Productivity and Work Study Techniques in Construction Projects

8/10/2019 Productivity and Work Study Techniques in Construction Projects

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Productivity and Work Study Techniques in

Construction Projects

NCP 31

Submitted by: Khatri Mudassar Tayab

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NCP%31%Productivity .nd Work Study Techniques in ConstructionProjects

INTRODUCTION:

Construction Project can be defined as a mission, undertaken to create a unique facility, product

or service within the specified scope, quality, time and costs. With the emerging global

opportunities, projects have crossed geographical boundaries, corporate channels, traditional

systems and cultural diversities. Thus there is a vast scope for improving performance through

knowledge in the construction industry, where men, materials, machinery, money and management

work together to build a facility. The ultimate object of an nterprise is to make profits and to

satisfy the consumption needs of the community. This involves a wide range of economic

resources. Productivity in the economic sense does not refer to any combination of resources

but essentially to that combination which conforms most closely to a firm!s desired outputs "s a

Project #anager, an e$pert in planning and organi%ing construction activities, need to be well

versed with the ongoing industrial development and accordingly create new or study the e$isting

techniques related to productivity towards the betterment of the organisation.

"part from building materials, reduction in the cost of construction may be achieved in a variety

of ways such as avoiding wastages, adopting appropriate technology, evolving innovative designs,

achieving efficient construction management, effective programming of works, improving labour

skills, on&line monitoring etc' "ll these techniques may be clubbed as ( Productivity measures).

Productivity implies effectiveness and efficiency in individual and organi%ational performance.

ffectiveness is the achievement of objectives. fficiency is the achievement of the ends with

the least amount of resources. The highest site productivity is obtained by producing the

required quantity of construction of specified quality within the budgeted time and by the best

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and cheapest method. Productivity increase if a greater output is achieved for the same input, or

if a greater output is achieved for a smaller input. There are two main ways to increase the

amount of goods or product produced* one is to increase employment and other is to increase

productivity. fforts to increase employment are very important and should go hand in hand with

efforts to increase the productivity of those already employed. +ut it is the latter task that we

are concerned and is the basis for the entire discussion henceforth.

MOTIVATION & INCENTIVES: (CONCEPT & MEANING)

#anaging requires the creation and maintenance of an environment in which individuals work

together in groups toward the accomplishment of a common objective. " manager cannot do this

job without knowing what motivates people. The building of motivating factors into organi%ational

roles, the staffing of these roles, and the entire process of leading people must be built on

knowledge of motivation. The manager!s job is not to manipulate people but, rather, to recogni%e

what motivates people.

The basic element of all human behaviour is some kind of activity, whether physical or mental.

We can look at workers behaviour as a series of activities. The question arises as to what

activities worker will undertake at any point of time and why. "s we all know activities are goal

oriented i.e. people do things that lead them to accomplish something. The primary task of

managers is to get people to contribute activities that help to achieve the mission and goals of

an enterprise or of any department or other organi%ed unit within it. Clearly, to guide people!s

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activities in desired directions requires knowing, to the best of any manager!s ability, what leads

people to do things, what motivates them.

uman motives are based on needs, whether consciously or subconsciously felt. -ome are

primary needs such as physiological requirements and secondary needs such as self&esteem,

status, affiliation with others, accomplishment and self& assertion. These needs vary in intensity

and over time with various individuals. #otivation is a general term applying to the entire class of

drives, desires, needs, wishes, and similar forces. " manager has to motivate their subordinates

by doing those things which they hope will satisfy these drives and desires and induce the

subordinates to act in a desired manner. Thus what effect motivation has on the individual on

the above said drives and desires can be e$plained in the following line diagram

Needs

Give rise

to

Wants

Wi!

Ca"se

Tension

s

Satis#a!tion

Wi!

res"$t in

A!tions

Wi!

%ive rise

to

" manager can do much to sharpen motives by establishing an environment favourable to certain

drives. -imilarly, the environment of a business in which managerial performance is effective and

efficient tends to breed a desire for high quality management among most, or all, managers and

personnel. #otivation refers to the drive and effort to satisfy a want or goal. Thus motivation

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implies a drive toward an outcome. The motivation factor is only used in the construction field

just only to increase the productivity of the firm.

Prod"!tivit o# te !onstr"!tion enter'rise:

To carry out any given construction project, an individual mi$ of resources including land,

buildings, materials, mechanical plant, tools, equipment and manpower have to be mobili%ed. /t is

the task of management to combine these resources to carry out the project economically and

e$peditiously.

