrada FamÃlia church in Barcelona, which has taken more than 100 years to complete because of differences in development approaches (Nicholas & Steyn, 2020). These differences arise because the Eiffel Tower was developed using agile methods while the Sagrada focused on the traditional waterfall approaches. The comparison shows that Eiffel Tower’s agile methods focused on key issues that made the difference- the importance of clear planning, controlling cross-functional areas of coordination, continuous involvement of all teams and the customer/owners, risk assessment to efficient operation, and the importance of a clear focus.
Agile Methods: The Importance of Clear Planning
Agile methods start with an outline of a clear and focused planning process. Building involves a detailed engineering plan and documentation with multiple drawings from the largest down to the smallest detail. The Eiffel Tower plan had more than 5300 blueprints and detailed notes on the entire process before starting the project (Steiner & Veel, 2020).
Detailed planning and design require the work of a team of experienced project management experts, which must include a planning phase at the start of the enterprise. The idea is to define a milestone to start execution. The first line of code is selected, and more time is spent on user experience and research. It is a pre-project stage in which all factors are considered, and their possible impacts on the process are noted.
Project Progress Timeline
The Need to Control Cross-Functional Areas Coordination
The success of the speed at which the tower was built is partially attributed to the planning process. Prompt delivery of the huge metal sections and parts is an example of how critical coordination of items in the project plan helps achieve the objective. A critical path of the project drives a significant amount of risk. The managers were able to remove risks through control of cross-functional areas of coordination. For example, the metal parts were provided by a factory owned and controlled by the construction company, which improved project dedication (Nicholas & Steyn, 2020). Therefore, manufacturing and construction risk factors were combined and controlled from one center.
An efficient coordination plan was used to eliminate risks through a well-defined activity plan for different areas. The need for coordination was raised automatically by highlighting different activity chains that rolled up into the diverse workstreams in the project. Thus, these parts required effective coordination.
Continuous Involvement of All Teams and the Customer Throughout the Journey
Agile principles were used in the construction of the tower. Specifically, satisfying the customer/owner through early and continuous delivery was involved. Partial delivery was the key approach that the engineers applied. Engineers would design and develop one part of the project and allow the public to view it. In the process, the public and leaders would give opinions and feedback, which would then be used to improve the project and the next stages until it was completed (Nicholas & Steyn, 2020).
Risk Assessment to Efficient Operation
Large buildings the size of the Eiffel Tower create engineering and risk challenges. Workers had never been exposed to such heights, and engineers had never designed similar projects. To overcome these challenges, planners develop several levels of risk management based on agile principles. Risks were considered for handling vertigo, falling parts, and other aspects. With this approach, no casualties were recorded during the construction process. Employee involvement is necessary to reduce risks. In this case, the workers were involved in planning, and their inputs were considered. For example, they claimed factor reward, but it did not hold because the risks were in control.
Importance of a Clear Focus
Focus is important as it drives efficiency, simplicity, and optimization. The project was operationally optimized to meet the deadline and a clear target. The design was simplified to avoid situations where the plan would be complicated, the pattern was irrational, and multiple approaches and ideas were combined in the project.
References
Cruise, R. (2020). The 300m Eiffel Tower: the role of a structural principle. Loughborough University. Journal Contributio, 35(2), 43-66. Web.
Steiner, H., & Veel, K. (2020). Tower to Tower: Gigantism in Architecture and Digital Culture. MIT Press
Nicholas, J. M., & Steyn, H. (2020). Project management for engineering, business and technology. Routledge. Cruise, R. (2020). The 300m Eiffel Tower: the role of a structural principle.