A U of C prof asks the right questions to identify and address the greatest barriers to construction productivity
In June, Dr. George Jergeas of the University of Calgary presented a report to Alberta Finance and Enterprise that surveyed various stakeholders at work in oil and gas construction projects. “We needed to find out why there were so many delays and cost overruns,” says Jergeas. “We asked ‘what can we do to improve success?’”
“Industry is relearning – we are losing lessons every time we build a major project,” Jergeas says. His aim was to identify those lost lessons – factors for boosting productivity and predictability on future projects, especially in a recessionary environment. “Without predictability, there is a loss of confidence,” he says. “Investors need a steady investment environment.” He adds that a cycle of boom and bust can be smoothed out with improved productivity.
Jergeas’s resulting paper describes the findings of this research and his recommendations to achieve better predictability and productivity. In all, construction workers and management gave him more than 300 recommendations and Jergeas grouped them into the 10 broad areas below.
The lessons Jergeas took from his research? “Plan, plan, plan,” he says. “Don’t start building without 100 per cent of the construction drawings complete.” He also advises project managers not to rush, to treat labour well and to provide appropriate leadership, supervision and team-building. “And don’t blame labour,” he adds. “If workers are idle, it’s a management practice.”
To learn more about the report and to download a copy, please click here.
Top 10 Productivity Targets
The U of C’s Dr. George Jergeas noted the number and percentage of times respondents made similar recommendations, then he grouped them under 10 broad headings.
| Rank | Target Areas | Number of recommendations | % |
| 1 | Labour management, conditions and relations | 86 | 27% |
| 2 | Project front-end planning (loading) and workface planning | 40 | 13% |
| 3 | Management of construction and support | 31 | 10% |
| 4 | Engineering management | 30 | 10% |
| 5 | Effective supervision and leadership | 29 | 9% |
| 6 | Communication | 25 | 8% |
| 7 | Contractual strategy and contractor selection | 24 | 8% |
| 8 | Constructability in engineering design | 23 | 8% |
| 9 | Government influence | 11 | 3.50% |
| 10 | Modularization, prefabrication, pre-build in shops | 10 | 3.50% |
| Total: | 309 | 100% |
Resource Room
Find out about lean and green building, and how it can increase site productivity. Check it out:
The Lean Construction Institute www.leanconstruction.org
The International Group for Lean Construction www.iglc.net
The Alberta Construction Association www.abconst.org
Green Alberta www.greenalberta.ca
Canada Green Building Council www.cagbc.org
Productivity is Green
Green building processes use less material, waste, water and energy. In short, green building represents a productivity improvement. But there are two sides to green building. One is the building process and the other is the resulting structure. Once complete, a green building is one that has a small or non-existent carbon footprint that is using sustainable, less environmentally harmful products. And it’s highly energy efficient to run.
In the late1990s, the United States Green Building Council instituted a system to rate the greenness of a building. Called LEED rating system (for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), it lays out measurable standards for environmentally sound construction. To be certified under the LEED system, projects must be transparent and open to scrutiny by the public and LEED-certified professionals.
