MEASUREMENT OF PRODUCTIVITY RATE OF DRAINAGE TRENCH

EXCAVATION USING LEAN STRATEGY

MUHAMMAD SHAHIR BIN SHAFFRUDDEEN

This project is submitted in fulfillment of the

requirements for the award of degree of

Master of Engineering (Construction Management)

Faculty of Civil Engineering

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

JANUARY 2018

iii

DEDICATION

I dedicate my work to my family and friends. A special

feeling of gratitude to my loving parents,

whose words of encouragement and push for tenacity ring in my ears.

My sisters, who never left my side and very special to me.

I also dedicate this research to my friends,

who have supported me throughout the process.

I will always appreciate all they have done.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Assalamualaikum. In the name of Allah the most gracious and the most merciful,

first and foremost, I would like to extend my deepest praise to Allah S. W. T who has

given me the patient, strength, determination and courage to implement this task. I

would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Prof. Madya Dr Abdul

Kadir Marsono for the continuous support of my research study for his patience,

motivation, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me in all the time of

research and writing of this thesis. I could not have imagined having a better advisor

and mentor for my research. I thank my fellow classmate in for their supports, for the

sleepless nights where they helped before deadlines, and for all the fun, we have had

in the last four years. Last but not the least, I would like to thank my family,

especially my parents and to my sister for supporting me spiritually throughout

writing this thesis and my life in general.

v

ABSTRACT

Productivity in construction industry is the ratio of output over resources that

determine the outcome of product. LEAN is the principle used by the manufacturing

industry to improve their product. This research apply the measuring productivity

principle used by the manufacturing industry on machinery to measure the

productivity of drainage civil construction activity. Hence, it aims to evaluate the

quality of the constructed drainage base on the measured productivity outcomes. In

this study, Time Cycle analysis is used to measure the productivity of a backhoe

machine used for trench excavation and the labour productivity rate to install the

drainage is also measured. Additionally, Cycle Time Tracking & Variance Analysis

model are use to analyse the data obtained. The research targets a construction of

drainage around Johor Bharu as a case study. The significant of study is to measure

the optimum productivity rate of drainage construction. The optimum productivity

rate for excavation is 3.59meters per hour with the quality of 4.2 out of 5, while the

productivity rate to install the culvert is 8 pieces per hour with the highest quality of

4 out of 5. Productivity measurement can improve the overall construction

performance in the construction.

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ABSTRAK

Produktiviti dalam industri pembinaan ialah nisbah output ke atas sumber yang

menentukan hasil produk. LEAN adalah prinsip yang digunakan oleh industri

perkilangan untuk meningkatkan produk mereka. Kajian ini menggunakan prinsip

produktiviti pengukuran yang digunakan oleh industri pembuatan pada mesin untuk

mengukur produktiviti aktiviti pembinaan saliran saliran. Oleh itu, ia bertujuan untuk

menilai kualiti asas saliran yang dibina pada hasil produktiviti yang diukur. Dalam

kajian ini, analisis Kitaran Masa digunakan untuk mengukur produktiviti mesin

Jentolak yang digunakan untuk penggalian parit dan kadar produktiviti buruh untuk

memasang saliran juga diukur. Di samping itu, model Pengesanan Masa & Analisis

Analisis Kitaran digunakan untuk menganalisis data yang diperolehi. Penyelidikan

ini mensasarkan pembinaan saliran di sekitar Johor Bharu sebagai kajian kes. Kajian

penting adalah untuk mengukur kadar produktiviti optimum pembinaan saliran.

Kadar produktiviti untuk penggalian adalah 3.59meter sejam dengan kualiti 4.2

daripada 5, manakala kadar pemasangan saliran pula adalah 8 biji sejam dengan

kadar kualiti 4 daripada 5. Pengukuran produktiviti dapat meningkatkan prestasi

pembinaan keseluruhan dalam pembinaan.

vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

DECLARATION ii

DEDICATION iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

ABSTRACT v

ABSTRAK vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii

LIST OF TABLES x

LIST OF FIGURES xi

1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 General 1

1.2 Background Of Study 2

1.3 Problem Statement 3

1.4 Objectives and Aim 4

1.5 Scope of Study 4

1.6 Significant of Study

1.7 Research Structure

1.8 Summary

5

6

7

2 LITERATURE REVIEW 9

2.1 Introduction 9

2.2 LEAN Technique 10

2.3 LEAN and Construction Time 11

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2.4 LEAN Time Cycle Analysis 11

