34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) - Singapore, Singapore - 2026

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0222

Agile-lean hybridisation in construction

Pearl Li Ng1, Farshid Rahmani2, Tiendung Le3 & Tayyab Maqsood4

1PhD Candidate, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, Australia, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-2172-9605
2Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, Australia, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-2312-807X
3Associate Professor, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, Australia, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-6048-8883
4Associate Dean, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, Australia, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0001-7166-8110

Abstract

Persistent fragmentation and slow feedback at the design and construction phases undermine planning reliability and increase waste. While Lean Construction and Agile Ways of Working are often seen as complementary, empirical evidence explaining how Agile is hybridised in practice and how such hybrids reinforce Lean outcomes remains limited. This paper reports findings from a Straussian Grounded Theory study of 22 professionals across the Australian Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector. The authors identified five clusters of hybrid practices enacted across design and construction: short-cycle planning and coordination, visual management, iterative design with early validation, rapid issue escalation, and hybrid Agile–Lean teaming. The findings demonstrated how these practices contribute to Lean outcomes, including waste reduction, improved flow, planning reliability, and continuous improvement. Building on these findings, the authors propose an Agile-Lean Hybridisation Model that explains when and why particular practice patterns are effective across project phases and governance contexts, positioning Agile learning cycles at points of high uncertainty and low irreversibility while Lean practices maintain stable flow and reliable commitments. This study contributes a practice-level theory of hybridisation and a contextual selection framework for designing phase-appropriate Agile–Lean hybrids in construction.

Keywords

Lean construction, agile, flow, waste reduction, planning reliability.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Ng, P. L., Rahmani, F., Le, T. & Maqsood, T.. (2026). Agile-lean hybridisation in construction. In Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M., & Garcia-Lopez,, N. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) (pp. 1156–1167). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0222

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Ng, P. L., Rahmani, F., Le, T. & Maqsood, T.. (2026). Agile-lean hybridisation in construction. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0222

 

Founded in 1993, the IGLC is an international network of researchers from practice and academia in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) who feel that the practice, education, and research of the AEC industry have to be radically renewed in order to respond to the global challenges ahead.

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