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The Installation Phase:
While the jobsites might differ, the actual
process of the work in the installation
phase stays the same. To be able to see
how a job is performing as it is happening
is key, therefore, the Agile Construction®
Tools: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS™),
Job Productivity and Control (JPAC®), as
well as Short Interval Scheduling (SIS®)
are the key for success. In Figure 4 you
can see a job’s productivity performance
overall as well as one of the cost codes
that is not performing very well. By
using this scientific approach with the
%-complete feedback directly from
the field on weekly basis, the job can
be helped before it is too late. In this
example, the project team realized (based
on the data shown) that the problem
with this Cost Code is severe and worked Figure 5 Gross Profit projection compared to % complete of job
together to improve it.

The Closure Phase:

This phase is probably one of the In summary, to be successful in this
most undervalued phases of project changing construction industry, Dr. Heather Moore is vice president of
Operations for MCA Inc. She holds a
management, which can be very risky. contractors need to start collecting Ph.D. in Construction Management from
While the largest portion of the job is and relying on data from the field. Michigan State University. Additionally,
completed, there can be several risks that Data collection however can be very she holds an MBA and a B.S.E. in Industrial
can hurt the job if not managed correctly. consuming, and expensive, therefore, and Operations Engineering. She was a
At the beginning of this article, we asked if it is important to evaluate what exactly contributor for the ASTM Standard E2691,
you ever wonder why a ‘great job’ ‘all of a the company wants to see and define “Job Productivity Measurement”, and co-
sudden’ loses all its profit at the last 20% which and how much data needs to be author of many of MCA, Inc.’s publications.
of completion? In figure 5 you can see an collected. As important as it is to collect At MCA, Inc., she and the team lead
example of actual gross profit reported the correct data, it is equally important implementation of Agile Construction®
by the project managers compared to to do something with the information in the construction industry to reduce
the %-completion of the job. It is clear and to create a feedback loop. The data- waste and improve jobsite visibility and
to see that almost no project manager driven Agile Construction® approach predictability, leading to a minimum of 30%
reports a negative job until the job is focuses directly on that: data-driven profitability improvement with hundreds of
80% complete. It is not that the project feedback from the field, which can be contractors nation-wide.
manager wants to blind-side the company, converted into information that helps to
he just has no measure to know how the make profitable projects and company Sonja Daneshgari is Director of Education
job is performing. With a data-driven decisions. With this approach, the and Talent Development at MCA Inc.
approach as shown in Figure 4, JPAC® knowledge and information from the artist Her focus is on translating the research
shows how the job is performing as the (project managers and field leaders) can findings and experience from MCA, into
weeks go on, giving you a more accurate get passed on to the rest of the company Classes, Workshops and Trainings for all
projection of your gross profit. To monitor and help create a sustainable, profitable levels of participants. She has a master’s
the improvements as you are transitioning learning organization that can grow and degree in Industrial Engineering and has
worked with numerous construction
to a data-driven learning organization, expand into the future. contractors and distributors throughout the
data, as shown in 5igure 5, can help.
US and Canada on process improvement
and productivity measurement.

www.ieci.org | November/December 2021 | Insights Magazine 83