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| PRODUCTIVITY Productivity is the most elusive aspect pursued by everyone involved in the construction industry. Productivity like velocity measures the output versus time. It involves the quality and capacity of your supervision, time of year, work force, and the equipment systems your company employs. They all have an impact. But what you really want to know is the rate of production for “your” crew in a given condition or circumstance. If we know that then we can measure it. If we measure it we can compare it over time, between crews and ultimately… we have a shot at controlling it. |
| If you want to know more about productivity control than contact us for simple approaches and methods of measuring your crew productivity. |
| Productivity is like velocity in a way. Velocity is the measure of distance over time. Productivity is the measure of completed work over time. Like velocity unlimited force or man power will usually increase the result. In both cases it is not exactly what we are looking for. The efficient application of known resources to a task is what we want to determine with the hope that the result will not only be timely but anticipated. |
| Ah, anticipated results are the key to success in concrete construction. Remember the competition, you know the guy that has unlimited patience. The reason is because he gets anticipated results. The crew is measured against a standard that he has kept for years in his little black log book and when the effort varies he is on it early and with “no doubt” regarding the correct quality and quantity of work that he expects. |
| The key is to establish crews that are a mix of talent as needed for the task at hand, keep them together and measure their results and allow them to learn their trade. Once the crew is up to snuff their performance is predictable. If they fail, they know just as you know that appropriate action will be taken. |
| The 4 man crew is a foundation of the productivity system used here. The crew size is congruent with safety, psychological, production, and a time accounting model. It provides adequate man power to achieve many of the tasks needed on a construction site. The failure of a single member of the crew is not sufficient to derail the production of the crew over the short run. Employment of the crew in tasks such as form erection or shoring installation and removal are all practical with this size crew. Manipulation of the assignment sheet and overall balancing of force size becomes one quarter as difficult for the supervisors due to the simplification of assignments. (A crew is assigned as a unit.) Measurement of crew activity is now simpler due to a standard practice. The quantity of work is observed every 4 hour period. (More detail will come later.) Once the crew concept is adopted, the “self managing crew’s” are measured on their results and not on their attendance. What a novel concept. |
| There are many sub tasks associated with concrete construction. Many are similar or require the same basic skills. Sub Tasks such as setting and stripping gang wall forms or setting and stripping deck panel systems all require similar skills. Appropriate apparel and tools are needed for both and vary little from one task to another. Basic carpentry skills are required. Crew awareness and conduct around hoisting equipment is essential. Safety and “buddy control” are important. All of these are necessary to insure the financial future of the Concrete Sub Contractor / business owner. With this said the important concept is to keep the crews together as a team measuring what they accomplish and showing appropriate appreciation or condemnation as is warranted. |
| The real benefit is the confidence you have when the crew rates are used to cost, then plan your next project. If you would like to know more about assignment and measures for “4x4 Crew Systems” contact us. |
| The development of the 4x4 crew management system is the result of my effort to simplify the accounting and assignment structures for costing projects. The initial thoughts accounted for some of the “Lumpy” nature inherent in construction effort. The best illustration is the 4 Hour minimum pay practice workers expect when a project assignment is canceled. This is usually due to weather or other unforeseen conditions. As this effort is extended many benefits to this 4 man – 4 hour system started to be recognized. One key benefit was that reviewing total hours for a work week divided by 10 always gave me the total personnel count for the site. That enabled crew size leveling as we moved from task to task from one week to the next. Another benefit was the creation of the billable 4 hour unit. This then followed from initial labor cost system to final production cost and cash flow analysis. Change order preparation, analysis and presentation were thus simplified.
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| The Assignment Each crew of 4 men should include a cross section of the available work force. This includes both killed and semi-skilled labor and carpenters. This simplified crew assignment should take geography into account to minimize their personal expenses such as transportation to and from the work site. The crew being at the lower end of the pay scale in general should pool resources for transportation and other personnel expenses. |
| Their Compensation Each member is to be compensated based on the rate that applies to that individual. That is the level of expertise brought to the site. As the lower rated laborer proves them selves they will morph into other teams. Two carpenters and two laborers, four men make up a team. In an ideal world, a single 4 man team would provide future superintendents with 3 more 4 man crews from the original team. |
| Then there is Safety In that the crew is working as a unit on most if not all tasks. The safety of each member of the team is enhanced by the attention of the other 3 members. While the over all safety of the site remains the responsibility of the superintendent of the project. Most incidents result from individual failures. (Hand/ Eye/ Foot injuries etc.) |