Productivity : state-of-the-art, recording context information, and case study data sets

The goal of this thesis is to contribute to our understanding of construction productivity as a function of methods employed and site conditions encountered for activities such as: excavation, shoring, and forming and concrete placing activities (column footings, columns, walls, and slabs). This goal has been pursued through three objectives: A comprehensive literature search about construction productivity to determine the state-of- the-art of predictive relationships as a function of factors that influence productivity. The major finding is that there is no unique and universal relationship that can be used to predict construction productivity. The carrying out of a detailed case study in order to develop comprehensive data sets for the construction of different elements, recording of the methods used, problems encountered, etc. The case study consisted of a detailed day-to-day data collection for the first 20-week period of the construction at the Kerrisdale Station Project in Vancouver. The testing of a daily site reporting system in order to assist in its development and enhancement for use in project monitoring. A research system called REPCON5, a project scheduling and site reporting system, was chosen as the tool for the collection of the daily events at the site. The daily reporting module allowed recording of construction activities, site condition, environment data, on-site equipment and usage, job-site visitors, inspections, meetings, problems encountered, etc. Findings from the work performed should be of value, to other researchers in their quest for forecasting productivity as a function of various factors that have an impact on construction productivity.Applied Science, Faculty ofCivil Engineering, Department ofGraduat