Abstract
Poor productivity of construction workers is one of the causes of cost and time overruns in construction projects. The productivity of labour is particularly important especially in developing countries, where most of the building construction work is still on manual basis. This paper reports on a survey made on project managers of building projects in Uganda, where an increase in productivity is being sought. Respondents were required to rate using their experience how 36 factors affect productivity with respect to time, cost and quality. The survey was carried out by a questionnaire and responses received over a period of 3 months. The ten most significant problems affecting labour productivity were identified as incompetent supervisors; lack of skills from the workers; 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. Although lack of materials is ranked highest with regard to average rating on loss of time, it was not ranked among the top ten using the importance index that takes into account time, cost as well as work quality. The policy makers and researchers should focus on the identified major factors in order to improve productivity.
Highlights
Construction industries in many countries are greatly concerned about a low level of productivity [1, 2]
The objective of this study is to identify and rank the major factors that affect the productivity of craftsmen in Uganda
The highest ranked according to the Overall Importance Index are: incompetence of supervisors; lack of skills of the workers originating from inexperienced poorly trained workers; rework eg from poor work done; lack of tools/equipment; poor construction methods including poor sequencing of work items; poor communication which includes inaccurate instructions; inaccurate drawings; stoppages because of work rejected by consultants; political insecurity, for example, insurgency, wars, and risk; tools/equipment breakdown; harsh weather conditions
Summary
Construction industries in many countries are greatly concerned about a low level of productivity [1, 2]. Poor productivity of craftsmen is one of the most daunting problems that construction industries, especially those in developing countries, face [3]. Some research has been carried out on productivity of construction craftsmen in developing countries [3, 4], there are still gaps to be filled. The construction industry in Uganda constitutes over 12 % of the gross domestic product and has witnessed a steady growth for the last 20 years [5]. The majority of construction workers are employed on building sites as civil engineering works are to a large extent mechanised. The emphasis of this research is on labour productivity on building sites. It is assumed that any effort directed to improving productivity will greatly enhance the country’s chances to realise its development goals
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