/n larger enterprises a management team will share the various specialist activities, such as site

management at various levels, material controls, plant management, financial controls and so on,

but in small firm all the management activities might be carried out by one person. $perience

has shown that there is always room for improvement in construction project e$ecution. The

total time taken is often well in e$cess of what it would have been if the designs, specifications

and methods of construction were properly planned and prepared, and if site management had

implemented them effectively so that there had been no loss of working time.

The task of management is to organi%e and control all the available resources in order to achieve

ma$imum productivity 0 that is to reduce the work content to as near to basic as possible and to

eliminate ineffective time. "s regards to various factors affecting the productivity with regards

to physical resources 1money, material, machinery and designs 2 liaison3 is concerned can be

easily tackled by a well e$perienced Project #anager, but as regards to the productivity from

the workers or labour force is highly neglected and overlooked while studying the factors which

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affects the productivity of a site. "n efficient Project #anager needs to develop a work&study

technique, which will find a better way of carrying out various activities.

Prod"!tivit and $ao"r:

4n any construction site the contractor!s financial gain is dependent, amongst other things, on

completion of the work in good time and at the least cost, and the productivity of labour has a

direct bearing on this being achieved. The factors affecting the performance of labour generally

fall into three categories &

5. The human capacity for work*

6. The competence of site management*

7. The motivation of the workers.

We are concerned with the first and the last factor in the ongoing discussion. +y motivating the

workers in the right manner will increase the productivity in the desired way within the time

stipulation and cost margins. The best motivator is money itself and there are various ways of

using it as the motivating factor, one being in the form of incentives. The various incentive

schemes are discussed later on. 4ther means of motivation is the theory of participation. There

can be no doubt that only rarely are people not motivated by being consulted on action affecting

them 0 by being ( in on the act.) The other interesting approachs to motivation is the quality of

working life 18W93 program. These represent a systems approach to job design and a promising

development in the broad area of job enrichment, combined with grounding in the sociotechnical

systems approach to management.

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Wage is a means of providing income for employees and as a cost of doing business to the

employer. /t provides a source of motivation for employees to perform effectively and is one of

the most important considerations to a person who is contemplating taking a new job. The search

has been for some incentive plan additional to wages decided which when installed will solve all

the problems of supervision and management automatically by causing the employees to work

harder and more efficiently, making them happy on their jobs, and increasing the profits of the

business. The e$ecutive of today probably has no more chance of finding a wage&incentive plan,

which will by itself do all these things. :o wage&incentive payment plans, no matter how carefully

and intelligently designed, will work effectively unless it is well administered.

Essentia$s o# a %ood Wa%eIn!entive S!e*e:

;air to workers and management "n important requirement for the lasting success of any

wage0incentive plan is that it shall be fair to both the worker and the management in every

detail of its content and administration. /f any part cannot stand impartial judgment as to

its fairness, then that part must be changed or the plan will not last. /n other words the

plan has to be designed in such a way that it increases earnings but at the same time

increase production.

#ajor encouragement on most important factor Perhaps the first step in the design of a

wage&incentive plan is to decide what is the relative importance of each of the various

elements of the employee!s work effort&what should emphasi%ed most.

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ncourage well&rounded effort The plan should in some effective manner also encourage

and reward parts of the employee!s work other than the emphasi%ed part.


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4n any construction site one of the important factor affecting the performance of labour is the

motivation factor, which indirectly leads to low productivity. Workers are motivated in their

work by a variety of methods, all of which may be present in varying degrees. They include &

;ear*

>iscipline*

?ob -atisfaction*

;inancial /ncentives.

+EAR :This includes fear of supervisor and fear of loosing a job and being out of work and

destitute, especially in country where no form of social security e$ists. This is a negative and

unsatisfactory form of incentive.

DISCIP-INE : This is e$emplified by punctuality, lack of absenteeism, good standards of

workmanship and the observance of site cleanliness and hygiene. 9ack in discipline generally leads

to low site morale and unsatisfactory productivity. ;ollowing steps could be followed in order to

achieve site discipline &

-ite rules drawn up and e$plained to all workers.

-ite incharge and respective senior personal set a high standard in self&discipline by his

own e$ample.

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Workers encouraged to feel that they are working with, rather than under, the

supervisor but at the same time the supervisor should leave no doubt in their minds that

he is the leader.

eveloping self&discipline through pride in achievement. =ood work should always be

praised.

Taking a personal interest in the worker, discussing problems fairly, never showing

favoritism.

