Construction Baseline Productivity: Theory and Practice
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 125, Issue 5
Abstract
In this paper, the theoretical basis for construction labor productivity measurement is presented. In particular, the theoretical basis for baseline productivity measurements is developed by examining a productivity database consisting of 23 projects involving masonry construction. An important hypothesis is presented showing that as the design becomes more complex, the baseline productivity worsens. It is also hypothesized that higher values of the coefficient of variation indicates a higher variability in management and craft skills and in the use of technology. Two measures are proposed to measure the performance of individual projects: The disruption index and the project management index. These two measures identify the best and worst performing projects. Cumulative probability distributions of the disruption index and the project management index were also developed to evaluate the 23-project database and compare it with other databases. The hypotheses developed from the 23-masonry project database were tested against an 8-project database of concrete formwork and a 12-project database of structural steel erection. Strong support for each hypothesis was found using the two additional databases.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Thomas, H. R., Maloney, W. F., Smith, G. R., Sanders, S. R., Horner, R. M. W., and Handa, V. K. (1990). “Productivity models for construction.”J. Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt., ASCE, 116(4), 705–726.
2.
Thomas, H. R., and Raynar, K. A. (1997). “Scheduled overtime and labor productivity: quantitative analysis.”J. Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt., ASCE, 123(2), 181–188.
3.
Thomas, H. R., and Završki, I. (1998). “The theoretical foundation for international labor productivity comparisons.” Rep. to the International Council for Building Reseach Studies and Documentation, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
4.
United Nations (UN) Committee on Housing, Building, and Planning. ( 1965). “Effect of repetition on building operations and process on site.” ST/ECE/HOU/14, New York.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
History
Received: Oct 6, 1998
Published online: Sep 1, 1999
Published in print: Sep 1999
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.