A dynamic Modelling of Labor Productivity Impacts Arising from Change Orders in Road Projects

Author(s):  
Zain Ghazi Al-Kofahi ◽  
Amirsaman Mahdavian ◽  
Amr Oloufa

It is vital to investigate the system dynamics (SD) between the change orders and labor productivity to identify the causes of the productivity loss of the construction projects. Most productivity loss studies were financed from the contractor’s part and rely on the contractor’s data. This research highlighted the problem of productivity loss resulting from issuance of a change order by utilizing a previously developed SD model. It conducted a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the impact of overtime, overmanning, temperature and learning on the behavior of the SD model quantifying change orders' impact on labor productivity. Based on the results, SD provides more reliable results comparing with the measured mile analysis (MMA) approach for the compensation request, considering the leading factors affecting the productivity loss other than the change order. The model developed in this study can accept or reject the responsibility of a change order for occurrence of productivity loss.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 074-089
Author(s):  
Emer Tucay Quezon ◽  
Arthur G. Ibanez

In highway construction projects, labor-oriented work is an integral part of the management process, requiring analysis of factors affecting labor productivity during Covid-19 pandemic. This research identified 53 influential factors affecting construction labor productivity at selected cities and towns in Cagayan Valley Region, Philippines. Due to the pandemic, the construction industries incurred substantial profit losses. More so, the construction workers are too much affected because of the Enhance Community Quarantine (ECQ) imposed by the local government. Results indicated there was laxity on the Covid-19 protocols. No health worker in the project site ranked the highest in the health & safety factor group with an RII of 0.97 and ranked 1st among 53 factors on the different groups. Besides, no safety engineer was assigned to the projects and ranked 2nd with an RII of 0.93. Among the 7 groups of factors, the health and safety group ranked 1st with 0.81, followed by the schedule compression group with an RII of 0.78. Hence, these two groups of factors have a strong relationship, as evidenced by number of workers reduced. It was learned that the contractors’ strategy was to increase the number of working days to cope with their schedules. Hypothesis testing supported that there are various significant factors influencing labor productivity loss during the Covid-19 pandemic, as suggested by more than 50% of the respondents.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharareh Kermanshachi ◽  
Behzad Rouhanizadeh ◽  
Paul Govan

Purpose The inevitable change orders in construction projects have either direct or indirect impacts on a project’s duration. Reduced productivity is one of the indirect consequences that lead to major delays in the completion of the project. The purpose of this study is to develop a model that could quantify the impact of change orders on labor productivity and result in the establishment of policies to lessen their effects. Design/methodology/approach A model was developed to analyze the effects of change orders on labor productivity, then policies for managing their impacts on productivity and project duration were established. A water treatment case study was selected to serve as the scenario in which to implement and evaluate the model and policies. Findings The results of this study indicated that pressure to adhere to a schedule initially leads to an increase in labor productivity, but it is often followed by a significant drop that is a result of employee frustration. It was concluded that the pressure can be positive if it is applied for a short period of time; however, it continues for a significant length of time, the duration of the project will increase appreciably. Originality/value The proposed model can be implemented to identify the factors that affect labor productivity in a construction project. Its utilization will also help project managers assess when change orders occur and determine, which policies will be most effective in optimizing labor productivity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8614
Author(s):  
Murat Gunduz ◽  
Abdulrahman Abu-Hijleh

Labor constitutes a significant portion of the overall cost of a construction project, where labor productivity is often the main driver of the cost. Although studies on labor productivity factors exist, their frequency of occurrence in terms of their ranking remains unexplored. This study differs from other studies in the literature by introducing the frequency component to the productivity factors, a more realistic ranking of the factors by adjusting the importance by frequency (frequency adjusted importance index) and risk mapping of the factors. Moreover, this study is the first to apply risk mapping on labor productivity drivers. The aim of this paper is to identify the project factors affecting the labor productivity in construction projects and to rank these factors considering the perception of the industry on project performance. A literature review of past relevant studies was performed to identify and draft a list of factors affecting labor productivity in construction projects. Thirty-seven labor productivity factors were presented in a questionnaire to investigate the impact and frequency of their occurrence in construction projects. A 9-point scale structured questionnaire was constructed to measure the importance and the frequency of the factors and to evaluate the ranking for different categories. The frequency adjusted importance index (FAII), Spearman’s rank correlation, and risk mapping were used to study and analyze the 105 completed responses. The participants rated the following factors as the five most significant labor productivity-influencing factors: (1) poor labor supervision, (2) delays in payments, (3) poor work environment, (4) lowly skilled labor, and (5) bad weather conditions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emer Tucay Quezon ◽  
Arthur G. Ibanez