>isciplinary action should be taken as soon after an infringement as possible.

.O/ SATIS+ACTION : "part from work providing the means of satisfying the worker!s basic

needs as to food, clothing and shelter, job satisfaction is obtained when the higher psychological

needs of the worker, such as self&respect and personal dignity, are met. ?ob satisfaction is

obtained through a sense of achievement as to quality, output or other contributions,

particularly if that achievement as to quality, output or other contributions, particularly if that

achievement is recognised and acknowledged. Pride in craft and skill and a sense of responsibility

are to be encouraged and rewarded with opportunities for advancement and promotion.

:egative aspects that detract from job satisfaction and morale, and which consequently affect

productivity, are to be avoided. These are generally aspects that imply that the worker is held in

low esteem by management and include

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Poor working conditions and terms of employment*

Poor or subservient relations with supervisors.

+INANCIA- INCENTIVES : 4ne of the effective methods as regards to motivation factor.

/ncentive schemes of this nature are widely used in industriali%ed countries, but are often a

source of contention and dispute between management and workforce. The schemes enable the

workers to earn bonuses over and above the normal rate of pay for achieving a rate of output at

or above a predetermined standard. /t is not always easy to work out what this standard

performance should be, so that the output targets set by management of which the bonus

earnings depend are often inaccurate.

T0PES O+ INCENTIVE SC1EMES :

>ifferent financial incentive schemes are discussed below

/on"s Tar%ets: Targets are set before the work starts, usually in the form of

Piecework Targets i.e. payment based on the amount of work done*

Time targets, i.e. a target time is set for completing a specific task. /f the task is

completed in less time, the bonus paid is based on the time saved.

+asis for setting targets

i. Work measurement The best method, as targets are more likely to be accurate.

>epending on policy, it is usual to offer a bonus over and above the basic wage for a

standard performance of 5@@.

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Advanta%es o# In!entive s!e*es:

Worker is given an opportunity to earn more than basic wage as reward for higher output.

Worker!s output will be higher, so that the job completed in less time, with a more

predictable performance and at lower cost.

The systems encourage self&discipline, and supervision can concentrate on quality rather

than output.

The worker himself tries to improve the efficiency of the method.

The operation of the scheme should keep site management on its toes, as the workers will

protest against any delays or mismanagement that reduce their opportunity to earn

bonuses.

Disadvanta%es o# In!entive s!e*es:

/n striving for higher output, quality and safety may be neglected.

/f bonus rates are too low, the incentive to work hard may be destroyed.

>ifferences in earnings between good and poor workers, or due to inaccurate bonus rates,

may give rise to bad feeling and labour problems on the site.

+onus systems are more complicated to operate, and require special staffing and

organi%ational procedures.

INCENTIVE SC1EMES AND MOTIVATION:

The basic objective of a construction firm is to achieve the so planned progress for a project

within the stipulated period of construction. "ny delay in completion of the project leads to

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increase in direct as well as indirect cost of the project. /t!s the indirect costs which leads the

construction firm to heavy losses at times.

+y introducing the incentive schemes and making it clear to the employees! about its benefits

and procedure a sense of urgency could be developed amongst them. Thus here the schemes will

act as a motivational factor and as we all know #oney is the biggest motivator in itself.

+efore introducing an incentive scheme in any firm or company it has to be scrutini%ed in all

possible ways the bad or good effects, the actual impact it will have on the productivity etc' by

recruiting a team of e$pert panels comprising of e$ecutives of higher management. The rules

and procedure involved in the scheme has to be clearly e$plained to each employee before

implementing it in order to prevent its bad impact. /f handled e$pertly in a professional manner,

incentive schemes could play as a handy tool for every Project #anager to manage the project in

the most appropriate way possible and achieve the required targets.

CASE STUD0 ON COMPAN04s INCENTIVE SC1EMES:

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The company for whom / render my services has introduced some additional /ncentive -chemes

additional to those provided a year ago. The following are some of the /ncentives provided

e$plained in brief

Co*'ensation :

a3 "nnual /ncrement The annual increment is paid in the month of ?anuary every year. +ut

due consideration is given to those individuals who has not joined as per the start of calendar

month and increment for the first year is done as per the completion of one year from the date

of his joining. Then the increment will take place every ?anuary every year. /f due to grant of

annual increment, the basic pay e$ceeds the ma$imum of the scale, the amount of annual

increment shall be so reduced that the basic pay plus increment does not e$ceed the ma$imum

of the applicable scale. "t no stage, the basic pay shall e$ceed the ma$imum of the pay scale.

b3 $ 0 =ratia The Company provides $&gratia to all its eligible employees who have

completed at least nine months from the date of his joining. mployees who are not eligible for

$&gratia are paid certain amount as token of appreciation.

c3 Productivity linked incentive scheme this incentive operates independently of $&gratia.

