What is the Agile methodology?
Agile is a complex project development methodology based on the following principles:
- Objectives and partial deliverables developed in parallel: In contrast to the traditional method of working in series or sequentially, the Agile methodology proposes the parallel development of partial products.
- Teamwork: The work teams are small (6-8 people), multidisciplinary and autonomous, promoting communication between different production areas, facilitating product testing by each of them and speeding up decision-making. In this way, errors and development times are reduced.
- Incremental development in short iterative cycles: Short cycles (2-3 weeks) are established starting with goal setting and iteration planning and ending with result analysis and retrospective, which will improve the productivity of the next iteration.
For what kind of projects is it appropriate to use the Agile methodology?
Agile methodology is very useful for:
- Complex projects that require for their development the intervention of different areas of the same company or even the active participation of clients and/or suppliers.
- Environments with poorly defined or changing requirements in which objectives and schedules have to be modified on a recurring basis.
- Developments with tight deadlines.
Agile methodology was originally used in software development, but has now been extended to all kinds of complex projects, in ill-defined or changing environments, involving different actors from different disciplines and, in many cases, from different companies.
What are the advantages of the Agile methodology?
The advantages of the Agile framework, if well applied, are manifold:
- The empirical control of the partial products by the agents involved in their development makes it possible to reduce errors.
- Working in multidisciplinary and autonomous teams increases the motivation of the staff involved and improves productivity.
- Working in partial and iterative cycles increases flexibility in case of changing requirements and facilitates the management of customer expectations.
- Parallel development of partial products reduces lead times.
How do we apply this methodology at Antana?
At Antana we apply the Agile methodology in Project Management for the implementation of offices.
1. For each project, we set up a multidisciplinary team:
- Workplace, analysing the client's way of working in order to propose alternatives and improvements in the use of spaces.
- Design, understanding the image that the client wants to transmit with their offices and developing the concept that enhances it.
- Architecture and engineering, fitting, implementing and making possible the client's functional requirements.
- Works, ensuring that projects are kept within budget and planning limits.
- Customer, verifying the partial results and, if necessary, modifying the requirements.
- Suppliers and manufacturers, contributing their specific knowledge in the development of certain singular units.
2. We set partial objectives and delivery plans with our clients, many of which are developed in parallel and in an iterative manner.
- Surface requirements, workstations and workflows.
- Concept development.
- Development of the implementation.
- Choice of finishes and furnishings.
- Calculation of structures and installations.
- Measurements and budget.
The modification of a requirement by the client affects all partial developments. A change in the office layout, for example, affects installations, licences, measurements, budgets and planning.
3. We establish a schedule of regular meetings with the client in which we present the partial results obtained and plan the next ones. The client is involved in setting requirements and deadlines.
How do we help our clients implement Agile methodology in their organisations through design and architecture?
The Agile methodology is a way of working and its implementation in an organisation responds to strategic issues that are beyond the scope of the services provided by Antana. However, once this decision has been taken by the management of a company, Antana can help with its physical implementation in the workspaces of that organisation.
The aim is to design and implement the offices by differentiating between the different jobs to be carried out:
- Concentration zones, facilitating individual work, through the implementation of small acoustically isolated spaces that prevent interruptions.
- Project work area, encouraging creativity, participation and collaborative work.
- External and internal communication area, transmitting the company's image and objectives.
And this is not just about changing furniture and making flexible spaces. It is about understanding the activity of our clients, their way of working and the nature of their projects. It is about spaces that encourage these organisational changes and invite users to take them on board naturally. In the end, it is about making the design and implementation of workspaces a powerful ally in the development of the organisational and communication strategy of companies.
At Antana, through our activity we help companies to grow and improve through the design of their offices and their implementation.
