Understanding the Construction Field Day

For a contractor to truly improve their field productivity, they must start with understanding how the time is spent.

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Depending on the trade, project, and the labor, study the time spent on actual installation ranges from 50-64%.  

Field Productivity: Understanding the Construction Day from the Field Perspective. Increase actual installation to 70% means almost 10% increase in production.

Remaining time is spent on non-installation activities including material logistics, movement around the jobsite, breaks, layout, mobilization to the work area, etc.  

These labor studies include craft labor and direct supervision at the foreman level.  

An average amount of rework and typical jobsite conditions are all factored into these studies.  

These form the basis for the labor units all contractors use to estimate projects.   

Assuming our quantity take-offs are accurate, this is why multiple contractors can be so incredibly close in a competitive bidding situation.

Projects are then budgeted with these labor units and we manage projects to meet these budgets.  

BOTTOM LINE

There is a significant amount of non-installation time built into the labor units the whole industry uses. Just increasing the actual installation time by a few minutes will make a contractor significantly more competitive and profitable.

Create the Perfect Field Day

 

 


Understanding the Construction Field Day
Field labor is the often the biggest variable on a construction project - making it the biggest risk and opportunity....

Related Training
Understanding the Construction Field Day
Field labor is the often the biggest variable on a construction project - making it the biggest risk and opportunity....

Impacted Productivity - Stacking of Trades and Installation Efficiency
Each craftsperson needs about 200 usable square feet for a productive installation. This assumption is included in production units used to estimate and budget projects. Having less than that can impact productivity up to 50%.
Lean Principle - Kaizen (Every Detail Matters)
As contractors build their businesses, it is important to look at every detail from the first meeting with a potential customer through winning and building the project. This same attention to detail also applies to supporting operations and talent.
Lean Principle - Observation (Gemba Walks and Learning to See)
One of the most important tools for improving productivity is going to the jobsite or work area and observing for an extended period of time with the intent to understand but not to immediately interact. Observation progresses through about 7 stages.