This incentive is provided to those depending upon its output and productivity against the

approved targets. Productivity incentive is paid up to a ma$imum of 5B of basic pay.

d3 -tagnation increment The employee who reaches the ma$imum of their pay scale is

eligible for grant of a stagnation increment on the ne$t due date of annual increment subject to

ma$imum of three such stagnation increments. The stagnation increment is treated as basic pay

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for all purposes e$cept for promotional increment. /n case of employees who draw stagnation

increment in the lower grade and again reaches the ma$imum scale of the higher grade, in such

scale heEshe will be eligible to receive only the remaining number of stagnation increments.

A$$o2an!es :

a3 ouse rent allowance The employee who has been transferred to a new project away

from the city is liable for the house rent allowance incase the accommodation is not provided.

The higher management e$ecutive is provided with the above allowance provided they submit

copy of necessary document and receipt to the company.

b3 Transportation benefits The higher management e$ecutives and few selected personnel

are provided transportation reimbursement in the form fuelEoil e$penses and actual conveyance

on submission of necessary documents. 4ther employees are provided certain fi$ed amount

against each as transportation allowance. 4n special cases where the individual has to attend

certain activities on behalf of the company the conveyance charges are paid on submission of the

conveyance form along with the proof.

c3 #eal allowance The Company provides canteen facility and provides canteen allowance to

each employee against their attendance. "lso on special cases where the individual has to visit

places on behalf of company certain amount fi$ed as meal allowance will be reimbursed to the

personal on submission of bills.

-eaves :

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a3 Casual E -ick 9eaves very employee of the company has one leave every week as a week

off. /f he desires can accumulate the leaves in every month and can use it as casual or

compensate sick leave. very employee has to maintain this leaves in the month or by the end of

every year.

b3 Privilege leave very employee has been provided 5.AB day per month as privilege leave

i.e. 65 days every month. The employee can use this leaves monthly or on yearly basis but with

due consideration with the management.

We$#are :

a3 The company has provided with the medical facility in the form of reimbursement in case

any accident or injury occurs on site. "long with this the company has also insured a specific

amount on every individual which will be reimbursed to the employee!s family member in case any

threat to the employee!s life takes place at the time of work.

CONC-USION 5 RECOMMENDATION :

"s discussed above it is cleared that every organi%ation and company has to introduce to a

certain e$tent certain incentive pay schemes for their employee in order to increase the

productivity of a unit or team towards the progress of the organi%ation itself. /t!s the normal

psychology of an individual that he should get an additional pay scheme apart from his basic

payment i.e. food allowance, traveling allowance and bonus which are the basic needs as far as

the individual is concerned.

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/f the company doesn!t provide at least the above mentioned incentive the individual thinks that

there is no progress or appraisal for him in thee same company and starts for a new opportunity.

The sense of self satisfaction and secured ness is lost among the employees.

/n addition to this the incentives based on productivity make the individual to strive for more

and as a result the required productivity is achieved within the said targets. This incentive has

to be introduced by every construction firm and a special committee to be appointed for this to

determine the individual as a result the progress of the site may be achieved in the said time.

The incentives to be paid to the entire team as a whole for the target achieved.

/ntroduction of leaves as an incentive will be another option as no construction firms introduces

it. #edical insurance is another form of incentive which gives a kind of feeling of security to the

employee as a result of which the output of the individual towards work also increases. "long

with the incentives provided certain rules and stipulations are to be also laid in front of the

employee so that no individual demands for the same. "ll the system of incentive schemes to be

made cleared to every employee.

Thus it is clear that productivity of the company can be increased by increasing the productivity

of each and every employee. The incentive schemes can be used as a motivational tool towards

increasing the progress and achieving the said targets within the stipulated time in a

construction firm.

/I/-IOGRAP10 5 RE+ERENCES :

Productivity and Work -tudy Techniques.& :icmar

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Personnel #anagement.& :icmar

The " to F of Practical +uilding Construction and #anagement.

& -andeep #antri

ssentials of #anagement.

& arold Goont%

& Cyril 4!>onnell

& ein% Weihrich

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Productivity and Work Study Techniques in Construction Projects

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