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Examining the Values and Principles of Agile Construction Management in

Iraqi Construction Projects

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 Journal of Engineering
journal homepage: www.jcoeng.edu.iq
Number 7 Volume 24 July 2018

Civil and Architectural Engineering

Examining the Values and Principles of Agile Construction Management in

Iraqi Construction Projects
Sawsan Rasheed Mohammed* Asmaa Jebur Jasim
Assistant Professor M.Sc. student
College of Engineering-University of Baghdad College of Engineering-University of Baghdad
E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
The avoidance of failure in construction projects is not an easy task, which makes the failure of
the construction project to achieve its objectives a major problem experienced by all countries in
the world, especially Iraq. Where nearly two-thirds of the construction projects in the world have
been suffered by significant problems as an increase in the cost of the project, delay in the
specified duration for execution, and stopping the project. Therefore it is required to study and
apply new methods for managing the construction project to ensure its success and achieve its
objectives. The aim of this study is to study the Agile project management method and its impact
on the construction project. In addition, to identify the values and principles of Agile project
management, which can be applied in the Iraqi construction industry to be adopted it as a new
method to manage the construction projects in Iraq. The researcher reviewed the relevant
literature to define the method of Agile project management and its methods and impact on the
construction project. Then, the researcher conducted a questionnaire survey of a sample of
engineers' experts who work in four main parties in the construction project: (beneficiary,
supervising, designer, and contractor). The results of this survey showed that it is possible to
apply the four values of Agile project management for managing the Iraqi construction projects,
and can apply eleven of the twelve principles of Agile project management for managing the
Iraqi construction projects.
Keywords: Agile project management, Agile concept, Agile Values, and Principles.

‫اختبار قيم ومبادئ إدارة البناء الرشيقت في المشاريع االنشائيت العراقيت‬

‫أسماء جبر جاسم‬ ‫سوسن رشيذ محمذ‬

‫طالبت ماجسخيش‬ ‫اسخار مساعذ‬
‫كليت الٍىذست – جامعت بغذاد‬ ‫كليت الٍىذست – جامعت بغذاد‬

‫الخــالصــــت‬
‫ان حجىب حذَد فشل في المشاسيع االوشااييت لايب بمٍمات ساٍلتا مماا يجعال فشال المشاشَال االوشاايي فاي ححقيا اٌذافاً مشا لت‬
‫ حياذ ان مايقااسث رلزاي المشااسيع االوشااييت فاي العاالال خامل االعاُا العشاشة‬. ‫كبيشة حعاوي مىٍا كافت الذَل َخصُصاا العاشا‬
‫ لازل يخللاب دساسات‬.‫الماضيت حذرج فيٍا مشاكل كبيشة كضيادة في كلفت المششَالا َحجاَص مذة الخىفيز المحذدة َحُقف المششَال‬
‫ حٍاذف ٌازي الذساسات الاّ دساسات اسالُث اداسة‬.ً‫َحلبي أساليب جذيذة الداسة المششَال االوشايي لضمان وجاحاً َححقيا اٌذافا‬
‫ باالضافت الّ ححذيذ قيال َمبادئ اداسة المشاسيع الششيقت الخاي يم اه حلبيقٍاا‬.‫المشاسيع الششيقت َحأريشٌا علّ المششَال الوشايي‬
‫ قا الباحذ بمشاجعات االدبيااث‬.‫في الصىاعت االوشاييت في العشا ليخال اعخمادٌا كاسلُث جذيذ الداسة المشاسيع االوشاييت العشاقيت‬

*Corresponding author
Peer review under the responsibility of University of Baghdad.
https://doi.org/10.31026/j.eng.2018.07.08
2520-3339 © 2017 University of Baghdad. Production and hosting by Journal of Engineering.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Article accepted: 30/10/2017
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 Number 7 Volume 24 July 2018 Journal of Engineering

‫ بعاذٌا قاا الباحاذ‬.‫راث العمقت لخعشيف اسلُث اداسة المشاسيع الششيقت َاللش المخبعت فيٍا َحأريشٌا علّ المشاشَال االوشاايي‬
‫باجشاء مسح ميذاوي لعيىت مه الخبشاء المٍىذسييه الزيه يعملُن لاذِ االطاشاف الشييسايت االسبعات فاي المشاشَال االوشاايي ٌَاال‬
‫ كاوج وخايج المسح المياذاوي اواً باالم اان حلبيا القايال االسبعات‬.)‫(جٍت مسخفيذةا جٍت اششاف َمخابعتا جٍت مصممتا جٍت مىفزة‬
‫الداسة المشاسيع الششيقت في اداسة المشاسيع االوشاييت العشاقيتا َكزل يم ه حلبي احذ عشش مبذأ مه اصل ارىّ عشش مبذأ ماه‬
.‫مبادئ اداسة المشاسيع الششيقت في اداسة المشاسيع االوشاييت العشاقيت‬
.‫ اداسة المشاسيع الششيقتا مفٍُ الششي ا قيال َمبادئ الششاقت‬:‫الكلماث الرئيسيت‬
1. INTRUCTION

