The successful contractor

the construction project schedule or programme (program)

22/10/2014

It’s important a project schedule is prepared which should:
1. enable the project to be constructed in the shortest possible time, making efficient use of the available resources, without jeopardising the quality, safety or integrity of the project
2. take into account any client imposed restraints, such as; interfacing with other contractors, access dates, working in and around existing facilities and the availability of information
3. meet the completion dates that were committed to in the contract (unless the project has changed from the one that was in the tender submission)
4. allow sufficient time for planning the project and for mobilisation (on some projects it can take four weeks or more to get personnel through the mobilisation process and on to site)
5. adequately show the type of resources required and when they’ll be needed
6. be approved by the client in writing as soon as possible (without an approved schedule it’s difficult for the contractor to claim for variations, late information, late access and extension of time)
7. clearly show when access is required to the various work areas
8. indicate when information is required (a separate ‘information required list’ should be prepared which can be updated weekly and discussed with the client at the progress meetings, so the client can be aware of what information is necessary in the next two weeks and notified when information is issued late or when it’s inadequate or incomplete for construction purposes)
9. be updated regularly (the update must be done correctly, focusing on the critical path activities rather than the overall percentage complete)
10. be communicated to the relevant staff so they are aware of the key dates and milestones (Supervisors are often only interested in their section of work and what they need to do in the next couple of weeks, so it’s pointless giving them the entire schedule to the end of the project since in many cases it won’t be read and will only confuse them – rather give Supervisors a snapshot of the schedule pertinent to their work, even perhaps giving it to them in a pictorial form which can be easily read and displayed on their office wall)
11. if needed, be discussed with Supervisors to make sure they understand what needs to be done and why the sequence and resourcing shown is necessary
(an extract from; Building a Successful Construction Company: The Practical Guide)

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planning your construction project

11/10/2014

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It’s important to plan the project thoroughly before starting work, so the more time available to do this the better. The planning includes:

1. thinking through the construction methodology and ensuring the methods selected will be the most efficient and economical
2. preparing the project schedule
3. taking out adequate insurance
4. deciding what work will be self-performed and what will be subcontracted
5. ensuring the required resources are available and procured
6. ordering long-lead items
7. ordering materials which will be required to start the project
8. sourcing equipment
9. arranging the necessary permits
10. preparing and submitting the required paperwork to the client which may include:
a. quality plans
b. safety plans
c. environmental plans
d. traffic management plans
e. method statements
f. job hazard assessments

Proper and thorough planning will pay dividends and will save costs and make the management of the project easier. Time spent on planning is time well spent.
(an extract from my book 'Building a Successful Construction Company - The Practical Guide)

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Why is there poor productivity on your construction project?

3/10/2014

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Poor productivity on construction projects is a common problem which results in project delays and increased costs. Poor productivity could be a result of:

having too many people on the project
the area being too congested or cluttered
poor supervision
waiting for access to work areas
waiting for equipment or materials
having the incorrect equipment or materials
equipment breakdowns
insufficient equipment to move and lift materials
materials difficult to handle and work with
insufficient resources of one trade and too many of another resulting in one trade waiting for the other to complete their work
workers aren’t sufficiently skilled
workers may be unhappy because of poor working conditions or clashes with other team members, their supervisor or management, which often results in them performing tasks slowly
poor discipline
lengthy meetings with workers or with supervisory staff
the project isn’t planned and coordinated and the subcontractors’ and client’s activities impact on the work
poor safety and housekeeping resulting in:
1. lost time due to incidents
2. the project being shut down due to poor safety
3. accidents leading to poor morale
4. key people being injured and unable to work
5. tasks being done more slowly
fatigue (it’s important to ensure workers don’t work excessive and long shifts or work on rest days and project breaks)
a high turnover of personnel which is disruptive, leading to poor productivity because new personnel have to learn the project rules, systems, procedures, and tasks, and work with new team members
workers are frequently moved between the tasks in the course of the day, resulting in:
1. lost time when they pack up tools and move, as well as going through safety briefings and explanations of the new task
2. reduced productivity since they’re unable to gain familiarity with the task or other team members (there’s a learning curve to most tasks and as workers become used to performing a task they usually become more proficient and more productive)
management is indecisive and fail to make timely decisions
access routes and roads are poorly planned, becoming blocked or restricted
storage and stacking areas aren’t planned and become unsafe or inaccessible
long distances between work areas, the toilets, offices and stores
poor performance of subcontractors
work areas have inadequate lighting making it:
1. unsafe
2. difficult to ensure the correct quality
3. leaving dark areas where workers cannot be observed
personnel don’t work their full hours, they may take extended lunch and tea breaks and arrive at the work site a few minutes late and leave early (often this can amount to thirty minutes for each person, every day, so it’s important Project Managers set the right example with their own time-keeping, and enforce good time-keeping on the project from the beginning)
adverse weather such as rain, wind, high temperatures and low temperatures (steps can be taken to limit the disruption such as; moving workers to other areas, providing adequate protective clothing, allowing sufficient rest breaks, reducing work hours, planning projects to ensure much of the work is done before the onset of poor weather, making buildings weather-tight as soon as possible and lifting items at times of the day when it’s less windy)

Sometimes poor productivity is a result of the client. The reasons must be ascertained so measures can be implemented to rectify the situation, or so that variations for the additional costs caused by the client can be submitted. Reasons may be because of:

late information
drawing changes resulting in rework
lack of access or late access
the client’s or their subcontractors’ activities impacting the work

It is important that Supervisors and Project Managers are made accountable for their worker’s productivity. Labour productivity should be monitored on each project on all sections. Feedback must be provided to Supervisors and workers, and suggestions made as to how the productivity could be improved.

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The impact of poor equipment productivity on construction projects

3/10/2014

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On some projects, such as earthmoving and road projects, the hire costs of plant and equipment can be significant and improving its productivity can improve the project’s profit.

Poor equipment productivity:

1. can adversely impact the schedule

2. could result in additional equipment having to be brought onto the project

3. causes the available equipment to have to work longer hours

4. impacts on labour productivity by:

a. resulting in operators working longer hours

b. requiring additional operators

c. holding up and delaying other activities and workers

We will look at some reasons for poor equipment productivity in a later post.

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the construction project schedule or programme (program)

planning your construction project

Why is there poor productivity on your construction project?

The impact of poor equipment productivity on construction projects

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