Project Professionals<\/strong> blog had a series of posts<\/a> earlier this year. \u00a0 Over the next several weeks, the intention is to add to this popular series.\u00a0 This summary was posted in June.\u00a0 Since June, the number of readers has increased significantly.\u00a0 Consequently, we are reissuing this post as a kickoff and restart of the labor\/labour productivity series<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Productivity <\/strong>has become a hot topic and has given rise to much discussion and debate in the project management world.\u00a0 Labor productivity<\/strong> can be a competitive advantage or a managerial disaster.\u00a0 Therefore, we believe that there is high potential benefit in a review of McLaughlin & McLaughlin<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s Productivity Series<\/strong>.\u00a0 Below, we have the titles and links to each post followed by a brief summary of the content.\u00a0 We intend to augment these posts with additional writings on the subject.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Productivity Calculations \u2013 Change Order \/ Variation Impact (Introduction \u2013 United States and Canada)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Often, productivity losses <\/strong>are associated with changed work or variations.\u00a0 Dealing with the calculation of proper compensation for this loss can be particularly challenging.\u00a0 Key industry resources or authorities may be helpful as a starting point.\u00a0 Beyond the industry resources, skilled analytical work may be needed.<\/p>\n My discussion is bifurcated \/ divided into situations using United States law and situations using English law.\u00a0 The English law discussion will follow in a subsequent post.<\/p>\n Productivity Calculations \u2013 Change Order \/ Variation Impact (Introduction \u2013 UK and related venues)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Based on the premise that variations (or changed work) are a common cause of significant impacts to productivity, acceptance and methods of calculation or quantification are essential.\u00a0 Methodology varies and the sources discussed above treat the matter in some detail.\u00a0 The general preference is direct contemporaneous analysis or measured.\u00a0 Prospective methodologies tend to differ from retrospective approaches.\u00a0 The form of analysis varies and will be discussed in later posts.<\/p>\n Construction Field Labor Productivity Improvement Take Away the Excuses<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Over the years, much has been written about craft worker productivity<\/strong>. \u00a0The Construction Industry Institute (CII)<\/a><\/strong> has done several extensive research projects on productivity.\u00a0 The issue was raised in a formal manner by the old Business Roundtable (BRT) back in the late sixties.\u00a0 They developed a series of publications that addressed the problem of rapidly rising construction costs facing owner companies.\u00a0 These articles were broadly covered by the now familiar banner of \u201cMore Construction for the Money\u201d\u00ae.<\/p>\n Productivity and Leadership <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This post discusses the some leadership concepts and the relationship to field labor (or home office labor) productivity<\/strong>.\u00a0 There is a leadership component of the managerial challenge.\u00a0 Leadership can have several positive influences on the labor component of the job.\u00a0 In exhibiting this leadership, my experience suggests several beneficial effects result.\u00a0 Leadership is an essential factor in development of project management expertise.<\/p>\n Construction Field Labor Productivity Improvement Productivity Evaluation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The proper evaluation of worker productivity<\/strong> is one very important measure in the determination of project status.\u00a0 To have a complete picture of the status of any project there must be some sort of measure of the productivity of the work force.\u00a0 Certainly, one would be interested in the physical progress, the amount of money expended, the amount committed, absenteeism and turnover rates, safety incident rate, supervision to worker ratio, craft distribution, worker density, manpower history, etc. to properly evaluate the status of a project.\u00a0 But one key factor in evaluation of status is worker productivity.\u00a0 There must be some consistent measure of the productivity of the workers on a project in order to frame the complete picture of project status.<\/p>\n Generally, productivity evaluation is focused on the construction craft workers.\u00a0 However, no less important is the productivity of the office design and engineering staff.\u00a0 Having said that, this article is focused on the field construction staff and evaluation of productivity in the field.<\/p>\n Construction Field Labor Productivity Improvement \u2013 Plan the Work Well <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Any discussion of\u00a0construction field labor\u00a0(worker)\u00a0productivity<\/strong> must, of necessity, eventually involve the idea of planning the work.\u00a0 Virtually every major project employs the expertise of several planners and schedulers to work the Primavera\u00ae scheduling program or some other comparable software.\u00a0 Great effort is placed on getting just the right schedule assembled and in place \u2013 with the right number of activities and leveled manpower, etc.\u00a0 However, all too often the schedule has been constructed in a near vacuum with little or no input or review from those who have to make it work in the field.<\/p>\n Labor Productivity and Disruption \u2013 Managerial Considerations <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n For the prime contractor [or similarly for Owner\/Employer], subcontractor productivity is seemingly not important or relevant.\u00a0 This is particularly true if the subcontractor in question is on a\u00a0fixed price or fixed unit price contract.\u00a0 However, events that are created by Owner\/Employer or Contractor that impact the subcontractor\u2019s productivity create potential liabilities.\u00a0 Further, once the subcontractor discovers the loss, a claim is likely to emerge.<\/p>\n Consequently, positive action is needed.\u00a0 There is a legitimate need for the Owner\/Employer and Contractor to be informed.\u00a0 Managerial overlay, visibility and attention are components in the overall project management challenge.<\/p>\n WORKER PRODUCTIVITY \u2013 Watch How the People Work<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n When thinking about various construction sites, even within the US, several differences in the manner in which the exact same work is accomplished in various locations are revealed.\u00a0 In order to properly plan and organize construction activities, the way people work in the specific location under consideration must be understood and incorporated.\u00a0 For example, is it better for\u00a0productivity\u00a0for each pipefitter welder to have an assigned stand-alone welding machine?\u00a0 Or possibly, the welder should use a welding machine located in an eight-pack of welders.\u00a0 That question could be strictly a planning matter, or it could be related to the site location and area practice.\u00a0 If one approach is better than the other for the project, area practice may need to be addressed and modified in some way for improved productivity to be realized.<\/p>\n It is important to note that McLaughlin and McLaughlin [M&M]<\/a> is not a law firm and is not intending to provide legal advice.\u00a0 M&M <\/a>is a consulting firm providing (among other services) non-legal expertise in dispute resolution and litigation support.\u00a0 The Resource Center<\/a> is for the convenience of blog visitors and M&M<\/a> does not offer this for commercial purposes.\u00a0 For further information on M&M<\/a> services, please see<\/em> <\/em>www.McLaughlinandMcLaughlin.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Project Professionals blog had a series of posts earlier this year. \u00a0 Over the next several weeks, the intention is to add to this popular series.\u00a0 This summary was posted in June.\u00a0 Since June, the number of readers has increased significantly.\u00a0 Consequently, we are reissuing this post as a kickoff and restart of the labor\/labour 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