The measure of the success of any construction project is the integration of its three objectives
(time, cost, quality), but the difficulty of reconciling them is one of the major problems faced by
the projects. Avoiding project failure is not an easy task and not being able to determine if a
project fails or not, makes it even harder, PMI, 2010.
In most construction projects, best possible performance is unachievable with poor productivity
resulting in time overrun and consequently cost escalation of the projects, because the
construction is a risky industry with uncertainties due to many external and internal factors that
influence the construction process, Salunkhe, and Patil, 2014.
According to the Chaos Report, Chaos results provide a global view of projects statistics in the
United State, European countries, and others. These results at 2012 showed that 39% of all
projects were successful by delivering on time and within budget estimate, with required features
and functions; 43% were challenged by being late, over budget, or with less than the required
features and functions; and 18% were considered failures due to cancelations prior to completion
or delivered and never used. In addition, project cost overruns were at 59% in 2012, whereas
time overruns were at 74%, Standish Group, 2013.
Agile has been increasingly adopted and used in projects characterized by uncertainty and
unpredictability, Alleman, 2005 and Cicmil, et al., 2006. According to, Mah, 2008, more than
80% of global firms and large public-sector projects apply APM. In addition, according to a
study conducted by, Rico, et al., 2009, Agile projects were 20 times more productive compared
with traditional projects. Thomas, 2011, reported, that 60% of Agile projects are successful,
28% are challenges, and 12% are failures. While 47% of traditional projects are successful, 36%
are challenges, and 17% are failures, Thomas, 2011.

2. AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The Agile methods are a reaction to the processes that look good in theory but that do not hold
up in practice. The Agile methods are therefore described as empirical – they are based entirely
on practical experiences and work methods that are proven to work, Johansson, 2012. Agile
project management has its roots in the system development industry and has developed and
grown through empirical progress. This, however, does not mean that this methodology’s uses
are limited to that industry. The Agile methodology is a set of values, attitudes, and principles,
which can be embraced in other industries as well. Furthermore, the methodology includes
different methods and tools to use when conducting a project, which will aid in the mission to
follow its values and principles. Two main concepts of the Agile methodology are an adaption to
change and collaboration between people, Agile Sweden, 2012.
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 shows APM Triangle, APM process, changing process from traditional project
management to APM, respectively.

2.1 Agile Concept

According to the dictionary of foreign words, the word "Agile" means vivid or active. The basic
condition of agility in the context of the development of the project is the ability to change an

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entry in project development. The client then has the option to modify requirements during the
executing project, without a massive re-engineering of work already carried out, and the
unnecessary waste of time and resources for all involved. Agile methodology arose in the mid-
1990 years of the last century as a response to difficult traditional methodology, which has been
criticized for bureaucracy, rigidity, and inability to respond flexibly to changes. Series of
publications dealing with the Agile approaches stem from the different theoretical foundations,
such as the Lean manufacturing, the theory of constraints, Cooperative Game theory, Six Sigma
and Chaos Theory, Antlova, 2014. Cobb, 2011, state that Rico & David defined a more general
connotation of the word “agility” as follows:
 The ability to create and respond to change in order to profit in a turbulent global business
environment.
 The ability to quickly reprioritize use of resources when requirements, technology, and
knowledge shift.
 A very fast response to sudden market changes and emerging threats, by intensive client
interaction.
 Use of evolutionary, incremental, and iterative delivery to converge on an optimal client
solution.
 Maximizing the business value with right-sized, just enough, and just-in-time processes and
documentation.

2.2 The Agile Manifesto

Agile project management is characterized by working in short iterative cycles with the delivery
of some part of the project result at the end of every cycle. Before February 2001 there was no
name under which all these new flexible and adapting methods (Agile methods) could be
gathered, they had up until then been called lightweight. However, in the small ski resort
Snowbird in Utah, USA, Seventeen method developers who represented different Agile methods
gathered because they felt they needed a common name and common values for all their
methods. Different names were discussed and one of them was “Adaptable” but since this, more
or less means that actions are taken retroactively the name was rejected. The name “Agile” was
considered a more accurate description of these methods and was hence chosen. The common
issues, which were discussed and agreed upon during the meeting in Snowbird became the
“Agile Manifesto”. The Agile Manifesto was stated that four values and twelve principles, these
results would be explained in following paragraphs, Beck, et al., 2001.

2.2.1 Agile Values

The Agile Manifesto states the four main values that Agile methods are built upon. To avoid
misunderstandings about these Agile values, many proponents of Agile methods are clarifying
that they put value in the statements to the right but that they valued the items to the left even
more, Beck, et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011, Juricek, 2014, Cobb, 2015 and Gustavsson, 2016,
are explained values of Agile project management. Each value of the Agile Manifesto is shortly
described according to, Gustavsson, 2011, and as presented below:
1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools: The first statement of the Agile
manifesto means that the project team and its members are responsible to apply the best
working processes and methods for the specific project.
2. Working software over comprehensive documentation: The second statement in the Agile
manifesto is mainly considering software development projects. To make it more adapted to

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other kinds of projects, it could be changed into “Useful project outcome over
comprehensive documentation”.
3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation: At the end of each cycle of an Agile
project, the client is involved to bring forward opinions and thoughts about the project. This
means that the client collaboration is core to bring the project towards success. The customer
gets involved throughout the completely Agile project process by reviewing, discussing and
deciding at the end of each cycle.
4. Responding to change over following a plan: The Agile Manifesto states that changes are
welcomed in agile projects. The reason for this is that Agile projects do not believe in
“predicting the future” by planning for every detail in advance. The plans should instead be
dynamic and Agile teams should realize that projects are prone to change.

