Benchmarking Project-Driven Production in Construction Using Productivity Function: Capacity and Cycle Time

Abstract

Despite being inaccurate, linear models are often used by construction managers to describe production, which limits the development and application of a production theory. The objective of this study is to formulate and test new equations comprehending the non-steady-state conditions of repetitive project-driven processes in construction to calculate cycle time and capacity based on productivity function models. The algebraic calculations were developed from Little’s Law to estimate cycle times and capacity and then tested on productivity function models of 11 construction processes (two cases arranged in a supply chain). It has been reaffirmed that the transient time negatively impacts process productivity. The transient time and theoretical average cycle time showed a proportional relationship to the average cycle times of the samples, resulting in a benchmarking ranking close to the one measured. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by introducing equations for capacity and cycle time based on a process productivity function model that can be used on processes in any state. It can be an alternative to three-point estimation, for instance.