An improved systematic activity sampling technique for work study

Organizational inefficiencies are present at every construction site, and with greater frequency than in the stationary industries. In spite of this, productivity studies in construction are still in their infancy. The paper deals with applicability of available work-measurement techniques in construction, and describes an effective method of manual recording of activity sampling observations, applicable to individual work studies with up to 15 workers and/or machines per observer. Records are in chart form, with the following main advantages: identifiability of interrelationships between observed facts, economy in writing work during recording and analysis, and possibility of differentiation between skilled and unskilled labour. When desired, production efficiency rating is readily incorporated.