2.2.2 Agile Principles

To further explain; the values of the Manifesto, it was also accompanied by twelve principles,
which are presented below:
1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through the early and continuous delivery of
valuable software, Beck, et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011 and Gustavsson, 2016. The first
principle emphasizes “early and continuous delivery of valuable software.” In many
traditional plan-driven projects prior to Agile, the end-user customer doesn’t see anything
until the final user acceptance test phase of the project, and by that time it is very difficult
and expensive to make any changes that might be needed, Cobb, 2015.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change
for the customer's competitive advantage, Beck, et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011 and
Gustavsson, 2016. This principle emphasizes creating an environment where change is
expected and welcomed rather than rigidly controlled and limited; but, of course, that
doesn’t mean that the project is totally uncontrolled. There are lots of ways to manage
change effectively and collaboratively based on a partnership with the customer. The
important thing is that the project team and the customer should have a mutual understanding
upfront of how the change will be managed, Cobb, 2015.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a
preference to the shorter timescale, Beck, et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011 and Gustavsson,
2016. This principle emphasizes using an iterative approach to break up a project into very
small increments called sprints or iterations, which are typically in the range of two to four
weeks. There are a couple of reasons why this makes a lot of sense, Cobb, 2015, as follow:
I. All Agile development processes such as Scrum are based on continuous
improvement. Instead of having a rigidly defined process that never changes, the
team is expected to take an empirical approach to learn what works and what doesn’t
work as the project progresses, and make adjustments as necessary.
II. People work more productively given short time-boxes to get things done.
4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project, Beck, et
al., 2001, Thomas, 2011 and Gustavsson, 2016. This principle emphasizes a partnership
approach between the project team and the business sponsors. This is very consistent with
the Agile Manifesto value of “collaboration over contracts.” To implement this principle,
both the business sponsors and the project team need to feel joint responsibility for the
successful completion of the project, Cobb, 2015.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they
need, and trust them to get the job done, Beck, et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011 and Gustavsson,
2016. This principle emphasizes the importance of properly motivated individuals on a

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project. Too often in the past, some project managers have used high-pressure, command-
and-control tactics to pressure project teams into delivering results faster. Many of us have
been involved in “death march” projects in our careers where people are given an absolute
deadline for getting something done and have to work nights and weekends if necessary to
get it done, Cobb, 2015.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a
development team is a face-to-face conversation, Beck, et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011 and
Gustavsson, 2016. This principle emphasizes face-to-face conversation. This is another
statement that you have to not take as an absolute but think of it as relative. It is not always
possible with distributed teams to have face-to-face communications, but it is certainly
desirable if it is possible. This statement also does not mean that the only form of
communication is direct, face-to-face communications, Cobb, 2015.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress, Beck, et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011
and Gustavsson, 2016. Measuring progress on a software development project can be
difficult and problematic. The traditional method is to break a project into tasks and track
percent completion of those tasks as a way to measure progress; however, that can be very
misleading, because often the list of tasks is incomplete and the level of completion often
requires some subjective judgment, which is difficult to make and often inaccurate, Cobb,
2015.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users
should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely, Beck, et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011
and Gustavsson, 2016. Many of the underpinnings of Agile come from lean manufacturing
and total quality management (TQM). In a manufacturing environment, companies learned
many years ago that running a manufacturing plant like a sweatshop and forcing workers to
work an excessive number of hours under poor conditions do not often result in high-quality
products. A similar thing is especially true in an Agile environment because the success of
the effort is so critically dependent on the creativity and motivation of the team. In that kind
of situation, it is even more important to create an environment where work is sustainable
over a long period of time, Cobb, 2015.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility, Beck, et al.,
2001, Thomas, 2011 and Gustavsson, 2016. This statement is an interesting one. Agile
recognizes the need for doing things the right way to avoid unnecessary rework later.
However, an Agile approach should not result in overdesigning a product. A comment that is
heard often in an Agile environment is the concept of “just barely good enough.” In other
words, the work should be done to a sufficient level of completeness and quality to fulfill the
purpose it was intended to fill, and nothing more. Going beyond that level of “just barely
good enough” is considered waste, Cobb, 2015.
10. Simplicity "the art of maximizing the amount of work not done" is essential, Beck, et al.,
2001, Thomas, 2011 and Gustavsson, 2016. This statement emphasizes simplicity. How
many times have the projects go out of control because the requirements become much too
complex and very difficult to implement and the requirements become overdesigned to try to
satisfy every possible need you can imagine? This is also related to the concept of “just
barely good enough” don’t overdesign something; keep it as simple as possible. It is
generally much more effective to take an incremental approach to start with something
simple and then expand it as necessary, rather than starting with something overly complex
that may be overkill for the requirement, Cobb, 2015.
11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams, Beck,
et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011 and Gustavsson, 2016. Agile is heavily based on the idea of

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self-organizing teams but that needs some interpretation. Sometimes, developers have used
the idea of “self-organizing” as an excuse for anarchy, but that is not what was intended. The
intent is that if you have the right people on a cross-functional team and the team is
empowered to collectively use all the skills on the team in a collaborative manner, it will
generally deliver a better result than a single individual could deliver acting alone.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and
adjusts its behavior accordingly, Beck, et al., 2001, Thomas, 2011 and Gustavsson, 2016.
In Scrum, this is called a retrospective, and it happens at the end of each sprint. The team is
expected to continuously improve and adapt the Agile process as needed as the project
progresses, Cobb, 2015.

