Schedule Compression and Time-Cost Trade-Off - Construction Project Scheduling and Control - page 220

Usually, the number of workers and the amount of equipment allowed on-site
are limited. Saturating the job site may lead to site congestion that could
adversely affect productivity and safety, which would defeat the purpose of
acquiring more workers and equipment. When hiring additional workers
for more shifts, a turnover time will have to be taken into consideration. If
workers are working on multiple shifts, the worker will need some time to
identify the work elements and status when starting. Supervisors must ensure
work consistency and that all shifts conform to the same standards. Several
factors must be balanced in this regard: the cost of the “extra” resources, the
cost of not having these resources when needed, and the consideration of
what to do with the extra resources after the peak need ends.
8. Acquire special materials and/or equipment that help speed up the work process :
This may be as simple as adding accelerating agents to the concrete mix or
as major as adding a tower crane. Difficult decisions may have to be made
in this regard—mainly, justifying the cost of such materials and equipment.
In some instances, automation and/or using preengineered or manufactured
assemblies results in a reduction in the number of workers as well as an increase
in production (see the next section, “Construction versus Manufacturing”).
9. Improve project management or supervision : In some cases, the contractor may
recognize a problem with the project team. There could be an “authority bat-
tle” between the project manager (leaning toward pure project organization)
and the main office (preferring functional organization). Having everyone on
the same page is extremely vital for the success of the project. Replacing the
project manager or superintendent in the middle of the job is not an easy deci-
sion. However, under certain circumstances, doing so may be less of an evil
than keeping the status quo.
10. Improve communications among parties, particularly during the submittal
process : Sometimes a structural subcontractor may have an inquiry about a
structural detail. The contract stipulates a chain of command requiring the
subcontractor to submit his request for information (RFI) to the general
contractor, who sends it to the architect, who in turn forwards it to the struc-
tural engineer. The response then must come back in reverse order across the
same chain. Many contracts allow the subcontractor to send an RFI directly to
the structural engineer (or whoever the responsible party is) but requires the
subcontractor to send copies to the contractual parties (the general contractor
and the architect). The structural engineer, in turn, can answer the structural
subcontractor directly but must also copy the architect and the general
contractor.
With advances in technology, the process of reviewing and approving
drawings has become faster than before. Some companies handle the process
online by uploading their drawings to a (usually exclusive) private Web site.
All parties are informed by e-mail about the new drawings and/or documents.
In many cases, the review can take place online as well. The entire process can