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University of Khartoum
College of Graduate Studies
Civil Engineering Department
M.Sc. (Structural Engineering)

Study Proposal On:

Productivity Improvement in
Construction Site
Submitted by:
Abdella Awad Mohammed Elhassan

Supervised by:
Dr.Ahmed Abdella

A proposal submitted for partial fulfillment of the degree of M.Sc. in


structural engineering

Introduction

Productivity Improvement in Construction Site

2009-2010

Productivity is one of the key components of every companys success and


competitiveness in the market and; it translates directly into cost savings and
profitability.

Construction

companies

may

gain

advantage

over

their

competitors by improving upon productivity to build projects at lower costs;


yet, most contractors do not systematically and properly address this
strategic issue or evaluate its impact on the projects profit.
Despite

the

importance

of

the

productivity

concept,

productivity

enhancement in construction has been overlooked for decades. While the


manufacturing industry drew benefits from proven production management
techniques, the construction industry lagged due to insufficient research in
the area of productivity. The ultimate purpose of construction is to build and
building is done by foremen and laborers onsite while the remainder of the
organization supports the project and its workforce.
Improvement in construction productivity is not possible without identifying
factors that influence productivity. The factors that influence productivity may
be

separated

into

three

factors:

industry-related,

labor-related,

and

management-related. Some of the productivity factors at industry-level


include governmental interference, regulation burdens, local unions, and
politics. Some of the factors that are labor-related include motivation,
experience, skill, and training. Some of the management-related factors
include planning and direction of project. This study shall address labor and managementrelated factors.

Research Objective:
Productivity Improvement in Construction Site

2009-2010

While it may be appropriate for construction managers to consider all the


production elements that were suggested by previous researchers, it is not
practical and feasible for managers to spend a lot of time to investigate all
aspects of productivity in the limited timeframe of a construction contract.
Likewise, the earlier described work measurement methods such as time and
motion study, foreman delay survey, and group timing technique, require
allocation of time and resources that limits their practicality and affordability
for most construction companies. In contrast, the project improvement
system of this study is intended to be simple and affordable. A system that is
capable of providing feedback to managers about the status of productivity at
their projects in a relatively short period of time.
The objective of this study is to develop a project improvement system
for project managers to apply to construction projects for better
control of projects and enhancement of profits. The proposed objective
is intended to be accomplished as follows:
1- Consideration of productivity factors of previous studies and forming a
primary productivity evaluation checklist.
2- Performing a survey of construction practitioners to measure their
perception of productivity factors and gain better insight of construction
productivity for conducting a field study. The survey is to rank and determine
the degree of influence of productivity factors by three-scale levels of low,
moderate and high to guide the emphasis of observations in the field study.
The field study is to be conducted to refine the primary productivity
evaluation checklist and gather more information for development of an
improvement system.

Productivity Improvement in Construction Site

2009-2010

4
3- Testing and evaluating the proposed project improvement at a construction
project to ensure its workability, suitability, and its influence.

Research methodology
This goal is based on the assumption that all behaviors and events are
orderly and that as effects, they have discernable causes. For instance,
productivity

is

phenomenon

and

its

enhancement

is

possible

by

identification and control of its causes.


The research methodologies in this study shall consist of the following:

1- A survey study (quantitative methodology):


Collection of numerical data in order to explain, predict and/or control
phenomena of interest. This shall include:

Descriptive

study: this describes current conditions and test

hypotheses

Co-relational

study:

this

describes

the

relationship

between

quantifiable variables

Casual-comparative study: this establishes cause-effect relationship


after the fact

Experimental study: this investigates cause-effect relationship in a


controlled environment

2- Field Study (qualitative approach):


This shall involve extensive narrative data collected in order to gain
insights into phenomena of interest. This approach; in itself; includes:

Historical Studies (Study of past events)

Qualitative Studies (Study of current events).

Productivity Improvement in Construction Site

2009-2010

5
The

methodologies

of

this

study

fall

under

both

above-mentioned

approaches: the field study involves the study of current events (qualitative);
and the survey, which involves the study of productivity factors and test of
hypotheses.

Proposed Contents of Research

Chapter One -------------------------------------------------------------Introduction

Chapter Two ------------------------------------------------------------Literature


review

Chapter Three ---------------------------------------------------------- Methods and


procedures

Chapter Four ----------------------------------------------------------- Results and


findings

Chapter Five ------------------------------------------------------------ Summary and


conclusion

Productivity Improvement in Construction Site

2009-2010

Proposed Organization of the Research

First chapter: This shall include the purpose of the study, and
background information about the importance of productivity in the
construction industry shall be described.

Second chapter: This chapter shall be dedicated in elaboration of


productivity concept and productivity measurement methods or
techniques. Also, factors that influence productivity in construction site
will be discussed.

Third chapter: In this section are to be explained the methods and


procedure of the study used to accomplish the research objective
(reasoning for implementing a particular methodology shall be
described)

Chapter four: This area shall be devoted for the findings (outputs) of
the survey, the field study and the proposed project improvement
system. A case study shall be committed with the application of the
proposed improvement system.

Productivity Improvement in Construction Site

2009-2010

Chapter five: This is a summary of the procedure and findings of the


research. Recommendations for future proposed researches in the field
of construction productivity shall be highlighted.

References

Adrian, J. J. (1987). Construction Productivity Improvement. Elsevier Science Publishing


Co., New York

Adrian, J. J. (2003). Benchmarking and risk analysis: Keys to increasing construction


productivity. Construction Accounting & Taxation, 13(4).
Allen, S. G. (1985). Why construction industry productivity is declining. The Review of
Economics and Statistics,67(4).
Bernard, H. R. (2000). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative
Approaches. Sage Publications, Inc.
Bernstein, H. M. (2003). Measuring productivity: An industry challenge. Civil
Engineering,73 (12)
Chaffin, D. B., & Greenberg, L. (1977). Workers and Their Tools. Midland, MI: Pendall.
Clarke, R. H. & Morris, J. R. (1980). Workers Attitudes toward Productivity. A Survey by
the Chamber of Commerce of the United States.
Helander, M. (1981). Human factors/Ergonomics for building and construction.
Construction Management and Engineering. New York, Wiley
Howell, G. (1981). Construction productivity improvement: How to get started. Civil
Engineering-ASCE.

Productivity Improvement in Construction Site

2009-2010

Hussain, A. (1979). Construction productivity factors. Issues in Engineering, 105(4)

Nunnally, S.W. (1998). Construction Methods and Management, New York: Prentice
Hall.

OECD (2008). Productivity Measurement and Analysis, Proceedings from OECD


workshops, Switzerland
Oglesby, C. H., Parker, H. W., & Howell, G. A. (1989). Productivity Improvement in
Construction, McGraw-Hill Series in Construction Engineering and Project Management

Smith, D. A. (1981). Productivity engineering is task management. Civil EngineeringASCE,


Taylor, F. W. (1998). The Principles of Scientific Management, Dover Publications

Productivity Improvement in Construction Site

2009-2010

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