The construction industry’s productivity has been at a standstill for decades. Fortunately, solutions like production management, lean construction, industrialised construction, modular building, and TAKT production are already available to tackle this issue.
Implementing these solutions is the tricky part. It requires everyone onsite to adopt new ways of managing and executing work.
Most attempts fail when ambitious plans clash with on-site realities.
”I mostly get told off when I try to remind my crew to do something.”
– Site Manager
The root issue is trying to leap too far too fast. You can’t jump directly into hourly TAKT if your last site was planned and managed with a weekly cycle.
We have developed a simple framework to help you improve productivity by breaking it down into manageable steps.
Here’s our secret sauce: use it as your roadmap.
Level 1: Monthly
This is the traditional way of managing construction. Meaning the general contractor splits the project down into separate contracts and manages it like a project.
This level includes:
- Month-level schedules used for administrative reporting and summarising progress. So basically the schedule is a tool for tracking if the contractor stays on agreed timeline. Subcontractors and crews create separate plans and task lists for the execution.
- Loose management routines. Everyone manages work as they see fit.
- Focus is on resource optimisation.
- Subcontractors optimise their contracts. They try to fully book their construction workers and get ahead of schedule to boost their project profitability. If someone doesn’t have enough work, they leave for another site.
- Multiple tasks in progress simultaneously. If there is a blocker and a task can’t be completed, it is left unfinished and another task is taken under work.
Most likely at least some of your projects are still planned and executed on this level. If that is the case, start by standardising your processes so that your whole company and all your crews get to level two. That is the basic requirement that sets the stage for efficient construction.
Level 2: Weekly
Here, the structure begins to take shape:
- Weekly-level schedules. Schedules and logistics are planned weekly.
- Higher level of detail in plans. Instead of rough monthly plans, you will know exactly what happens on each floor weekly.
- Weekly site management routines are established. It looks something like this.
- The goal is in task completion. Crews aim to finish tasks before starting new ones.
- Documenting and solving blockers quickly to reduce waste of time.
Most crews can handle this level easily, but improved construction productivity and higher quality require more detail. Once all your team members are on level 2, the most advanced sites should move to level 3.
Level 3: Daily
The daily level is challenging but worth the trouble: it reduces throughput times by 15-30%.
- Daily-level schedules that share in real-time what needs to be done, when and by who. Focus shifts from project to production management.
- Detailed management routines with both weekly and daily meetings.
- Location optimization instead of resource optimization. Work is planned by smaller zones rather than floors. The goal is to have people working on as many zones as possible.
- Unified goals. Everyone on-site follows the same pace and no one can fall behind or get ahead. The traditional subcontracting model often doesn’t work on this level.
Again, once crews master the daily routines, the forerunners should start heading towards the next, final level.
Level 4: Hourly
The ultimate level, industrialized construction, reduces throughput time by 50-75%.
- Hourly-level schedules ensuring smooth production flow and efficient logistics.
- Effortless management. Daily and weekly meetings become brief checkups as there are fewer and fewer obstacles to solve.
- Flow optimization. Focus on uninterrupted production with zero errors and revisions.
- Team collaboration. Everyone works as a part of a cohesive team.
➡️ Curious about the hourly level in action? Check out this example.
Start your journey now – let us help
To be frank, moving up from level 1 to level 4 takes time. Sitedrive is software that improves your construction site efficiency by standardizing your planning and management processes.
Book a call with our expert, and we’ll help you determine your current level and show you how Sitedrive will help you advance.
