Stabilizing Operations Workflow in Construction with Real-Time Monitoring of Craft Labor Crews

Stabilizing Operations Workflow in Construction with Real-Time Monitoring of Craft Labor Crews

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.60164/04d4d7c5b

Authors: Amin Abbaszadegan, Fernanda Cruz Rios, David Grau, Rizwan Assainar, Ram Ganapathy, Cristobal Diosdado

Citation:

Abbaszadegan, A., Rios, F., Grau, D., Ganapathy, R., Abbaszadegan, A., Rios, F., & Diosdado, C. (2022). Stabilizing Operations Workflow in Construction with Real-Time Monitoring of Craft Labor Crews. In Lean Construction Journal pp. 184–205.

Abstract:

Question: How does the variation of workflow occur, if it does, during the execution of operations? Can operations workflow be documented, assessed, and proactively stabilized? And if so, how?

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to 1) explore the workflow during operations executed by individual production units, 2) investigate their documentation, monitoring, and stabilization, and 3) assess the effectiveness and limitations of a near real-time monitoring approach to stabilize the operations flow of individual production units such as crews.

Research Method: Pilot test during the renovation of a hospital facility. Information technologies were leveraged to enable the near real-time monitoring of field operations so that workflow variability during operations could be documented, and corrective actions could be timely triggered in response to workflow deviations. Data were collected and results analyzed.

Findings: Workflow variability during operations was demonstrated, quantified, and analyzed. Evidence of an opportunity to stabilize the flow of work during the execution of operations was provided. The feasibility of an instantaneous mechanism of control to stabilize workflow was demonstrated. Management responses to deviations in operations workflow from baseline values were proven to partially mitigate such deviations and stabilize flow proactively.

Limitations: The pilot test was implemented in support of drywall activities for a specific project, and thus results were not externally validated.

Implications: Future studies should investigate the undocumented topic of operations flow in the construction domain and contribute knowledge to the corresponding literature, which is dominated by studies with a sole focus on process flow. Practitioners should focus on stabilizing operations flow as a novel approach to reduce work variability further.

Value for practitioners: V.1 Variability during the execution of operations should be controlled. V.2 Monitoring should be regarded as a novel and proactive approach that effectively contributes to workflow stabilization and enables reliable work promises, i.e., those made during planning. V.3 Meeting work promises should not only depend on the goodness of a plan but should be complemented with the ability to intervene during work operations when these deviate from baseline values. V.4 Practitioners should recognize that empowering workers to directly resolve a variability event is a strong management strategy to minimize the downstream impact of such an event.

Keywords: workflow, operations workflow, lean construction, production controls and planning, production design, stabilization, real-time, monitoring, controls, takt.

Paper Type: Full Paper