TECHNICAL PAPERS
Jun 1, 1997

Scheduled Overtime and Labor Productivity: Quantitative Analysis

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 123, Issue 2

Abstract

This paper describes a study of 121 weeks of labor productivity data from four industrial projects. The objective is to quantify the effects of scheduled overtime. First, it describes how the data were collected, processed, and analyzed. The results show losses of efficiency of 10–15% for 50and 60-h work weeks. The results compare favorably to other published data including the Business Roundtable (BRT) curves. Therefore, it was concluded that the BRT curve is a reasonable estimate of losses that may occur on average industrial projects. Second, this paper addresses the reasons for efficiency losses. For this analysis disruptions in three categories—resource deficiencies, rework, and management deficiencies—were analyzed. The analyses showed that the disruption frequency, which is the number of disruptions per 100 work hours, worsened as more days per week were worked. This led to the conclusion that losses of efficiency are caused by the inability to provide materials, tools, equipment, and information at an accelerated rate.

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References

1.
Adrian, J. J. (1988). Construction claims, a quantitative approach. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
2.
Business Roundtable (BRT). (1980). “Scheduled overtime effect on construction projects.”Rep. C-2, New York, N.Y., 12–13.
3.
Construction Industry Institute (CII). (1988). “The effects of scheduled overtime and shift schedule on construction craft productivity.”Rep. of the Productivity Measurements Task Force, Source Document 43, Austin, Tex.
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Construction Industry Institute (CII). (1994). “Effects of scheduled overtime on labor productivity: a quantitative analysis.”Rep. of the Overtime Task Force, Austin, Tex.
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Devore, J. L. (1991). Probability and statistics for engineering and the sciences. Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., Pacific Grove, Calif.
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Haneiko, J. B., and Henry, W. C. (1991). “Impacts to construction productivity.”Proc., Am. Power Conf., Illinois Inst. of Technol., Chicago, Ill., Vol. 53-II, 897–900.
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Overtime and productivity in electrical construction. (1989). National Electrical Contractors Association, Bethesda, Md.
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Sanders, S. R., and Thomas, H. R.(1990). “Masonry conversion factors.”Masonry Soc. J., 9(1), 95–104.
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Thomas, H. R.(1992). “Effects of scheduled overtime on labor productivity.”J. Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt., ASCE, 118(1), 60–76.
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Thomas, H. R., Arnold, T. M., and Oloufa, A. A. (1995). “Quantification of labor inefficiencies resulting from schedule compression and acceleration.”Final Rep. to the Electrical Contracting Found., Inc., Pennsylvania Transp. Inst., Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, Pa.
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Thomas, H. R., and Kramer, D. F. (1987). The manual of construction productivity measurement and performance evaluation. Construction Industry Institute, Austin, Tex.
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Thomas, H. R., and Napolitan, C. L.(1995). “Quantitative effects of construction changes on labor productivity.”J. Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt., ASCE, 121(3), 290–296.
13.
Thomas, H. R., and Rounds, J. (1991). Procedures manual for collecting productivity and related data on overtime activities on industrial construction projects: electrical and piping. Construction Industry Institute, Austin, Tex.
14.
Thomas, H. R., Smith, G. R., Sanders, S. R., and Mannering, F. L. (1989). “An exploratory study of productivity forecasting using the factor model for masonry.”Rep. to the Nat. Sci. Found. Grant No. MSM-861160, Pennsylvania Transp. Inst., Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, Pa.

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Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 123Issue 2June 1997
Pages: 181 - 188

History

Published online: Jun 1, 1997
Published in print: Jun 1997

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Authors

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H. Randolph Thomas
Prof. of Civ. Engrg., Pennsylvania Transp. Inst., Pennsylvania State Univ., 203 Res. Ofc. Build., University Park, PA 16802.
Karl A. Raynar
Res. Assoc., Pennsylvania Transp. Inst., Pennsylvania State Univ., 106 Res. Ofc. Build., University Park, PA.

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