Impact of crew scheduling on project performance

Contractors have responded to the growing pressure from owners to shorten project duration by employing a variety of crew-scheduling techniques. Unfortunately, only a limited knowledge base exists for determining the impact of different crew schedules on project performance in terms of cost, duration, productivity, and safety. Standard crew schedules include those that require crews to work 40 h per week, including five 8-h days, four 10-h days, or a second shift. Overtime schedules are also common, which require crews to work additional hours beyond the standard 40 h per week. These overtime schedules include five 9-h days, six 8-h days, or five 10-h days. In addition to the standard and overtime schedules, several other crew-scheduling techniques have been used successfully by contractors. This paper presents the results of a study on the impact of crew-scheduling techniques on overall project performance. The paper identifies the proper application and conditions for successful use of various crew-scheduling techniques and provides a comprehensive comparison that outlines a variety of crew-scheduling options, along with their impact on labor efficiency, project duration, worker safety, and project cost. Contractors can use the results to aid them in the selection of a scheduling technique to best meet the specific requirements of a project.