Masonry Magazine June 2002 Page. 42
Time Management
But there are many material deliveries on any given job - perhaps hundreds. Let's say it's exactly 100, and let's also give them the benefit of a doubt and say that only half of these total deliveries are late, and when they are late, they're only 20 minutes late.
Here's a summary:
X 50 (# of deliveries)
X 0.33 (man-hours waiting)
X 4.00 (# of men standing around)
X $34.15 (billing rate per hour)
Equals $2,254.00
Now, of course, I'm generalizing quite a bit and some of these men will be somewhat productive, but this illustration is meant to show how little delays, when spread over the course of a project, can add up to real money by the end of the job.
Equipment Break Downs-Every contractor who's been in business for a long time understands the value of preventative maintenance and the sound implementation of a maintenance program, including small tools as well as heavy equipment. A piece of advice: stay away from cheap power tools. Pay for the good stuff, they're worth it. Burning up motors only causes additional time and effort to get the tool replaced, hardly worth the $30 you saved when you bought it.
Design and Architectural Error-For some reason, I find architectural and design delays the most frustrating of all. Perhaps this is because the architect had months or even years to flush out the details before the project began. Regardless, errors on the plans and specifications, along with errors in code adaptation and misinterpretation, are appallingly commonplace in today's construction environment. What's worse, when you factor in the tight economic and aggressively competitive atmosphere of the design business today, this problem will only grow more significant before it gets better. The best, and perhaps only, avenue for the contractor in these cases is to chronicle the lost time in a daily logbook to use as negotiation fodder later on. Sure, it would be nice to charge them for lost time, but it's been my experience that the design firm will virtually never admit that they're wrong owing to an absolute horror of liability and responsibility and therefore very seldom offer to cover your loss.
So wait until the end of the job, when all of those lingering verbal-promises, on-the-fly cost-changes, and late or delayed change-billings rear their ugly heads, and sit down with the owner and architect to reconcile your final payout. Then pull out your notes and logs, and "let the real negotiation begin."
Field Error and Personnel Delay-All right, now that I got that out of my system, I've got a confession to make: contractors aren't perfect either. I know, that's hard to believe. Still, errors in the field occur all the time and many man-hours are lost in the remediation. Since we already know that time does indeed equal money, we must admit that quality control, care, and skilled workmanship are not just the trumpeting of a good marketing brochure, they're also money in our pockets.
Another potential loss factor is in the discipline of the workers themselves. Employees who consistently show up late or seem to "have a hard time getting going" ultimately dip into the company's profit well. Clear communication and strict employee guidelines are really the only way to plug this leak. Employee productivity and motivation are entities unto themselves requiring sincere, consistent and spirited commitment by the company's owners and managers.
Customer Interference-Some customer's are wonderful to work with. Others aren't. As long as nature indiscriminately allows anyone to make a lot of money, this will most likely never change. Often, a customer will find it necessary to stop out at the site and throw his or her weight around. If this happens to you, avoid your first impulse - remember, there are witnesses - take a deep breath, then take time out to explain, inform, and even cater-to the owner's desire. This may, of course, involve some minor changes, which aren't fun or productive, but in the long run, you've made the customer happy and a happy customer is just good business. Of course, if the changes are of a grand scale, you'll need to involve the architect.
Other Types of Project Delay
THERE ARE MANY other types of construction delays and, in keeping with our theme of recognition being paramount in finding a remedy, here are some other potential money-losers that may spring up:
Mobilizing major equipment more often than absolutely necessary
Waiting for information - be it from architect, owner, general contractor, etc.
Overcrowded work areas workers stumbling over each other is clearly not productive
Having inadequate numbers of workers on the job due to poor planning, sickness, absenteeism, etc.
Waiting for site layout or staking by surveying or civil crews
Every contractor who's been in business for a long time understands the value of preventative maintenance and the sound implementation of a maintenance program, including small tools as well as heavy equipment.