Factors affecting construction productivity: a 30 year systematic review

Abstract

Purpose A significant amount of work has been performed in the area of identification of factors affecting construction productivity. Previous studies have tried to determine the most important factors affecting construction productivity in different countries for a long time. As a result of continuous effort in this direction, researchers have identified a wide range of factors. While the subject area has matured, no general agreement could be made on the factors affecting construction productivity. To fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to undertake a comprehensive systematic review of mainstream studies on factors affecting construction productivity published in the last 30 years (1986–2016). Design/methodology/approach A total of 46 articles from different sources such as journals, conference proceedings, dissertation and PhD theses were identified and thoroughly reviewed. Findings Gaps in research and practices are discussed and directions for future research have been proposed. The literature review indicates that despite noticeable differences in the socio-economic conditions across both developed countries and developing countries, an overall reasonable consensus exists on few significant factors impeding productivity. These are, namely, non-availability of materials, inadequate supervision, skill shortage, lack of proper tools and equipment and incomplete drawing and specifications. Nevertheless, implications of technology, site amenities, process studies, project culture, and impacts of physiological and psychological factors were not adequately covered in existing literature. The study also found that traditional construction projects have remained the main focus of these studies while green construction projects have been generally overlooked. Research limitations/implications The review does not include studies that report productivity at the organisational or industry level as well as total factor productivity. The scope of the review is limited to work on identification of factors affecting productivity at the activity level in construction projects. Practical implications The outcomes of this study would help researchers and practitioners by providing the findings of previous studies in a concise manner. It is also expected that presenting a deeper and wider perspective of the research work performed until now will direct a more focussed approach on productivity improvement efforts in the construction industry. Originality/value This review paper undertakes a comprehensive systematic review of studies on identification of factors affecting construction productivity published during the last three decades.

Pathways for the Improvement of Construction Productivity: A Perspective on the Adoption of Advanced Techniques

“…Various indicators of productivity and performance have been reported. Socioeconomic conditions have been identified as the reason for this variety across different countries [89].…”

Avaliação dos fatores de impacto na produtividade da soldagem de tubulações industriais com o método de Monte Carlo

“…A Equação 3 demonstra o cálculo da PG, considerando a quantidade total de Hh gastos, seja produtiva ou não. Hasan et al (2018) desenvolveram um trabalho envolvendo estudos realizados em países de 4 continentes, nos últimos 30 anos, sobre fatores de impacto na produtividade na indústria da construção, e registraram que os mais citados são: falha no suprimento de materiais, supervisão inadequada, baixa capacitação da mão de obra, ferramentas e equipamentos inadequados, desenhos e especificações incompletas, comunicação inadequada, retrabalho, layout inadequado do canteiro de obras, condições atmosféricas adversas e modificações de projeto. Dixit et al (2018) realizaram estudo semelhante, abrangendo artigos publicados entre 2006 e 2017, chegando a resultados muito parecidos.…”

Input for Hybrid Simulation Modelling Construction Operations

“…One is a synthesis of existing literature via systematic reviews as done, for instance, by Hasan et. al [2], who listed the factors according to countries and looked for common mentions. Another example is the work of Yi et al [6], which describes the factors affecting labour productivity at industry, project and activity levels.…”

“…In cases where surveys are used to determine the most important influencing factors, the results are likely to be affected by the sampling strategies employed and the groups of stakeholders responding. Hasan et al [2] recommended to include various stakeholders. Kazaz et al [22] and Dai et al [8] presented the perspective of the craftsmen, while Alinaitwe et al [10], Hanna et al [20], Hickson and Ellis [13], and Proverbs et al [14] compiled their lists from the contractors' point of view.…”

“…The construction sector contributes significantly to the world's economy; however, its productivity lags behind other sectors [1]. One of the contributing factors is the present shortage of skilled workers [2]- [4]. Because of this, more careful and accurate planning of construction operations is required.…”