Horman, M J and Thomas, H R (2005) Role of inventory buffers in construction labor performance. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 131(7), pp. 834-843. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Buffers of material stockpile (inventory) are formed at the work level in construction to help manage production. The size of material stockpiles often has an important bearing on construction project performance. In construction projects, where conditions are often uncertain and variable, some have suggested that buffers be sized and located according to the conditions. New management thinking like lean construction and theory of constraints suggests that the size of buffers needs to be managed carefully, because when oversized, buffers are wasteful, impede workflow, and hinder performance. Research has shown that project variability can be affected with the careful deployment of buffers but has not really evaluated the impact on construction labor performance. This paper reports an exploratory analysis of the relationship between inventory (buffers) and construction labor performance with data collected from three commercial projects in Brazil. In this study, the size of the buffer between rebar fabrication and installation in the construction of a structural system is compared to the labor performance of the fabrication and installation crews. The results show that some buffer helps achieve the best labor performance in the construction operations studied.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction materials; performance characteristics; productivity |
| Index terms: | construction project, workflow, lean construction, Brazil, construction material, construction labour, theory of constraints, buffer, rebar, fabrication, variability, inventory, productivity, construction operation |
| Subjects: | manufacturing engineering, management, project management theory and practice, financial risk, Geography, inventory management, production management, building construction, statistical analysis, building materials, construction operations |
| Topics: | Cost Management, Business Strategy, Construction Materials, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Site Management, Supply Chain Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here