3. CLOSE QUESTIONNAIRE TECHNIQUE

Depending on the theoretical study of the agile project management, the researcher examines the
applicability of the agile project management values and principles in the construction projects in
Iraq. For this purpose, the researcher used the closed questionnaire technique for a group of
engineers including the following steps:
1- Designing, distributing and gathering the questionnaire form.
2- Analysis the data of the questionnaire form

3.1 Designing, Distributing and Gathering the Questionnaire Form

The researcher designed the questionnaire form by following a simple method with clear
administrative expressions, which enables all respondents to answer the questions easily. The
questions of the questionnaire were derived from the values and principles of the Agile project
management identified in the theoretical study. Then, the researcher sent the questionnaire to a
group of arbitrators for evaluating the questions of the questionnaire, the personal information of
the arbitrators had shown in Table 1. The researcher made all the amendments and proposals
which submitted by the arbitrators. The final form of the questionnaire including the following
parts:
 Part One: General information about sample size.
 Part Two: Applying of Agile projects management values in Iraqi construction projects.
 Part Three: Applying of Agile projects management principles in Iraqi construction
projects.
The study sample in this survey includes engineers who have at least fifteen years of experience
in working with the main parties involved in the construction project: (beneficiary, designer,
resident engineer, and contractor) to take all views into the consideration. The questionnaire
form was sent to fifty-six of the engineers' participants (ten engineers from each of the above-
mentioned parties has been answered all questions of the questionnaire correctly, so that the final
sample size is 40 engineers) for examining the values and principles of Agile project
management that can be applied in construction projects in Iraq.

3.2 Analysis the Data of the Questionnaire Form

To quantify data analysis and calculate the arithmetic mean it is required to identify a
hypothetical weight value (WV), for each answer the five-scale Likert adopted in this
questionnaire, and are illustrated in Table 2.
The analysis process has been divided into three parts, as follow:

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 Number 7 Volume 24 July 2018 Journal of Engineering

 Part One: General information about sample size.

 Part Two: Applying of Agile projects management values in Iraqi construction projects.
 Part Three: Applying of Agile projects management principles in Iraqi construction
projects.

3.2.1 Part One: General information about sample study.

The researcher analyzed the data of the general information of the study sample. Table 3 shows
the general information of the engineers' participants according to the parties that approved in
this study.

3.2.2 Part Two: Applying of Agile projects management values in Iraqi construction projects.
The objective of this section is to check the possibility of implementing the Agile project
management values in the construction projects of Iraq, by a set of questions related to each
value. The researcher used Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program for the
statistical analysis of data to calculate the arithmetic mean (M) and the standard deviation (S.D)
and Cronbach alpha coefficient (α) of the sample responses according to Eq. (1), Eq. (2), and Eq.
(3) respectively. Table 4 shows the answers of the engineers' participants on the questionnaire
questions.
Table 5 and Fig. 4 show the final summary of the possibility of applying Agile project
management values in the construction projects in Iraq.
∑
, Ryan, 2007 (1)
∑

∑
√ , Ryan, 2007 (2)
∑

   S 2  
 
 k   1   i 
 k  1 
 2 

, Wong, and Vimonsatit, 2012 and A1, 2009 (3)
 S 
 sum 
Where:
M: The arithmetic mean
S.D: Standard Deviation
α: Cronbach alpha coefficient
xi: Weight Value for particular.
fᵢ: Number of frequencies.
Si: The variance for the current sample of respondents.
k: The total number of class interval = 5.
Ssum : The variance of the sum of all respondents.

3.2.3 Part Three: Applying of Agile projects management principles in Iraqi construction
projects.
The objective of this section is to check the possibility of implementing the Agile project
management principles in the construction projects of Iraq, by a set of questions related to each
principle. The researcher used the statistical program (SPSS) for the statistical analysis of data to
calculate the arithmetic mean (M) and the standard deviation (S.D) and alpha coefficient (α) of

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 Number 7 Volume 24 July 2018 Journal of Engineering

the sample responses according to Eq. (1), Eq. (2), and Eq. (3) respectively. Table 6 shows the
answers of the engineers' participants on the questionnaire questions.
Table 7 and Fig. 5 show the final conclusion of the possibility of applying the principles of
Agile project management in the construction projects of Iraq depended on the views of the
engineers participating in this study.

4. DISCUSSION OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS

1- In accordance with the results shown in Table 4, the researcher concluded the following:
a) The first value of Agile project management values can be applied in the construction
projects in Iraq at a high level by the following parties (the beneficiary, the designer, the
contractor), and at a very high level by the resident engineer. Emphasizing that the
processes and tools have been developed to increase and facilitate the interaction between
the employees of the project, to accomplish their work and not to replace them.
b) The second value of Agile project management values can be applied in the construction
projects of Iraq at a very high level by all major parties.
c) The third value of Agile project management values can be applied in the construction
projects in Iraq at a high level by the following parties (the beneficiary, the designer, the
contractor), and at a very high level by the resident engineer. Indicating that the
beneficiary has agreed to a very high level with the approach is based on the completion
of basic requirements only in the contracting phase and the details are worked out as the
project progresses, while the following three parties (the resident engineer, the designer,
the contractor) are committed to the traditional approach.
d) The fourth value of Agile project management values can be applied in the construction
projects in Iraq at a very high level by the designer and the contractor and at a high level
by the beneficiary and the resident engineer.

