Productivity and Efficiency in the Development of the Swedish Construction Sector

Abstract

The measurement of productivity and efficiency of activities in the Swedish construction sector is examined. Understanding past and present levels of productivity is necessary to steer emerging and future developments aimed at increasing efficiency of construction. The absence of purposeful measurement methods and tools for determining current and targeted levels of productivity creates confusion for clients, designers, constructors and end-users, who are unable to make confident forecasts of costs and revenues or benefits over project life cycles. The findings of an investigation using panels of expert practitioners guided by senior researchers revealed shortcomings in the understanding of factors of driving productivity as well as uncertainty over where improvements might be achieved. The significance of the findings is that methods and tools must be calibrated to current and emerging construction practices and their technical bases rather than continuing with measurements that were conceived for earlier processes and products. The paper concludes with an outline of further research aimed at improving self-learning in regard to both process and product as part of a broad response to raising efficiency through innovation.