Why is there poor productivity on your construction project?

"Poor productivity on construction projects is a common problem"

Poor productivity on construction projects is a common problem which results in project delays and increased costs. 

Poor productivity could be a result of: 

1. having too many people on the project
2. the area being too congested or cluttered
3. poor supervision
4. waiting for access to work areas
5. waiting for equipment or materials
6. having the incorrect equipment or materials
7. equipment breakdowns (The Alarming Truth about Using Old Construction Equipment)
8. insufficient equipment to move and lift materials
9. materials difficult to handle and work with
10. insufficient resources of one trade and too many of another resulting in one trade waiting for the other to complete their work
11. workers aren’t sufficiently skilled (Training and mentoring in construction)
12. 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 (Is There Bullying on Your Construction Projects)
13. poor discipline
14. lengthy meetings with workers or with supervisory staff (project staff meetings - are they adding value to your project?)
15. the construction project isn’t planned and coordinated and the subcontractors’ and client’s activities impact on the work
16. 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 (How poor safety costs your construction company money)
17. fatigue (it’s important to ensure workers don’t work excessive and long shifts or work on rest days and project breaks) Is Overtime Killing Your Construction Project?
18. 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 (High Employee turnover? The sooner you know the better.)
19. 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)
20. management is indecisive and fail to make timely decisions 
21. access routes and roads are poorly planned, becoming blocked or restricted
22. storage and stacking areas aren’t planned and become unsafe or inaccessible
23. long distances between work areas, the toilets, offices and stores
24. poor performance of subcontractors (What’s expected of your subcontractors? Do they know?)
25. 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
26. 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)
27. 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)                         

How clients impact productivity costing contractors money

Sometimes poor productivity on the construction project 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. (How clients accidentally sabotage construction projects, and how you can stop it) Reasons may be because of: 

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

When can contractors claim extra costs?

Improving construction productivity is a team effort

​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.
​#constructionproductivity #constructionmanagement #constructionprojects

​Paul Netscher has written several easy to read books for owners, contractors, construction managers, construction supervisors and foremen. They cover all aspects of construction management and are filled with tips and insights.
Visit to read more.
The books are available in paper and ebook from most online stores including Amazon.
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