2- According to the results indicated in Table 6, the value of Cronbach alpha (α) of the sample
size equal (0.849), this means that the reliability of the questionnaire results, where the value
of Cronbach Alpha is supposed not less 0.7, Varghese, and Varghese, 2015. Then the
researcher concluded the following:
a) The first principle of Agile project management principles: can be applied in construction
projects of Iraq at a high level by all the following main parties (beneficiary, resident
engineer, designer, and contractor).
b) The second principle of Agile project management principles: can be applied in the
construction projects of Iraq at a high level by the beneficiary and the resident engineer,
but at a very high level by the designer and the contractor.
c) The third principle: can be applied in the construction projects in Iraq at a high degree by
the beneficiary, the resident engineer, and the designer, but at a very high degree by the
contractor.
d) The fourth principle: can be applied in the construction projects in Iraq at a high degree
by the beneficiary and the designer, but at a very high degree by the resident engineer and
the contractor.
e) The fifth principle: can be applied in the construction projects in Iraq at a high degree by
all the main parties involved in the project.
f) The sixth principle: can be applied in the construction projects in Iraq at a high degree by
the beneficiary, the resident engineer, and the designer, but at a very high degree by the
contractor.

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g) The seventh principle: can be applied in the construction projects in Iraq at a high degree
by the beneficiary, the resident engineer, and the designer, but at a very high degree by
the contractor.
h) The eighth principle: can be applied in the construction projects in Iraq at a high degree
by all the main parties involved in the project.
i) The ninth principle: can be applied in the construction projects in Iraq at a high degree by
all the main parties involved in the project.
j) The tenth principle: can be applied in the construction projects in Iraq at a high degree by
the beneficiary only, while it can be applied at a medium degree by the resident engineer,
the designer, and the contractor.
k) The eleventh principle: can be applied in construction projects in Iraq at a high degree by
both the resident engineer and the designer, but at a very high degree by the beneficiary
and the contractor.
l) The twelfth principle: can be applied in the construction projects in Iraq at a high degree
by both the beneficiary and the resident engineer, but at a very high degree by both the
designer and the contractor.

5. CONCLUSIONS

According to the results that are mentioned in Tables 5 and Table 7, it is possible to apply the
four values of Agile project management for managing the Iraqi construction projects by all
parties, because all values have a high level of application in the Iraqi construction projects at
least. While the eleven of the twelve principles of Agile project management can be applied for
managing the Iraqi construction projects by the main parties because the tenth principle has a
medium level of application in the Iraqi construction projects. Finally, Agile project management
term became Agile construction management (ACM) because of its possibility of application in
the construction projects in Iraq.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS

This study recommends the adoption of the values and principles of Agile construction
management in the Iraqi construction industry by providing the necessary governmental support
for the enactment of relevant laws and regulations. In addition, holding the seminars and training
courses to raise awareness among the decision-makers and the engineers in Iraq to adopt these
values and principles in the construction projects.

REFERENCES

 Abdulridha, I.A., and Mohammed, S.R., 2016, Developing an Assessment Checklist for
Sustainable Housing Regulation, Applied Research Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 7, PP. 307-319.
 Agile Sweden, 2012, http://www.Agilesweden.com/
 Al Hammadi1, S., and Nawab, M.S., 2016, Study of Delay Factors in Construction Projects,
International Advanced Research Journal in Science, Engineering and Technology
(IARJSET), Vol.3, Issue 4, PP.87-93.
 Alleman, G.B., 2005, Agile Project Management Methods for IT Projects: The Story of
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 Antlova, K., 2014, Agile Approach in The Project Management of the Czech Companies,
Science Direct (Elsevier): Procedia Technology, Vol. 16, PP. 929 – 933.

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 Beck, K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M.,
Grenning, J., Highsmith, J., Hunt, A., Jeffries, R., Kern, J., Marick, B., Martin, R. C., Mellor,
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Development. www.Agilemanifesto.org.
 Cicmil, S., Williams, T., Thomas, J., and Hodgson, D., 2006, Rethinking Project
Management: Researching the Actuality of Projects, International Journal of Project
Management, Vol. 24, PP. 675–686.
 Cobb, C.G., 2011, Making Sense of Agile Project Management: Balancing control and
Agility, John Wiley & Sons, Canada: New Jersey.
 Cobb, C.G., 2015, The Project Manager's Guide to Mastering Agile: Principles and
Practices for an Adaptive Approach, Published book by John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey.
 Gustavsson, T., 2011, Agil projektledning, First edition, Sweden: Stockholm.
 Gustavsson, T., 2016, Benefits of Agile Project Management in a Non-Software Development
Context – A literature Review, PM World Journal, Vol. V, Issue VIII, August.
 Johansson, M.Y., 2012, Agile Project Management in the Construction Industry - An inquiry
of The opportunities in Construction Projects, Master thesis Submit to Real Estate and
Construction Management, Stockholm.
 Juricek, J., 2014, Agile Project Management Principles, Lecture Notes on Software
Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 2, May.
 Kazaz, A., Ulubeyli, S., and Tuncbilekli, N.A., 2012, Causes of Delays in Construction
Projects in Turkey, Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, Vol.18, No.3, PP. 426–
435.
 Mah, M., 2008, Measuring Agile in The Enterprise, Proceedings of the Agile Conference,
Canada: Toronto.
 Owen, R.L., and Koskela, L., 2006, Agile Construction Project Management, Book article
part of 3rd International Built a. Human Environment Research Week, Publisher in house
publishing, PP.22-33.
 Project Management Institute, 2010, The Value of Project Management.
 Rao, B.P., and Culas, J.C., 2014, Causes of Delays in Construction Projects, International
Journal of Current Research, Vol. 6, Issue 6, PP.7219-7222.
 Rico, D. F., Sayani, H. H., and Sone, S., 2009, The Business Value of Agile Software
Methods: Maximizing ROI with Just-in-Time Processes and Documentation. Ft. Lauderdale,
FL: J. Ross.
 Ryan, T.P., 2007, Modern Engineering Statistics, copyright by John Wiley and Sons,
Acworth, Georgia.
 Salameh, H., 2014, What, When, Why, and How? A comparison between Agile Project
Management and Traditional Project Management Methods, International Journal of
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 Salunkhe, A.A., and Patil, R.S., 2014, Effect of Construction Delays on Project Time
Overrun: Indian Scenario, IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and
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 Standish Group, 2013, Chaos manifesto: Think big, act small, http://blog.standishgroup.com/
 Thomas, E.S., 2011, Breaking the Addiction to Process an Introduction to Agile Project
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 Wong, K., and Vimonsatit, V., 2012, A study of the factors affecting construction time in
Western Australia, Scientific Research and Essays, Vol. 7, No.40, PP. 3390-3398, 23
October.

