An ENR blog Rethinking Wrenchtime: Tell Us What’s Slowing Jobsite Production, and Why questions trade productivity. The writer noted that 40 years ago they blamed unions for featherbedding and producing low productivity. With the continual decrease in union presence, they wonder who to blame.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (by definition, engineers not deficient in common courtesy), produced a study in 2009 with the following conclusion:

Factors involving tools and consumables, materials, engineering drawing management and construction equipment were identified as having the greatest impact on productivity from the craft workers’ perspective.

I learned that truth early in my days on the jobsite and have continued to believe. A great construction supervisor can help deliver impressive trade productivity.

One of the comments on the ENR blog stated the case well.

In my view as a former journeyman, project manager and project executive, the keys to productivity are:

1. maintaining the flow of materials to the craftsmen performing the work.

2. maintaining the right ratio of Journeymen to Apprentices in order to ensure that the most difficult tasks are being performed by the most experienced craftsmen.

3. Avoid the need to stack the trades and other unnecessary inefficiencies by developing, maintaining and adjusting as needed, the best work plan possible (which includes a materials handling and delivery strategy).

4. Always involve the superintendent and general foremen in the development of the work plan and schedule.

5. Always remember two things, a safe environment is an efficient environment and you can’t buy back a bad estimate or schedule out of the labor budget. T.C.