Implementation of Design Thinking and Agile methodologies within the framework of the CDIO methodology for the development of the 'Tywa Khe' project

Abstract

The project “Paths for peace and memory ‘Tywa Khe’, walls that weave stories” seeks to rescue and strengthen the territorial identity and collective memory of the upper neighborhoods of Usme, in Bogota, through the creation of an open-air museum made up of murals with stories and experiences of the community. The initiative arises from the PROSOFI Social Program of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, articulating community, academic and social actors in participatory processes.

The development of the project involves students of Civil Engineering, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering; for the latter, the work is framed in the methodology Conceive, Design, Implement and Operate an Engineering Project, known as CDIO, complemented with Design Thinking tools and agile methodologies such as SCRUM. These allow structuring the work from engineering, fostering empathy, co-creation and sustainability. Among the main products of the process are the definition of the problem through a tree of causes, the empathy map elaborated after interviewing social actors, a weighted SWOT matrix of the context, the lotus flower with creative solutions and the analysis with Bono hats to evaluate from multiple perspectives. Although the murals have not yet been executed, the themes, the memory route and the integration of technologies have been conceptually designed.

It is recognized, with this experience, that the CDIO methodology applies to academic engineering projects with communities, that Design Thinking contributes to interdisciplinary, intergenerational and co-creation work; and that the philosophy of agile methodologies allows for organized deliveries that motivate the teams since they evidence progress.