‫ا اداسة‬SPSS ‫ا ححليل بياواث االسخبيان باسخخذا البشوامج االحصايي‬9002 ‫ َليذ عبذالشحمه خالذ الفشاا‬: A1, 2009 
.‫البشامج َالشؤَن الخاسجيتا الىذَة العالميت للشباث االسممي‬

NOMENCLATURE

ACM= Agile construction management

APM= Agile project management
fᵢ = number of frequencies.
K= the total number of class interval.
M= the arithmetic mean
S.D= standard deviation
Si = the variance for the current sample of respondents.
SPSS= statistical package for social sciences program
Ssum = the variance of the sum of all respondents.
TQM= total quality management
WV= weight value
xi= weight value for particular.
α = Cronbach alpha coefficient

Figure 1. Agile Project Management Triangle, Cobb, 2011.

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Figure 2. Agile Project Management Method (APM) Process, Salameh, 2014.

Figure 3. Changing from Traditional to Agile Project Management, Owen, and Koskela,
2006.

Table 1. Arbitrators’ personal information (Researcher)

Experience Work Scientific Engineering
Arbitrators
(Years) Sector degree Specialization
1) I. A. 25 Public Ph.D Civil
2) A. M. 36 Private M.Sc Civil
3) H. K 22 Public Ph.D Civil
4) D. A. 26 Public Ph.D Architectural
5) A. A. 20 Public B.Sc Architectural

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Table 2. The weight value of descriptive frequencies, Abdulridha, and Mohammed, 2016; Al
Hammadi, and Nawab, 2016; Rao, and Culas, 2014; Kazaz, et al., 2012.
Descriptive Frequency Class Interval Weight Value (WV)
Strongly Disagree 1 – 1.8 1
Disagree 1.81 – 2.6 2
Neutral 2.61 – 3.4 3
Agree 3.41 – 4.2 4
Strongly Agree 4.21 – 5 5

Table 3. General information of the study sample (Researcher)

Resident
General Information Beneficiary Designer Contractor
Engineer
Number of Experts 10 10 10 10
Work Public % 100 100 80 50
sector Private % 0 0 20 50
B.Sc % 70 80 70 60
Scientific
M.Sc % 20 20 20 30
Degree
Ph.D % 10 0 10 10
Architectural % 20 10 80 30
Civil % 50 50 10 40
Specialty
Mechanical % 30 10 10 10
Electricity % 0 30 0 20
15 – 20 (%) 40 30 30 50
Experience
20 – 25 (%) 30 40 30 30
Years
More than 25 (%) 30 30 40 20

Table 4. The Engineers' answers to the questions related to Agile project management values.
(Researcher)
Resident
Beneficiary Designer Contractor
The questions related to APM values Engineer
M S.D M S.D M S.D M S.D
Value No.1: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Q.1- Do you agree with that focusing on the
importance of the engineering staff and
staff working on the construction
project and their interactions and
enable them to perform their work and
4 0.943 4.3 0.483 4 0.943 4.1 0.738
encourage them to work collectively,
will lead to help to succeed the tasks of
project management and reduce delay
more than focusing on items of work
and tools only?
Q.1-1 Do you agree that processes and
tools are developed to increase and
facilitate interaction between project 4.3 0.483 4.1 0.316 3.9 0.568 4 0.816
workers to accomplish their work, not
to replace them?
Value No.2: Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation

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 Number 7 Volume 24 July 2018 Journal of Engineering

