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11 Constr. Law. 1 (1991)

handle is hein.journals/conlaw11 and id is 1 raw text is: .. . . .... .. . . . 0Th Costucio r .0. . ... PUBI ,AI , 0HEOR * Laye COITU Quantitative Effects on Construction Productivity John D. Borcherding, Ph.D., P.E. and Luis F. Alarcon, P.E. LUIS I. iarcon Quantitative evaluation of the effect of different fac- tors on construction productivity is usually needed for many purposes. These purposes may include construc- tion estimating, planning and scheduling, and proof of damages in construction claims. Cause and effect rela- tionships found in literature are frequently used in ab- sence of more accurate information. An extensive review of quantitative information on factors affecting produc- tivity is presented in this article. An appendix to this paper is presented to list references of the most relevant studies. In discussing the conceptual and practical prob- lems that affect the collection and analysis of quantita- tive productivity, references will be to the author and year alphabetically listed in the appendix rather chron- ological foot notes. Construction productivity is affected by many factors through complex interactions among them. Several at- tempts have been made to measure the effects of those considered the most important using a variety of meth- odologies. Most of these efforts are specific studies that have concentrated on measuring the effect of a single factor while neglecting the effects of other factors that could be present during the measurement period. Fur- thermore, the results of these studies have been generally based on a limited amount of data, and literature usually provides very little insight on database characteristics and data collection procedures, which could allow a more knowledgeable use of the information. Unfortunately, there are no standards for identifying, grouping, or meas- uring factors that affect productivity. The need for a large database and standardized procedures for data col- lection and storage has been widely recognized and some attempts to solve that problem have been recently made (Horner 87, Thomas 87, and Tucker 86). However, it will take several years before the objectives of standard- ization and data collection can be met. In response to the current needs for information on quantitative effects on construction productivity, several researchers, construction managers, contractors, and owners have developed their own guidelines to adjust productivity for the effect of different factors. In many cases, the adjustment factors proposed are based on re- search findings as described above, but in other cases the relationships have been developed based on judg- ment and experience of construction personnel. These relationships suffer the same difficulties as the research studies mentioned above, plus the lack of research sup- port for some of the propositions. There are important issues that remain unsolved. Are the existing relationships appropriately applied to dif- ferent projects? Can these relationships be used when several factors are present simultaneously? If so, how should the effect of different factors be consistently com- bined? Can these relationships be used for a different (continued on page 36) Copyright © 1991 American Bar Association dfonn Li. corcneraing Produced by the ABA Press

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