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.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
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.
References
Alinaitwe, H. M., J. A. Mwakali, and B. Hanson. 2007. “Factors affecting the productivity of building craftsmen: Studies of Uganda.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 13 (3): 169–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/13923730.2007.9636444.
Bai, Y., J. Huan, and A. Peddi. 2008. Development of human poses for the determination of on-site construction productivity in real-time. Arlington, VA: Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation, National Science Foundation.
Bernold, L. E., and S. M. AbouRizk. 2010. Managing performance in construction. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Caillette, F., and T. Howard. 2004. “Real-time markerless human body tracking with multi-view 3D voxel reconstruction.” In Vol. 2 of Proc., British Machine Vision Conf., 597–606. London: BMVC.
Chan, P. W., and A. Kaka. 2007. “Productivity improvements: Understand the workforce perceptions of productivity first.” Personnel Rev. 36 (4): 564–584. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710752803.
Crawford, P., and B. Vogl. 2006. “Measuring productivity in the construction industry.” Build. Res. Inf. 34 (3): 208–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613210600590041.
Dai, J., P. M. Goodrum, and W. F. Maloney. 2009. “Construction craft workers’ perceptions of the factors affecting their productivity.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 135 (3): 217–226. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2009)135:3(217).
Dozzi, S. P., and S. M. AbouRizk. 1993. Productivity in construction. Ottawa: Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council.
Drucker, P. 1993. Management: Tasks, responsibilities, practices. New York: Harper Business.
Enshassi, A., S. Mohamed, Z. Abu Mustafa, and P. Mayer. 2007. “Factors affecting labour productivity in building projects in the Gaza strip.” J. Civ. Eng. Manage. 13 (4): 245–254. https://doi.org/10.1080/13923730.2007.9636444.
Finkler, S. A., J. R. Knickman, G. Hendrickson, M. Lipkin, and W. G. Thompson. 1993. “A comparison of work-sampling and time-and-motion techniques for studies in health services research.” Health Serv. Res. 28 (5): 577–597.
Hanna, A. S., C. S. Taylor, and K. T. Sullivan. 2005. “Impact of extended overtime on construction labor productivity.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 131 (6): 734–739. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2005)131:6(734).
Haskell, B. P. H. 2012. “Construction industry productivity: Its history and future.” J. Des.-Build. Inst. Am. 6 (1): 5–10.
Huang, R. Y., and B. C. Hsieh. 2005. “A construction simulation system (COMSim) with object-oriented modeling elements.” J. Chin. Inst. Eng. 28 (2): 267–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/02533839.2005.9670993.
Kadir, M. R. A., W. P. Lee, M. S. Jaafar, S. M. Sapuan, and A. A. A. Ali. 2005. “Factors affecting construction labour productivity for Malaysian residential projects.” Struct. Surv. 23 (1): 42–54. https://doi.org/10.1108/02630800510586907.
Kelton, W. D., R. P. Sadowski, and D. A. Sadowski. 2010. Simulation with ARENA. Vol. 5. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Kindinger, J. P., and J. L. Darby. 2000. “Risk factor analysis: A new qualitative risk management tool.” In Proc., Project Management Institute Annual Seminars and Symp. Newton Square, VA: Project Management Institute.
Kisi, K. P. 2015. “Estimation of optimal productivity in labor-intensive construction operations.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Kisi, K. P., N. Mani, and E. M. Rojas. 2014. “Estimating optimal labor productivity: A two-prong strategy.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress, 757–766. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Kisi, K. P., N. Mani, E. M. Rojas, and T. Foster. 2017. “Optimal productivity in labor-intensive construction operations: Pilot study.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 143 (3): 04016107. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001257.
Liberda, M., J. Y. Ruwanpura, and G. Jergeas. 2003. “Construction productivity improvement: A study of human, managerial and external factors.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress Wind of Change: Integration and Innovation. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Lucko, G., and E. M. Rojas. 2010. “Research validation: Challenges and opportunities in the construction domain.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 136 (1): 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000025.