In highway construction projects, labor-oriented work is an integral part of the management process, requiring analysis of factors affecting labor productivity during the Covid-19 pandemic. This research identified 53 influential factors affecting construction labor productivity at selected cities and towns in Cagayan Valley Region, Philippines. Due to the pandemic, the construction industries incurred substantial profit losses. More so, the construction workers are too much affected because of the Enhance Community Quarantine (ECQ) imposed by the local government. Results indicated there was laxity on the Covid-19 protocols. No health worker in the project site ranked the highest in the health & safety factor group with an RII of 0.97 and ranked 1st among 53 factors on the different groups. Besides, no safety engineer was assigned to the projects and ranked 2nd with an RII of 0.93. Among the 7 groups of factors, the health and safety group ranked 1st with 0.81, followed by the schedule compression group with an RII of 0.78. Hence, these two groups of factors have a strong relationship, as evidenced by the number of workers reduced. It was learned that the contractors’ strategy was to increase the number of working days to cope with their schedules. Hypothesis testing supported that there are various significant factors influencing labor productivity loss during the Covid-19 pandemic, as suggested by more than 50% of the respondents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Alexander Junius ◽  
Mega Waty

In a construction project, changes during the construction period are common. This change can be in the form of an increase or decrease in volume and type of work, changes in work specifications, or changes in the schedule for implementation. Changes in projects are often known as change orders. Change orders must be approved by all parties in a project namely, contractors, owners, and consultants. Change orders are caused by several factors such as changes in design, delays in procurement of goods, differences in field conditions, and others. The impact of this change order is felt by all parties involved in a project, but the change order has a different impact on each party involved. This study aims to determine the biggest impact of change orders from the contractor. In the questionnaire submitted the impact of change order is divided into several variables namely, the cost of quality, time, organization, and others. From the responses of respondents regarding the impact of change orders on road construction projects, an analysis was performed with the calculation of the Relative Importance Index (RII), and the biggest impact was obtained. Before the data is processed with RII, the validity and reliability tests are performed first. The biggest impact of change orders caused by change orders is that change orders increase the budget for contractors, change orders increase overhead costs, increase project duration, cause project costs overruns, and change orders cause a decrease in project profits. AbstrakPada suatu proyek konstruksi, perubahan selama masa konstruksi merupakan hal yang umum terjadi. Perubahan ini bisa berupa penambahan atau pengurangan volume dan jenis pekerjaan, perubahan spesifikasi pekerjaan, maupun perubahan jadwal pelakasnaan. Perubahan dalam proyek sering dikenal change order. Change order harus disetujui oleh semua pihak yang ada dalam suatu proyek, yaitu kontraktor, pemilik, dan konsultan. Change order disebabkan oleh beberapa faktor seperti perubahan desain, keterlambatan pengadaan barang, perbedaan kondisi lapangan, dan lain-lain. Dampak dari change order ini dirasakan seluruh pihak yang terlibat dalam suatu proyek, namun change order menimbulkan dampak yang berbeda pada tiap pihak yang terlibat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dampak change order terbesar dari pihak kontraktor. Dalam kuesioner yang diajukan dampak change order dibagi menjadi beberapa variabel yaitu, biaya mutu, waktu, organisasi, dan lainnya. Dari hasil tanggapan responden mengenai dampak change order pada proyek konstruksi jalan, dilakukan analisis dengan perhitungan Relative Importance Index (RII), dan didapat dampak terbesar. Sebelum data diolah dengan RII dilakukan uji validitas dan uji reliabilitas terlebih dahulu. Dampak change order terbesar yang ditimbulkan oleh change order adalah change order menambah anggaran untuk kontraktor, change order meningkatkan biaya overhead, menambah durasi proyek, menyebabkan biaya proyek membengkak, dan change order menyebabkan penurunan keuntungan proyek.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emer Tucay Quezon ◽  
Arthur G. Ibanez

In highway construction projects, labor-oriented work is an integral part of the management process, requiring analysis of factors affecting labor productivity during Covid-19 pandemic. This research identified 53 influential factors affecting construction labor productivity at selected cities and towns in Cagayan Valley Region, Philippines. Due to the pandemic, the construction industries incurred substantial profit losses. More so, the construction workers are too much affected because of the Enhance Community Quarantine (ECQ) imposed by the local government. Results indicated there was laxity on the Covid-19 protocols. No health worker in the project site ranked the highest in the health & safety factor group with an RII of 0.97 and ranked 1st among 53 factors on the different groups. Besides, no safety engineer was assigned to the projects and ranked 2nd with an RII of 0.93. Among the 7 groups of factors, the health and safety group ranked 1st with 0.81, followed by the schedule compression group with an RII of 0.78. Hence, these two groups of factors have a strong relationship, as evidenced by number of workers reduced. It was learned that the contractors’ strategy was to increase the number of working days to cope with their schedules. Hypothesis testing supported that there are various significant factors influencing labor productivity loss during the Covid-19 pandemic, as suggested by more than 50% of the respondents.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 881-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Yuan Cheng ◽  
Dedy Kurniawan Wibowo ◽  
Doddy Prayogo ◽  
Andreas F. V. Roy

Change orders in construction projects are very common and result in negative impacts on various project facets. The impact of change orders on labor productivity is particularly difficult to quantify. Traditional approaches are inadequate to calculate the complex input-output relationship necessary to measure the effect of change orders. This study develops the Evolutionary Fuzzy Support Vector Machines Inference Model (EFSIM) to more accurately predict change-order-related productivity losses. The EFSIM is an AI-based tool that combines fuzzy logic (FL), support vector machine (SVM), and fast messy genetic algorithm (fmGA). The SVM is utilized as a supervised learning technique to solve classification and regression problems; the FL is used to quantify vagueness and uncertainty; and the fmGA is applied to optimize model parameters. A case study is presented to demonstrate and validate EFSIM performance. Simulation results and our validation against previous studies demonstrate that the EFSIM predicts the impact of change orders significantly better than other AI-based tools including the artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), and evolutionary support vector machine inference model (ESIM).


