Issues with Improving Productivity - Episode 7 | Brian Green (Brickonomics)

Construction Disrupted

Inefficiencies within the construction industry can be easily spotted at the output stage, onsite. A recent study by buildots outlined four such inefficiencies; the areas of a project that are worked on per week (46%), the weekly output from onsite trades can vary by over 50%, we’re making too many return visits to incomplete work and work is being delivered out of sequence causing issues later down the line. All interesting stuff, with the conclusion being that collaborative working practices, as well as tech, can resolve these ills.

But what about a more holistic view of productivity in the industry? Improving productivity on site is one thing, but making a whole industry more efficient is another and although improvements would benefit everyone, competition and the requirement for companies to grow may stifle this approach.

Even the ONS state “Data on the expenditure, skills and capital of the construction industry are all suggestive of productivity growth in recent years. Yet our productivity estimates show little if any productivity growth in construction in recent decades”.

So where do we go from here? What is true productivity, how are we defining it and is technology the catalyst for a more productive, efficient and collaborative industry as a whole?

I caught up with Brian Green from Brickonomics to unravel this productivity conundrum.

Brian has been a journalist, commentator and researcher focusing on construction for more than 30 years. He writes and produces reports and consults across a wide range of industry topics for both commercial and non-commercial organisations including Barbour ABI, RIBA Journal, CIOB, BEIS and the ONS.

Topics Covered

- Calculating productivity.

- Maximising construction productivity and its contribution to national productivity.

- Complexities of evaluating productivity.

- Making comparisons on how productive we are.

- Being more mindful of building the right things, rather than building for commercial gain.

- Offsite production input into productivity.

- Ensure a more accurate and informed assessment.

- Regulatory help or hindrance.

- Overlooking the significance of people skills.

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Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Other Links

https://brickonomics.com/

https://pages.buildots.com/inefficiency-of-construction-mgmt-pr

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/productivitymeasures/articles/productivityintheconstructionindustryuk2021/2021-10-19#:~:text=Taking%20the%20year%20as%20a,and%20hours%20fell%20by%2020%25.

https://www.ice.org.uk/news-insight/news-and-blogs/ice-blogs/the-civil-engineer-blog/common-causes-of-low-productivity-in-construction

https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/resource/construction-industry-leaders-tackle-stagnant-productivity/

https://www.thenbs.com/knowledge/uk-productivity-how-the-construction-industry-can-help

https://www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/news/press-release-information-management-construction-can-deliver-productivity-boost

Mentioned in this episode:

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