2.5 Productivity 12

2.6 Productivity and Construction Duration

2.7 Trench Drain

2.8 Trench Excavation for Drainage

2.8.1 Case 580K

2.8.2 Concrete Drain Construction

According to JKR Drainage Standard

Requirement

2.9 Labour Productivity

2.10 Productivity and Quality

2.11 Summary

13

13

14

14

18

21

22

22

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 23

3.1 Introduction 23

3.2 Data Collection 23

3.3 Research Design 24

3.4 Population Sampling 25

3.5 Research Instrument

3.6 Drainage Construction

26

27

3.7 Data Analysis 35

3.8 Summary 35

4 ANALYSIS 37

4.1 Introduction 37

4.2 Data Collection 38

4.3 Project Detail 38

4.3.1 Drainage Details 39

4.4 Analysis Excavation Productivity

4.4.1Quality of Excavation

40

42

4.5 Analysis Block Drain Installation

4.5.1 Quality of Pre-Cast Culvert Block

Drain Install

46

47

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4.6 Project Productivity Discussion

4.6.1 Quality of Drainage Construction

Discussion

4.7 Summary of Drainage Productivity Rate and

Construction Quality Measurement

50

51

52

5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 53

5.1 Introduction 53

5.2 Research Limitation 53

5.3 Research Discussion and Conclusion 54

5.4 Conclusion 56

REFERENCES

APPENDICES

61

63

x

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE NO. TITLE PAGE

2.1

2.2

2.3

4.1

4.2

4.3

Case 580K Engine Specification

Condition of Backhoe to Operate Optimally

JKR Drainage Standard Requirement

Excavation Statistic

Excavation Quality

Pre-Cast Block Drain Installation Quality

16

16

19

41

42

47

xi

LIST OF FIGURE

FIGURE NO. TITLE PAGE

1.0

2.1

2.2

2.3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

3.5

3.6

3.7

3.8

3.9

3.10

3.11

4.1

4.2

4.3

Research Process

Backhoe model Case 580K

Case 580K Bucket

V-Shaped Block Drain Size

Excavation Activity

Material Removal

Excavation Measurement

Excavation Vertical Cut

Lean Concrete

Marking and Leveling

Material Delivered

Culvert Installation

Backfilling

Surface Drain

Plastering

Drainage Cross Section

Excavation Productivity

Pre-Cast Block Drain Installation

6

15

17

18

27

28

28

29

30

30

31

32

33

34

34

39

40

46

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1. 1 General

According to Motwani (1995), productivity measurement in construction

industry is important for the sector to continuously improve thier performance and

compete within their sector. The practical approach to measure the productivity

within construction industry is needed to be identified. There are several model that

can be used to measure productivity in construction such as Time Cycle Analysis.

However, this research focus on LEAN strategy that currently being used in

manufacturing industry to measure their productivity. Hence, LEAN have been used

by the manufacturing sector to improve their product performance and quality. In this

project, LEAN strategy to measure productivity will be implement in construction

industry.

2

1.2 Background Of Study

According to Krugman (1994), productivity rate is the number of product can

be produce by the time given. Hence, Chia (2012), mention that productivity have

great influence on national economic growth. Measuring the construction industry

productivity will also reflect toward the measurement of the industry economic

growth itself. In construction planning and scheduling, it is necessary to know the

production rate for specific activity to estimate the period for the task completion.

LEAN thinking mostly implemented in manufacturing industry for

improvement in the industry in terms of production involving machinery.

Construction industry partially manual trade and equipment to facilitate each

construction activities. Plant and equipment require a proper management to utilize

their maximum potential and to operate according to the plan and scheduling of a

project. Thus, excavation activity involves several types of plants to facilitate the

process. The example of common plant been used for excavation activities are

excavator and backhoe. This research focus on measurement of productivity for

drainage trench excavation, involving the use of backhoe as machinery and manual

labour productivity to install the drainage pre-cast.

This research focus on the measurement of productivity rate in construction

of V-Shaped Trench Drainage activity. The activities for V-Shaped drainage

construction are identified and the productivity rate for each activity is measured.

3

1.3 Problem Statement

According to Chau (2003), researches of construction productivity have

problems in measurement and availability of data. This issues is reflect toward the

challenge of indentifying the factors affecting the level and growth of efficiency in

construction industry. Thus, according to Motwani (1995), identifying the critical

factors that influence the productivity in construction industry is a challenge. In

addition, according to Noh (2014), higher productivity rate reduce the quality of

product. This research intends to use the LEAN principle used in manufacturing

industry to measure their productivity and evaluate the quality. This process will

determine the quality of product at a certain rate. This research will measure the

productivity rate on drainage activities with specific indentified critical factors that

influence the productivity and act as constant variables.