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 03075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Abramov

Development of design documentation for a future construction project gives rise to a number of issues with the main one being selection of manpower for structural units of the project’s overall implementation system. Well planned and competently staffed integrated structural construction units will help achieve a high level of reliability and labor productivity and avoid negative (extraordinary) situations during the construction period eventually ensuring improved project performance. Research priorities include the development of theoretical recommendations for enhancing reliability of a structural unit staffed as an integrated construction crew. The author focuses on identification of destabilizing factors affecting formation of an integrated construction crew; assessment of these destabilizing factors; based on the developed mathematical model, highlighting the impact of these factors on the integration criterion with subsequent identification of an efficiency and reliability criterion for the structural unit in general. The purpose of this article is to develop theoretical recommendations and scientific and methodological provisions of an organizational and technological nature in order to identify a reliability criterion for a structural unit based on manpower integration and productivity criteria. With this purpose in mind, complex scientific tasks have been defined requiring special research, development of corresponding provisions and recommendations based on the system analysis findings presented herein.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1349
Author(s):  
Hendy Eka Putra ◽  
Hendrik Sulistio

The implementation of the construction project caused miscommunication, this made the contract became a reference during implementation. In the implementation of construction projects, there are often changes that not according to contract, for example: work volume changes, specifications changes, type or method of work changes, schedules changes , design changes, and others. These changes are commonly known as change orders. There are several things that cause a change order, for example: incompletable contract, design does not fit in the field, unsupportive weather, and others. This research is to determine the effect of change order in the aspects of cost, quality, and time in multi-storey building construction projects. Researchers used data from the responses of respondents consisting of contractors, consultants, and owners. The questionnaire made proposes several aspects of change orders and their effects on cost, quality, and time. Analysis of research data was carried out with the help of the SmartPLS 3.0 application program. The influence of change orders on costs is the lack of costs due to the addition of work items, while on quality is the quality decrease due to additional work volume, and on time is the delay in project completion due to changes in completed work.ABSTRAKPelaksanaan proyek konstruksi menyebabkan terjadi perbedaan pendapat yang disebabkan oleh pihak yang terlibat, hal ini membuat kontrak menjadi sangat penting dan menjadi acuan selama pelaksanaan. Pada pelaksanaan proyek konstruksi sering terjadi perubahan-perubahan yang akhirnya tidak sesuai dengan kontrak sebelumnya contohnya seperti: perubahan volume pekerjaan, perubahan spesifikasi, perubahan jenis atau metode pekerjaan, perubahan jadwal, perubahan design, dan lain-lain. Perubahan ini umum sekali terjadi dalam proyek konstruksi dan lebih sering dikenal sebagai change order.  Ada beberapa hal yang menyebabkan perlunya dilakukan change order, misalnya: kontrak yang dibuat tidak lengkap, design yang ada tidak sesuai dengan kondisi lapangan, cuaca yang tidak mendukung, dan lain-lain. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui besar pengaruh change order dalam aspek biaya, mutu, dan waktu dalam proyek konstruksi gedung bertingkat. Peneliti menggunakan data dari hasil tanggapan responden yang terdiri dari kontraktor, konsultan, dan pemilik. Kuesioner yang dibuat mengajukan beberapa aspek mengenai change order serta pengaruhnya terhadap biaya, mutu, dan waktu. Analisis data penelitian dilakukan dengan bantuan program aplikasi SmartPLS 3.0. Pengaruh change order terhadap biaya adalah kurangnya biaya akibat penambahan item pekerjaan, sedangkan terhadap mutu adalah menurunnya kualitas bangunan akibat penambahan volume pekerjaan, dan terhadap waktu adalah terjadinya keterlambatan penyelesaian proyek akibat perubahan pekerjaan yang telah selesai.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Seob Lee

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to develop a method to integrate the schedule-based analysis with a productivity-based analysis to prove and support the result of the damages calculation.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, a “cost and schedule impact integration” (CSI2) model is proposed to objectively show and estimate lost productivity due to changes in construction projects.FindingsA schedule-based analysis to include separate tracking of change order costs can be used to predict productivity due to the delay and disruption; changes in construction projects almost always result in delay and disruption. However, the schedule-based analysis needs to be integrated with a productivity-based analysis to prove and support the result of the damages calculation.Practical implicationsThe results of this study expand upon construction practices for proving and quantifying lost productivity due to changes in construction projects.Originality/valueThe contribution of the paper is summarized as the introduction of a “schedule impact analysis” into a “cost impact analysis” technique to assess the damages, as well as to demonstrate the labor productivity impact due to delay and disruption in construction projects.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document