Resident
Beneficiary Designer Contractor
The questions related to APM values Engineer
M S.D M S.D M S.D M S.D
Q.2- Do you agree that the use of modern
software in project management,
electronic documentation, build a
database, etc. will lead to help for 4.3 0.483 4.5 0.707 4.7 0.483 4.4 0.516
making the smart and correct decisions
at fast by the construction project
manager?
Q.2-1 Do you agree that electronic
documentation of the data of
4 0.471 4.7 0.483 4.2 0.632 4.6 0.516
construction project is better than the
manual documentation (traditional)?
Value No.3: Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation
Q.3- Do you agree that follow an
administrative approach depends on the
completion of the basic requirements
only in the contracting stage and
developing the required details with the 3.8 0.919 3.4 0.843 2.6 0.699 3.1 0.738
project progress, will lead to help for
completing the project within specified
time and cost when compared with the
traditional approach.
Q.3-1 Do you agree that the use of an
administrative approach based on the
spirit of trust and partnership between
4 0.667 4.3 0.675 3.9 0.994 4.2 0.422
the project team and its beneficiaries,
will lead to ensuring the success of the
construction project?
Value No.4: Responding to Change over Following a Plan
Q.4- Do you agree that follow an approach
responds to changes during the
construction project execution by
making flexible alternative plans, 4.2 0.789 3.9 0.876 4.4 0.516 4.3 0.675
which are pre-agreed to deal with these
changes, for ensuring the project's
success?

Table 5. The final summary of the possibility of applying the values of Agile project
management in the construction projects of Iraq. (Researcher)
Beneficiary Resident Engineer Designer Contractor
APM values Total
M M M M
Value No.1: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Mean according
4 4.3 4 4.1 4.1
to Q.1
Effect Level High Very High High High High
Value No.2: Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation

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 Number 7 Volume 24 July 2018 Journal of Engineering

Beneficiary Resident Engineer Designer Contractor

APM values Total
M M M M
Mean according
4.3 4.5 4.7 4.4 4.475
to Q.2
Effect Level Very High Very High Very High Very High Very High
Value No.3: Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation
Mean according
4 4.3 3.9 4.2 4.1
to Q.3
Effect Level High Very High High High High
Value No.4: Responding to Change over Following a Plan
Mean according
4.2 3.9 4.4 4.3 4.2
to Q.4
Effect Level High High Very High Very High High

Beneficiary Resident Engineer Designer Contractor

Value No.1:
Individuals and 4
interactions 4.3
5
4
2.61 - 3.4 (Medium) 4.1
3.41 - 4.2 (High)
4.21 - 5 (Very High) 4.2

3.4

Value No.4:
Value No.2: Working
Responding to 2.6
Software
Change
4.2 4.3
3.9 4.5
4.4 4.7
4.3 4.4

4
4.3
3.9
4.2
Value No.3:
Customer
Collaboration

Figure 4. The final summary of the possibility of applying the values of Agile project
management in the construction projects of Iraq. (Researcher)

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 Number 7 Volume 24 July 2018 Journal of Engineering

Table 6. The engineers' answers to the questions related to Agile project management principles.
(Researcher)
Resident
Beneficiary Designer Contractor
The questions related to APM principles Engineer
M S.D M S.D M S.D M S.D
Principle No.1: Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through the early and continuous
delivery of valuable software.
Q.1- Is the conducting the necessary
modifications and changes required, by
the contractor prior to the delivery 4.3 0.483 3.6 0.966 4.2 0.632 4.1 0.876
phase are possible and less damage than
doing it after the delivery stage?
Q.1-1 Is the employer's satisfaction has the
priority at the main parties of the
3.7 0.675 3.8 0.632 3.7 0.823 3.9 0.738
construction project and impact on the
success of the construction project?
Q.1-2 Is the delivery of the construction
project in the form of stages, gives the
beneficiary and the contractor the 3.8 0.919 3.5 0.972 3.3 0.949 4.3 0.675
opportunity to test the success of the
project before the final delivery stage?
Principle No.2: Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes
harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
Q.2- Is the existence of a flexible design so
that changes can be made during the
execution phase of the construction 3.1 0.994 3.7 0.823 4.3 0.675 4.3 0.675
projects, affects the success of the
construction project?
Q.2-1 Is develop a pre-agreed plan
(between the contractor and the
employer) on how to make the
4.1 0.994 4.1 0.568 4.3 0.483 4.5 0.527
necessary changes required during the
execution phase, affects the success of
the construction project?
Principle No.3: Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of
months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
Q.3- Do you agree that dividing of the work
activities of the project into repetitive
processes and each process contains
specific objectives and time, and all
obstacles are discussed at the beginning 4.2 0.632 3.9 0.876 3.8 0.422 4.3 0.823
of each process, will lead to accomplish
the work very quickly and take
advantage of the errors that occur in
each process?
Principle No.4: Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project
Q.4- Do you agree that the cooperation
between the employees and senior
4.3 0.675 4.3 0.675 4.2 0.789 4.6 0.516
management, affects the success of the
project management tasks in the

