The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of 4×10 schedules on workers, projects, and organizations. We designed this research to help contractors use the findings to form their next steps toward evaluating, piloting, or expanding 4×10 options using evidence-based insights.
A 4×10 schedule does not just affect one part of the business. It affects everyone – from the workforce in the field to the staff in the office to the employers who manage projects and clients. Rather than speculate, the researcher went straight to the source. She conducted three surveys to capture the diverse perspectives of people living and working in this industry:
• Field workers and field leaders, • Office staff and prefab technicians, and • Company leaders
The executive summary provides a high level overview and is available with the Get Report button.
As the construction industry is positioned for strong growth, material shortages, price volatility, delivery delays, and pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions, coupled with a lack of communication and transparency, continue to create challenges for electrical contractors. While some aspects of this situation are unpredictable and uncontrollable, electrical contractors need to be well prepared to effectively manage and control the controllable – that is – the outside of the gate materials management process. Focus is often placed on managing materials on the jobsite. However, the success of this process depends on the effectiveness of the planning of materials that occurs before materials are placed on the jobsite.
Managing materials outside of the gate has a direct impact on project performance and provides electrical contractors the means to be proactive, and effectively plan for materials (from early project phases to delivery) and avoid costly mistakes during project execution. In a period of intense introspection where electrical contractors are pushed to address pressing materials concerns while continuously wrestling with long-standing challenges, this ELECTRI effort is launched in collaboration with Graybar to advance the thinking in the electrical construction industry. This interactive report aims to document outside of the gate materials management practices of electrical contractors who are at the forefront of industrialized construction adoption.
WATCH researcher Hala Nassereddine’s informative video on how to use the self-evaluation excel tool provided below.
To use this self-evaluation excel tool please follow these instructions:
After the file is downloaded, make sure to rename the file to this exact name OUTGAM3E 1.0+v2.xlsm (this step is required)
Make sure the file is saved locally
Enable Macros:
Open Windows File Explorer and go to the folder where you saved the file
Right-click the file and choose Properties from the context menu
At the bottom of the General tab, select the Unblock checkbox and select OK.
‘Inconsistency breeds inefficiency’ is a fundamental principle that resonates across various industries, including the electrical construction industry, emphasizing the importance of standardized processes. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) can help define their business and success. SOPs set up the project for success by establishing consistency, standardization, teamwork, and a shared vision for how projects are executed. With the shortage of workers and the generation changes, SOPs are becoming critical for the success of the project (productivity, cost, schedule, quality, and communication, among others), transferring skills, and the overall continuity of contractors.
In this project, we developed SOPs for five essential activities:
Daily Logs: Daily Logs serve as a pivotal component of daily operations on a construction project, providing a comprehensive record of activities, resources, and events.
Procurement: Efficient procurement processes are crucial for ensuring a steady supply of materials and services to a construction project.
Lookahead Schedules: Lookahead schedules are a forward-planning tool that allows electrical contractors to anticipate and prepare for upcoming tasks and challenges.
Change and Additional Tickets: Change is the only constant on construction projects. Changes and additional tickets often arise during project execution, necessitating adjustments to the original plan.
Document Management: Effective document management is foundational to organizational efficiency, compliance, and knowledge preservation and transfer.
Additionally, we created an SOP template for construction activities and developed an SOP-Pro tool to assist electrical contractors in creating their own SOPs. Finally, recorded videos are available to explain the research deliverables.
To use this tool please download the report. For an overview of this project and tools that you can download watch the video below:
ELECTRI hosted a webinar for SOPs and how to get the most out of this research:
If you found this report useful, please help us continue our mission by contributing to ELECTRI:
ELECTRI has sponsored a research project to create a playbook for electrical contractors that will help you:
Understand rework culture.
Identify and understand problems causing rework.
Turn mistakes into learning opportunities.
Strategically reduce rework.
Unpaid rework refers to activities in the field (including prefabrication) that have to be done more than once, or activities that remove work previously installed as part of the project, where no change order has been issued, and no change of scope has been identified by the Owner. Download the report for additional information.
The executive summary provides a high level overview and is available with the Get Report button and the full report can be downloaded here.
To watch a video on the report navigation recording, click here.
ELECTRI Council held a webinar on rework. Watch it here.
If you found this report useful, please help us continue our mission by contributing to ELECTRI:
