Factors affecting productivity of building craftsmen — a case of Uganda

Abstract

Poor productivity of construction workers is one of the causes of cost and time overruns on construction projects. The productivity of labor is particularly important especially in developing countries where most of the building construction work is still manual. This chapter reports a survey on project managers of building projects in Uganda. Using their experience, the managers were required to rate the way 36 factors affect the productivity with respect to time, cost, and quality. The survey was carried out through a questionnaire and responses were received over a period of three months. The 10 most significant problems affecting labor productivity were identified as incompetent supervisors, lack of skills, rework, lack of tools/equipment, poor construction methods, poor communication, inaccurate drawings, stoppages because of work being rejected by consultants, political insecurity, tools/equipment breakdown, and harsh weather conditions. The chapter concludes that competency of supervisors and the level of skills of the construction workers should be improved. The contractors too should focus on improving these areas by way of giving refresher courses, rewarding based on skill and output, and participating in structured training on workers in the construction industry. Research geared at improving productivity should focus on the identified factors, preferably those top on the list by importance index.