An evaluation of productivity and management practice in the Iranian construction industry

The aim of this research is to develop a system for construction productivity improvement in the Iranian construction industry. After eight years of devastating war with neighbouring Iraq, the country faced with an urgent need for rebuilding and development ranging from housing to infrastructure. The shortages of the resources coupled with the inefficiency of the management system within the Iranian Construction Industry has not allowed this industry to cope effectively with the post-war construction requirements of the country. The work carried out in this project has first identified and quantified the project and management-related factors that significantly affect construction productivity in general, as appeared in literature. Based on this survey, structured questionnaires were developed and work study techniques were used to collect and collate data from three major categories of construction workforce (i.e. , construction operatives, foremen, and site managers). Exploratory analyses are then performed to determine which factors have most influence on workers' productivity, productive time, and unproductive time individually. The study then goes further to assess the effectiveness of Iranian site project managers. F or this purpose, management effectiveness factors were identified and classified into ten categories and the relative importance of each category were determined. Management effectiveness factors were then related to construction productivity indicators in a regression analysis exercise to reveal the Iranian managers' impacts on construction productivity. Regression technique was employed for statistical analysis resulting in developing a series of models for predicting productivity, productive time, and unproductive time of the above mentioned three categories of Iranian construction workforce. For a quicker approach to predicting productivity, a new series of productivity models were developed incorporating the critical factors to management effectiveness index. The models developed were checked for normality and range of accuracy as they were applied to the industry. The result of assessment of Iranian site project managers' effectiveness were then interpreted on productivity variations, establishing a guideline for successful implementation of construction projects. The project fmally develops and proposes schemes for implementing productivity improvement programme through various hierarchy of the Iranian construction workforce.