Mani, N. 2015. “A framework for estimating labor productivity frontiers.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Mani, N., K. Kisi, and E. Rojas. 2014. “Estimating labor productivity frontier: A pilot study.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress, 807–816. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Mani, N., K. Kisi, E. Rojas, and T. Foster. 2016. “A case study on estimating labor productivity frontier.” In Proc., 52nd ASC Annual Int. Conf., Fort Collins, CO: Associated Schools of Construction.
Mani, N., K. Kisi, E. Rojas, and T. Foster. 2017. “Estimating construction labor productivity frontier: A pilot study.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 143 (10): 04017077. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001390.
Martinez, J. C. 1998. “EZStrobe-general-purpose simulation system based on activity cycle diagrams.” In Vol. 1 of Simulation Conf. Proc., 1998, 341–348. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.
Martinez, J. C. 2010. “Methodology for conducting discrete-event simulation studies in construction engineering and management.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 136 (10): 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000087.
Martinez, J. C., and P. G. Ioannou. 1999. “General-purpose systems for effective construction simulation.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 25 (4): 265–276. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1999)125:4(265).
Mayers, F. E. 1992. Motion and time study. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Oglesby, C. H., H. W. Parker, and G. A. Howell. 1989. Productivity improvement in construction. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Panas, A., and J. P. Pantouvakis. 2010. “Evaluating research methodology in construction productivity studies.” Built Human Environ. Rev. 3 (1): 63–85.
Park, H. S. 2006. “Conceptual framework of construction productivity estimation.” KSCE J. Civ. Eng. 10 (5): 311–317. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02830084.
Rivas, R. A., J. D. Borcherding, V. González, and L. F. Alarcón. 2011. “Analysis of factors influencing productivity using craftsmen questionnaires: Case study in a Chilean construction company.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 137 (4): 312–320. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000274.
Rockwell Automation. 2013. ARENA simulation software: Release 14. Wexford, PA: Rockwell Automation.
Rojas, E. M., and P. Aramvareekul. 2003. “Is construction labor productivity really declining?” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 129 (1): 41–46. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2003)129:1(41).
Rustom, R. N., and A. Yahia. 2007. “Estimating productivity using simulation: A case study of Gaza beach embankment protection project.” Constr. Innov. 7 (2): 167–186. https://doi.org/10.1108/14714170710738531.
Shahidul, M. I., and S. Shazali. 2011. “Determinants of manufacturing productivity: Pilot study on labor-intensive industries.” Int. J. Prod. Perform. Manage. 60 (6): 567–582. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410401111150751.
Shi, J., and S. M. AbouRizk. 1997. “Resource-based modeling for construction simulation.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 123 (1): 26–33. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1997)123:1(26).
Sigal, L., A. O. Balan, and M. J. Black. 2010. “HumanEva: Synchronized video and motion capture dataset and baseline algorithm for evaluation of articulated human motion.” Int. J. Comput. Vision 87 (1): 4–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11263-009-0273-6.
Son, J., and E. Rojas. 2011. “Impact of optimism bias regarding organizational dynamics on project planning and control.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 137 (2): 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000260.
Song, L., and S. M. AbouRizk. 2008. “Measuring and modeling labor productivity using historical data.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 134 (10): 786–794. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2008)134:10(786).
Taylor, F. W. 1911. The principles of scientific management. New York: Harper & Row.
Thomas, H. R., and M. J. Horman. 2006. “Fundamental principles of workforce management.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 132 (1): 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2006)132:1(97).
Thomas, H. R., and C. T. Mathews. 1985. An analysis of the methods of measuring construction productivity. Austin, TX: Construction Industry Institute.
Thomas, H. R., and A. S. Sakarcan. 1994. “Forecasting labor productivity using factor model.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 120 (1): 228–239. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1994)120:1(228).
Yi, W., and A. P. C. Chan. 2014. “Critical review of labor productivity research in construction journals.” J. Manage. Eng. 30 (2): 214–225. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000194.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
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
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.