Throughout the life cycle of a construction project, the productivity of the team naturally progresses through continuous improvement due to the repetitive nature of the work being performed. The effect of this progression can be especially significant in large projects with multiple floors of repetitive design such as office, residential or hotel high-rise buildings.
In a recent Atlanta construction project, a new type of study was done by Faith Technologies. The study aimed to capture improvements as they occur naturally so end-game practices may be applied at the beginning of subsequent projects. Efficiency gains such as efficient manpower use, time savings, reduced labor hours and potentially reduced material expenditure will be much greater when these lessons learned are applied from the beginning of a project.
To understand how this project was studied, it will be helpful to understand how productivity is normally reviewed at Faith Technologies. Traditionally, a productivity specialist visits a project several times throughout its life cycle and interviews the superintendent with a list of standardized questions and techniques known as project expectations. This includes a list of best practices and recommendations proven to contribute to project success when effectively implemented. The productivity specialist determines whether these recognized best practices are being implemented effectively.
Additionally, the productivity specialist conducts multiple primary-time studies, which are half-hour observations of electricians completing tasks focused on maximizing primary or value-added time, all while ensuring project expectations are being effectively applied. During the time studies, the electrician’s time is categorized into one of three categories: primary time, secondary time and waste time.
- Primary time can be understood as time used to complete tasks the customer is paying for (also called value-added time).
- Secondary time is non-value-added time which may be necessary to support the primary time (examples are handling materials, climbing up and down ladders or planning time).
- Waste time is that which serves no value-added purpose (such as walking long distances and waiting to begin the next task).
After each time study is completed, the productivity specialist has a coaching discussion with the worker to request their improvement input, review any issues observed, and offer recommendations or advice to improve processes and workflow.
So, what’s the new spin on this productivity review process? At the project in Atlanta, the company focused on unit studies instead of the typical half-hour time studies. These unit studies were observations of the entire rough-in of a unit or entire room. This process is more time-consuming upfront, but the benefits are significant. Identical units were observed beginning on the 10th floor and ending on the 18th floor. Initially, they were purely observational with no recommendations or coaching from the productivity specialist to observe the organic project progression.
All the various scopes required to rough-in the total time required to complete each unit, the total labor hours and the changes to methods were annotated. Between the first observation and the third observation, the total labor hours to complete the unit were reduced by approximately 33% and the elapsed time was reduced by 50%. While there was some input by the productivity specialist, the majority of improvements were recognized and made by those performing the work.
Understanding the variables that affect these competing priorities (elapsed time, labor hours and manpower) enabled the superintendent and foremen to better forecast the project’s costs and timelines going forward. This trend will only continue to improve in regard to labor hours and elapsed time as this process matures and the teams gain experience implementing the lessons learned by enacting improvements that can be made before starting a new project.
The productivity team will continue with unit studies on the trim-in portion of the test project. This will allow the project team to apply improvements and further reduce the total time per unit. These findings also allow a reduction in planned labor requirements in the job estimation process, continuing to improve on the company’s already recognized ability to complete projects with less labor, providing additional value and efficiency to customers and strengthening a company’s industry-leading capabilities.
When applied from the beginning of similar projects, the savings to a company and its customers will be substantial. This new method of evaluation is being incorporated into the repertoire of tools at Faith Technologies and other companies to further increase their competitive edge in the marketplace.
