Workforce Planning in the Masonry Industry

This book presents a tool for managing and scheduling labor in masonry construction that considers information on workers and jobsite characteristics to determine the appropriate mason for the appropriate wall. The author spent a year on-site and conducted extensive interviews with masonry practitioners across the United States to gather perspectives on labor requirements, rules for designing crews, and factors for crew makeup. These considerations have been incorporated in the tool to truly reflect current practices. With this tool masonry contractors and superintendents can effectively identify working patterns for each of the masons, optimal crew formations, and labor costs. The tool has been tested in a real construction project and the results show that by using it there is a substantial impact on reducing the completion time to build the walls, maximizing the utilization of masons and outlining opportunities for concurrent work. This book is a must have for anyone who is involved in planning labor in masonry construction. It lends insight into the many decisions that a contractor will encounter on a daily basis and offers guidance towards how to effectively manage workers.