Factors influencing labour productivity on construction sites

This thesis describes the investigation, research methodology and conclusions of an enquiry into those factors which influence productivity on construction sites, with a special emphasis on management control and the effect of financial incentives. The researcher spent periods of between two and four weeks on each of twelve sites in England and Scotland collecting data directly from observation. The projects were divided into three main categories, simple steel-framed single-storey buildings, complex concrete-framed multi-storied buildings and heavy concrete construction projects of a predominantly civil engineering character. Full descriptions of each site and the conditions affecting the project are given. The main conclusions of the research were: 1. Labour delays can and should be reduced by skilled management. 2. A positive relationship between productivity and management was found at a modest level of correlation indicating that, as the level and quality of management rises there will be an improvement in the productivity of the contract. 3. There was no apparent correlation between the effect of incentive schemes and productivity but PBR was in use in eight of the most productive operations. 4. Although other variables investigated seemed to have little effect on productivity it is agreed that no 'single factor can be viewed in isolation'. 5. The research suggested that buildability may be a productivity factor but not direct correlation could be found linking productivity and the buildability data used. 6. Surrogate activities as such were not identified. 7. The data collection method employed, although time-consuming and expensive, did ensure a high level of accuracy.