EMPIRICAL MANAGEMENT OF ENGINEERING PROJECTS: A COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO AGILITY

A traditional approach to management of engineering projects invariably tends to prescribe a predefined process. In semiconductor manufacturing, a standard approach to process control involves the application of a predefined mathematical model that sufficiently describes the relationship between inputs and outputs of a physical system Such a model is effective in controlling physical processes, however, when the objective is to manage human processes then a predefined control model may no longer be able lo sufficiently describe the relationship between inputs and outputs, requirements and deliverables. In cases where human processes are to be managed, an empirical model is often able to more readily adapt to emergent characteristics in a project. An empirical model is one which does not attempt to comprehensively describe the system with a predefined formula, but simply adjusts the inputs respective to observed changes in the outputs with the objective of billing the target. The idea of empirical process control is an underpinning of agile development methodologies such as Scrum and provides a pragmatic basis for management of engineering projects in general. The rationale for this assertion follows logically from a common sense perspective about the uncertainty of future events.