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The sequences in which work is completed bear significantly on the performance of electrical contractors in building construction projects. When project work sequences are poorly planned or poorly executed, electrician constructors often must contend with compressed schedules, trade stacking, and out-of-sequence work to ensure timely completion of a project. This paper analytically evaluates the importance of sequence planning to efficient electrical work. It describes changes that were made to crew-level planning procedures for an electrical contractor and the impact these had on crew performance. The analysis shows that sequence planning at both the project level and the crew level are important to the performance of electrical crews. Most notably, a strong correlation (0.73) was detected between crew planning performance one week and crew productivity performance in the following week. Results of the study are provided. Principles of sound sequences and guidelines for sequence planning are also captured from the analysis. These sequence guidelines are designed to avoid, where possible, the often adverse project conditions in which electrical contractors find themselves and to handle those conditions most effectively when they cannot be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper was written to fill a void created by the absence of fundamental principles of site construction management. Efficient material management is essential to managing a productive and cost efficient site. For more than 25 years, the senior author has been observing and writing about inefficient labor productivity practices resulting from poor site material management. Using deductive reasoning, fundamental principles were developed to avoid poor practices. A construction site should be portioned into three areas or zones: semipermanent (exterior) storage, staging areas, and workface (interior) storage. Each has a unique function relative to site material management. Using these areas as a framework, fundamental principles are stated and illustrated using a case study project accompanied by numerous photographs and narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the impact of material delivery methods and winter weather on labor productivity. Description of three structural steel erection projects that used different methods of delivering the structural steel members. Site characteristics; Construction methods and procedures; Loss of productivity for three case study projects; Quantification of material delivery methods.

High-performance green buildings, which maximize energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality, require increased collaboration among interdisciplinary professionals during project delivery. Recent theoretical and applied research illuminates the critical role of delivery attributes in performance outcomes. Despite such evidence, rigorous research is still needed to establish links between delivery attributes and performance outcomes in sustainable projects to further motivate owners and project teams to adopt and successfully implement sustainable practices and eventually improve actual energy performance and indoor environmental quality of buildings. This paper used quantitative methods to identify statistically correlated in-process indicators with project performance outcomes such as green level, cost, and schedule in sustainable building project delivery. The sample set used data from two previous studies totaling 51 green-certified building projects. Results yield statistically significant corresponding weightings for 7 to 15 in-process indicators for sustainable building project delivery including setting owner-initiated sustainable goals, having all major project parties attending design charrettes, running energy and lighting simulations no later than the schematics-design phase, adequacy in owner capabilities for scope definition and decision making, selecting contractors from a restrained pool, and enabling contractor involvement in the delivery process no later than the design-development phase. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by offering statistical evidence underlining the importance of in-process indicators for sustainable building project performance outcomes and proving insights to elevate team integration through the delivery process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Prefabrication offers a substantial opportunity to improve projects'' sustainable performance. However, decisions to employ prefabrication are still largely based on familiarity and personal preferences rather than rigorous data. Methodical assessments of an appropriate construction method for a concrete project have been found deficient. This paper presents an objective and transparent tool, the Construction Method Selection Model (CMSM), which is designed to aid building team members during early project stages in evaluating the feasibility of prefabrication and exploring an optimal strategy to apply prefabrication in concrete buildings. The model is divided into two sequential levels: the strategic level and the tactical level, respectively. The Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART) is used in the first level for preliminary feasibility evaluation of prefabrication. The Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT), which considers uncertainty and risk attitude, is employed in the second level to assess to what degree of prefabrication is appropriate for the project at hand. A detailed case study through in-depth personal interviews with four decision makers is presented to illustrate the use of the model and to demonstrate the capability of the model. The results show that the proposed model is a useful and effective decision-making tool for prefabrication adoption and optimization in concrete buildings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]