Estimation of Optimal Productivity in Labor-Intensive Construction Operations: Advanced Study
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 144, Issue 10
Abstract
The traditional practice of comparing actual productivity versus historical productivity only provides relative efficiency data rather than absolute efficiency data. Innovatively, a two-prong strategy for estimating optimal labor productivity by quantifying systematic and operational inefficiencies allows project managers to estimate the absolute efficiency of their labor-intensive operations and compare actual productivity against an objective benchmark. Although this two-prong strategy was previously validated for a simple task with a single worker performing sequential actions, no study has confirmed the feasibility of applying this approach to complex operations involving multiple workers or sequential and/or parallel tasks and actions. Because adding more workers increases not only the complexity of the construction operation but also the complexity of calculating optimal productivity, this study expands the current body of knowledge by augmenting the two-prong strategy’s methodology to apply the approach to a complex, multiworker operation necessitating both sequential and parallel tasks and actions. The feasibility of the expanded methodology is tested using a case study involving the fabrication of sheet metal ducts that includes 8 workers performing 8 tasks and 45 actions. This paper reviews relevant literature; tests the feasibility of the two-prong strategy on a complex, labor-intensive operation; analyzes the data; evaluates the strategy; and confirms the framework as a tool for accurately estimating optimal productivity in complex construction activities. The success of this framework better enables project managers to measure and manage the productivity of their labor-intensive construction operations.
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Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. Information about the Journal’s data sharing policy can be found here: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001263.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the assistance of the Waldinger Corporation and express their special gratitude to the manager, site supervisor, and workers of the Waldinger Corporation for providing access to their job site. Waldinger Corporation is a premier full-service mechanical, electrical and sheet metal contractor rooted in the Midwestern United States employing over 2,000 professionals. Without their support, this case study would not have been possible.
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 144 • Issue 10 • October 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 30, 2017
Accepted: Apr 18, 2018
Published online: Aug 7, 2018
Published in print: Oct 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jan 7, 2019
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