A Case Study on Productivity Analysis and Methods Improvement for Masonry Work

In the construction industry, a great deal of research has been focused on productivity improvement because a minor change in labor productivity can often make the difference between a profit and a loss. This study shows how productivity measurement methods can be applied in practice, step by step, to analyze and identify potential problems both in productivity and methods performance for masonry work. A work sampling technique was conducted to determine the nature and extent of an observable activity as an aid to measuring overall performance. Also, a method productivity delay model was used to identify non-productivity in individual cycle times. From the work sampling technique, it was found that the masonry crew had a Labor Utilization Factor of 47.1%, and from the videotape analysis, it was found that the material and dumpster location need to be adjusted to reduce the travelling distance. We have found that efforts to improve the productivity of masonry work should be focused almost exclusively on machine and labor delays, based on the result from the method productivity delay model.