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Resident
Beneficiary Designer Contractor
The questions related to APM principles Engineer
M S.D M S.D M S.D M S.D
construction project?
Q.4-1 Do you agree that to give both the
employee and the employer a sense of
joint responsibility for the completion of 3.9 0.568 4.3 0.483 3.8 0.632 4.7 0.483
the project affect the success of the
construction project?
Principle No.5: Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and
support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
Q.5- Do you agree that the approval of the
project manager on the management
policy depends on the motives of
individuals and encourage them and
give them confidence and not subject to 4 0.816 4.2 0.632 3.7 0.823 4 0.943
pressure to complete the work assigned
to them on the dates specified, leads to
accomplishing these works quickly and
without delay?
Principle No.6: The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a
project team is a face-to-face conversation.
Q.6- Do you agree that the direct
communication between the parties of
the construction project to communicate
4.2 0.422 4 0.471 4.1 0.568 4.6 0.516
the information and discuss the
problems, affect the success of the
construction project?
Principle No.7: Working software is the primary measure of progress.
Q.7- Do you agree that the project work
program is divided into parts of the
tasks each of which has a clear
definition of what is required to work, 3.7 0.823 4 0.471 3.6 0.699 4.3 0.675
helps to test and measure the progress of
the project and thus lead to the success
of the construction project?
Principle No.8: Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and
users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
Q.8- Do you agree that applying the
principles of sustainability in the project
and creating a sustainable working
environment for workers in terms of
3.9 0.316 4 0.667 4.2 0.789 3.9 0.876
environmental, social and economic
aspects helps reduce the changes and
accidents in the project and thus lead to
the success of the construction project?
Principle No.9: Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
Q.9- Do you agree that the continued
attention to technical excellence and the 4.4 0.516 4.4 0.516 4.3 0.483 4.5 0.527
good design, leads to avoid the rework

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Resident
Beneficiary Designer Contractor
The questions related to APM principles Engineer
M S.D M S.D M S.D M S.D
or over-design? (I.e. work at an
adequate level of completeness and
quality to achieve its intended purpose)?
Principle No.10: Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.
Q.10- Do you agree that starting a
construction project is somewhat
simplistic (in terms of requirements)
and then expanded if necessary,
achieves the success of the project 3.5 0.850 3.1 0.876 3.1 0.738 3 0.943
within the specified period instead of
starting a construction project that is
too complex (excessive
requirements)?
Principle No.11: The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing
teams.
Q.11- Do you agree that the presence of a
multi-functional team and skills and
competencies in the construction
project with the authority to work
collectively and in a cooperative way, 4.5 0.527 4.2 0.422 4.2 0.789 4.6 0.516
helps to complete the construction
project within the specified period and
prevents the delay when compared to
work individually?
Principle No.12: At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then
tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Q.12- Do you agree that the development
of training plans to improve the
performance of staff working in the 4.1 0.316 4.1 0.876 4.5 0.527 4.6 0.516
construction project, helps to succeed
the construction project?
Q.12-1 Do you agree that having an
integrated risk management plan that
is expected to occur in the 4.1 0.568 4.2 0.422 4.4 0.699 4.5 0.527
construction project will help to
success the construction project?
Q.12-2 Do you agree that setting time
periods in the construction project
during each period can conduct a
review of project operations and take
4.2 0.632 4.2 0.632 4.6 0.516 4.7 0.483
prompt corrective actions when
necessary, helps the success of the
construction project within the
required time, cost and quality?

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Table 7. The final summary of the possibility of applying the principles of Agile project
management in the construction projects of Iraq. (Researcher)
APM Beneficiary Resident Engineer Designer Contractor
Total
principles M M M M
Principle No.1: Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through the early and
continuous delivery of valuable software.
Q.1 4.3 3.6 4.2 4.1
Q.1-1 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.9
Q.1-2 3.8 3.5 3.3 4.3
Average M 3.93 3.63 3.73 4.1 3.8475
Effect Level High High High High High
Principle No.2: Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes
harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
Q.2 3.1 3.7 4.3 4.3
Q.2-1 4.1 4.1 4.3 4.5
Average M 3.6 3.9 4.3 4.4 4.05
Effect Level High High Very High Very High High
Principle No.3: Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of
months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
Q.3 4.2 3.9 3.8 4.3
Average M 4.2 3.9 3.8 4.3 4.05
Effect Level High High High Very High High
Principle No.4: Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the
project
Q.4 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.6
Q.4-1 3.9 4.3 3.8 4.7
Average M 4.1 4.3 4 4.65 4.2625
Effect Level High Very High High Very High Very High
Principle No.5: Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment
and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
Q.5 4 4.2 3.7 4
Average M 4 4.2 3.7 4 3.975
Effect Level High High High High High
Principle No.6: The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and
within a project team is a face-to-face conversation.
Q.6 4.2 4 4.1 4.6
Average M 4.2 4 4.1 4.6 4.225
Effect Level High High High Very High Very High
Principle No.7: Working software is the primary measure of progress.
Q.7 3.7 4 3.6 4.3
Average M 3.7 4 3.6 4.3 3.9
Effect Level High High High Very High High
Principle No.8: Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers,
and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
Q.8 3.9 4 4.2 3.9
Average M 3.9 4 4.2 3.9 4
Effect Level High High High High High

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APM Beneficiary Resident Engineer Designer Contractor

Total
principles M M M M
Principle No.9: Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
Q.9 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.5
Average M 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.4
Effect Level Very High Very High Very High Very High Very High
Principle No.10: Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.
Q.10 3.5 3.1 3.1 3
Average M 3.5 3.1 3.1 3 3.175
Effect Level High Medium Medium Medium Medium
Principle No.11: The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing
teams.
Q.11 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.6
Average M 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.6 4.375
Effect Level Very High High High Very High Very High
Principle No.12: At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then
tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Q.12 4.1 4.1 4.5 4.6
Q.12-1 4.1 4.2 4.4 4.5
Q.12-2 4.2 4.2 4.6 4.7
Average M 4.13 4.17 4.5 4.6 4.35
Effect Level High High Very High Very High Very High

Figure 5. The final summary of the possibility of applying the principles of Agile project
management in the construction projects of Iraq. (Researcher)

133

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