| Summary: | Thesis (M.Eng.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1993. Engineering and Applied Science Bibliography: leaves 82-85. The decline in construction productivity across the North America since the mid 1970's has been reported by many researchers. Potential exists to affect major cost savings if the factors underlying this decline can be identified and quantified and solutions found. The issue is complex. However, it is generally acknowledged that productivity improvement is a management responsibility and that problems are within the control of management to solve. -- This work uses a survey to study the perception of Canadian construction professionals toward factors affecting construction productivity. Findings for different regions of the country are presented and contrasted. Factors analyzed are clustered into the following groupings: a) contract environment, b) planning, c) site management, d) working conditions, e) working hours and f) motivation. Major factors affecting productivity are identified. -- In addition, a weather-related factor model is developed to predict productivity as a function of weather and other site factors. Significant findings are that a high percentage of the variation in productivity is accounted for by height of worksite above grade and by average temperature, wind and rain. A method is suggested to allow the calculation of time-location modifiers that would account for local weather conditions and seasonal effects. They will be of use in more accurate project planning and costing.
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