Construction productivity: How important is it?

The most valuable asset in the construction industry is its workforce. Hence, measuring the productivity of tradespersons is crucial in order to achieve optimum efficiency. While the productivity of individual workers can be hard to measure, it is a crucial task. Ideal metrics in measuring productivity if implemented thoroughly can help companies manage performance, identify productivity gaps, and enable proactive measures that can result in time and cost savings. On the contrary, decreasing productivity is detrimental to any project.

Project Scheduling - Productivity

Projects can be better planned with a resource histogram that not only displays the amount of time a resource is scheduled to work on the project but also gives a fair view to monitoring the project progress. An efficiently managed project schedule can help the project manager to plan and distribute the resources throughout the project life cycle and allocate a sufficient budget.

The number of man-hours spent to complete a particular task is the usual productivity metric we use. In the construction industry also, it is similar. For instance, a tradesman performing tiling can have the productivity of X square feet of tiling in an hour. However, we also need to consider factors like the quantum of wastage and quality of finish in case of construction efficiency.

Challenges in measuring productivity

There cannot be one single standard metric to measure productivity that will be applicable to all the project sites. That is, a metric which is considered standard to one construction site on a given day may not be applicable to another site. In fact, the same metric cannot be expected to hold good on the same site on another day.?

There are several factors affecting productivity

Factors Affecting Productivity

Tradesperson characteristics: Skill, experience, pay, age, qualification, number of hours of overtime,? personal characteristics like motivation, team player, friendly demeanor, comfortable with surroundings, etc.,

Site Features: The scale of the job, type of job (new construction or re-work), the technology used, tools available, work timings, connectivity to labour homes/residences, undue delays, supervisor relationship, clarity in the execution plan, etc.,

External factors: Season, weather, language and demographic issues, project funding, etc

These are just some of the common factors that can affect the measurement. However, there are no points to guess that the listed factors hardly cover the base, only making such measurements unreliable.

How do you measure productivity?

To make any measurement, the tradespersons should be insulated from the said and any other factors possible. Put in other words, the tradespersons have to be treated better and be provided with a nurturing and safe working place, even if not ideal— moderate to an extent, an environment for companies to make any such measurements.?

Is productivity the holy grail of construction worker metrics?

With productivity focussing more on quantity, efforts fueled by over-expectation might lead to deterioration in quality. If productivity improvement takes that wheel, it is easier to miss the bigger picture.?

The risk of letting your tradespersons feel exploited, under-appreciated, and burnt out can also be negative offshoots if you are stuck in what is referred commonly to as a ‘productivity trap,’ that is, a tunnel-vision approach to increasing productivity.?

The best way to get more work from any person is if they are motivated and capable of giving it themselves. Furthermore, any approach to improving productivity should be focused on the team rather than expecting more from every single person. It is more meaningful to have all the people working at a good productivity level. This is far better than only a few individuals giving 100 percent and the remaining feeling dissatisfied and discouraged.

On the other hand, appreciating or rewarding individuals for work well done can give motivation to the whole team and encourage them to work better.

While providing or choosing a safe and healthy work environment for your tradespersons is one way to collectively improve your team, upskilling and training them is another great way.

At KarmaYoga we provide training to tradespersons through modules prepared in line with international techniques and standards.?

KarmaYoga offers this via Academy of Excellence, a team of dedicated construction professionals to train your tradespersons and skill them sufficiently. Assure reduced wastage, increased productivity, and HSE compliance with your upskilled team.?

Sounds too good to be true? Speak to us for a customized solution today!