Production Metrics for Planning Structural Drafting Operations for Reinforced Concrete Staircases in Structural Firms within Uganda

Productivity and production rate benchmarks for labor and equipment in the construction sector are vital metrics used to support comprehensive project planning and control activities. Scheduling and budgeting are the two project planning processes that utilize these metrics in their development and use. There is a misconception that project planning and control processes are mainly undertaken by the contractors for construction process but not by consultants for their analysis, design, and drafting processes. Interactions with practitioners serving in supervisory roles in consulting firms so the need and desire to perform these operations too, so that they are furnished with timeline and cost information to better plan and manage their tasks. However, most research activity has been directed towards obtaining benchmarks related to onsite construction processes leaving those in analysis, design, and drafting clueless about what possible benchmarks for their activities are. This study set out to measure and benchmark structural drafting operations for reinforced concrete staircases. Time measurements were done for two of the different types of reinforced concrete staircase configurations, i.e. straight-run and spiral staircases and benchmarks proposed for each of those types. Keywords: Productivity, production rate, benchmarks, reinforced concrete staircases, structural drafting DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-5-02 Publication date: May 31 st 2020