The effect of variations in management techniques on construction productivity

Construction is one of the largest industries in the United States, and productivity in construction is a key to the growth in its economy. Measuring and identifying methods of increasing productivity are important roles of the construction manager. The purpose of this study was to identify the components of management that have the most significant effect on home building productivity and to integrate these components into a paradigm to help guide the industry to increased efficiency. Productivity was defined as the value added to the house for each day worked. A standardized scale was created to compare the results of various builders' operations. This scale was created by assigning a construction time and a value to each of 49 work activities of a typical Florida single-family house. Data were collected from each of six construction projects over the duration of the construction process. Data also were collected from 50 Florida home builders whose annual production was at least 100 homes. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data from the construction projects demonstrated that productivity was higher in those projects where a formal schedule was used. The schedule was either provided by management or the superintendent was required to prepare one for each house. Productivity was also higher for projects where an on-site office and/or telephone was provided, and where regular inspections were performed by someone other than the project superintendent. Significantly lower productivity was found where stringent building codes were enforced. The builder interview data indicated that the most common cause of delay was subcontractors not arriving at the job site when scheduled. Both data sources indicated that there was no significant difference in productivity when multiple job sites were supervised by one superintendent. However, the interview data revealed that productivity decreased as the superintendent's travel distance between jobs increased. The results of this research present a clear statement to builders that construction productivity is enhanced through formal scheduling and careful assignment of supervisory responsibility. These results will also be useful to educational institutions in developing professional continuing education courses for constructors and superintendents.