According to Sambasivan (2006), labour and equipment related to

productivity contribute to causes of delay in construction project. Hence, according

to the research, labour and equipment was ranked 3 out of 8 categories of delay

causation in Malaysia construction industry. Hence, the quality of work and the

productivity among the workers in Malaysia, have significant impact on project

progress and efficiency. This will eventually result in delay on completion sequence,

where the successor activity will be affected and causing delay for the entire project.

4

1.4 Objectives and Aim

This study aim is to measure the productivity of drainage trench excavation.

To achieve the aim, the objectives are:

i. To measure the productivity rates of trench excavation using plant (Backhoe)

using Time Cycle Analysis

ii. To calculate the optimum manual labour productivity rates to install V-

Shaped Trench Drain using Activity Oriented formulation.

iii. To evaluate the quality of finished drainage construction base on the drainage

construction productivity rates.

1.5 Scope of Study

The research purpose is to determine the productivity rate of drainage

construction activity using LEAN principle. This research focus on the construction

of V-Shape Trench Drain activity. The activity for construction of V-Shaped

drainage is identified. Each activity will be measure its productivity rate. Hence, the

quality of the finish product will be evaluated.

The variable for productivity rate will be scope to specific resources and act

as a constant variable. The constant variable this research is plant, materials and

number of labour. In addition, each resource variable will be selected according to

common resource generally being used in Malaysia construction activity.

5

1.6 Significant of Study

Measuring the productivity within construction industry will improve the

construction process. The study aim to provide useful information regarding

construction productivity for a specific activity. The research measure the

productivity of drainage work for precast drainage. The activities measured include

the excavation process and the installation process.

The measurement for the excavation process involve the specific plant chosen

that suit the activity. Pratt (2010) mentioned the suitable machine for trench

excavation in backhoe, due to its mobility. The research measure the productivity of

a backhoe to excavate trench drain. The result can be use as standard efficiency for

backhoe to excavate trench drain.

Measuring labour productivity will determine the optimum productivity rate

for drainage installation. The productivity rate is influence by the total man-hours,

which the result will determine the standard rate of productivity to install drainage

within one hour.

Hence, this research will also clarify the problem statement on the higher the

productivity rate, the lower the quality produce. The result of productivity will then

be evaluated towards its quality. This is to measure the quality of product at a certain

productivity rate. Hence, this result can be use to improve the quality of drainage

work with respect to time taken to complete the work process.

6

1.7 Research Structure

The main purpose of this research is to measure the productivity of drainage

trench excavation and measure the quality of drainage base on the productivity rate.

In order to achieve these objectives, the activities involving construction stage for

drainage work is identified. Figure 1 shows the research process to achieve the final

objective for this research.

Figure 1.0: Research Process

Collecting data of the research will require several procedures. The first data

is regarding the first objective, to measure the productivity rates of trench excavation

using backhoe with Time Cycle Analysis, is a primary data collection. The

information gathered through measurement of backhoe excavation for specific

drainage activity on site. The data will be analyzed using SPSS.

Drainage Productivity

•LEAN Princple

Trench Excavation

•Variance Analysis

Labour Productivity

•Activity Oriented Model

Quality Assesment

•JKR Draiange Work Specification

7

Second objective also use the primary data collection method, which is to

measure the labour productivity rates to install V-Shaped Trench Drain using the

Labour Productivity Rate Activity Oriented Model formula:

The third objective is to evaluate the quality of drainage base on the drainage

construction productivity rates require the result gathered through first and second

objective. The evaluation will rated based on the standard JKR standard specification

2014.

1.8 Summary

Productivity measurement is important in construction industry to improve

their performance. Hence, it can be use as key performance indicator, measuring the

output of performance for a specific task in the industry. The problem statement is

resolved through achieving the objectives of this research.

The first objective is to determine the productivity rates of trench excavation

of a backhoe. This objective is achieve by measuring the performance of backhoe

excavating a trench on sites, thus, implanting LEAN strategy to measure the

productivity rate.

The second objective is to determine the optimum labour productivity rates to

install V-Shaped Trench Drain. This objective is achieve by measuring the total man-

hours to install the V-Shaped Trench Drain per-hour by using Activity Oriented

formula.

8

The third objective is to determine the quality of the drainage manage to

achieve through the productivity rate of both machine and labour productivity. This

objective is achieve by evaluating the quality of the final product after the installation

of V-Shaped Trench Drain completed.

61

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