Management of Construction Productivity

Productivity in the construction industry has been on the decline for over a decade. Because of its influence, overall productivity is best equated with labor productivity. The effective utilization of labor must be increased if productivity is to be improved. On some projects, as few as 20% of the theoretical work hours are used in actually putting work in place. Other problem factors include organized labor and the sophisticated bargaining requests now being used, the increase in size and complexity of present‐day projects, legal restrictions, the competency of the project participants, the overlapping of the design and construction phases, company procedures, increased paperwork, and the educational system. To improve productivity, management must improve. Opportunities can be found in project orientation, planning, client involvement, communications, design, constructability, technology, and many other areas.