Materials Management Model For Construction Management Curriculum Development

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ASC Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Conference

Purdue University - West Lafayette, Indiana

April 1987 pp 68-83

MATERIALS MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Frederick B. Muehlhausen
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana

The Business Roundtable report on Materials Management indicates that the construction industry lacks "technically competent, well-trained personnel who perform the materials management activities." Construction management education should react to this industry need by providing appropriate educational opportunities to construction management students.

This paper presents a model of materials management activities for developing the construction curriculum. The model, depicted in flow chart form, identifies three types of information:

1. Management activities required to manage material flow to and through the job-site.

2. Cognitive activities (thought processes) required to perform the management activities.

3. Key information required to complete the management or cognitive activity.

This paper summarizes the topical areas that should be a part of the construction management education curriculum and the types of cognitive learning that must be achieved. Apparent weaknesses in existing construction curriculums will be identified as they pertain to the materials management effort.

KEY WORDS

Construction management; materials management; curriculum development; activity flow chart; construction education

INTRODUCTION

Materials management in the construction industry is a management system for planning, executing, and controlling construction field and office activities. The goal of materials management is to insure that construction materials are available at their point-of-use when needed. The system attempts to insure that the right quality and quantity of materials are appropriately specified, purchased, delivered, and handled on-site in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost.

Research strongly suggests that materials management activities are either not being practiced or are being practiced ineffectively in the construction industry. A time-motion study by Borcherding and Sebastion (1979) found approximately twenty-eight percent of the craftworker's time was spent waiting for the right tool or material to perform a construction task. Not only does the time spent by the craftsworker waiting for materials mean a loss of productivity during the delay, but productivity decreases as measured by work rate in subsequent work activity (Logcher, 1978). Olson (1978) found that "not being able to get material" was the leading response to the question asked of craftworkers, "What seriously bothers you about the way this job is run?" Borcherding and Garner (1983) found that unavailable materials acted as a demotivator of either "major" or "extreme" importance to craftworker performance on 12 construction sites. Approximately 2.1 billion dollars of construction labor cost could have been saved in industrial, commercial, and power plant construction in 1979 if materials were available at their point-of-use when needed (Business Roundtable, 1983).

Why do construction contractors ineffectively practice materials management activities? Research (Business Roundtable, 1983) seems to indicate that:

1. Senior mangement of construction firms do not recognize the contribution that the materials management technique can make on the cost effectiveness of their project operations.

2. Personnel performing the related materials management activities have not been properly selected and trained.

3. Computerized systems related to the materials management activities have not been properly selected, designed, or used to provide needed management control information.

Managers in the construction industry are evidently not knowledgeable of the materials management technique. Top management is seemingly unaware of the value of materials management as a management technique. Current management practices seem to indicate that field and office management personnel lack the knowledge or will to implement effective materials management activities. The Business Roundtable report (1983) states that "Materials management lacks definition, boundaries, credibility, and acceptance much as scheduling and cost engineering did fifteen to twenty years ago. It appears that in practice materials management is nothing more than a fancy name for purchasing".

It is evident that construction management education must prepare instructional materials to help the construction management student learn to adequately plan, execute, and control material management activities in the construction industry. Before instructional materials can be developed the activities or behavioral processes for managing the flow of materials to and through the site must be defined. The model presented in this paper attempts to define these activities.

THE MODEL

The Materials Management Model for Curriculum Development (Model) is shown in Appendix A. The Model, in flow chart form, contains three types of information:

1. Management activities, which result in the preparation, revision, or issue of a verbal or written communiqué or document, are shown in rectangular boxes along the dash-dot line.

2. Cognitive activities or thought processes, which must be performed in order to accomplish the management activity, are shown in rectangular boxes along the solid line.

3. Key information required to complete the activity is listed below the activity.

4. In addition, a dashed line indicates a relationship between cognitive and management activity.

LIMITATIONS

The Model is intended to define curriculum elements for the student who will be employed by the commercial and residential sector of the construction industry. It assumes that concept and feasibility studies and engineering and design activities are not a part of his employment or the responsibility of his firm. Therefore, the following limitations have been placed on the Model:

1. There exists a traditional contract arrangement between owner, architect, and contractor.

2. The scope of the Model begins with "award of contract" which authorizes material to flow and ends with the material resting at its point-of-use.

3. Working drawings and specifications are complete at the time of award.

4. Bid estimate quantities are not sufficient for ordering materials.

5. Materials, with the exception of salvage from other jobs and reusable temporary materials, are bought to the job and not to stock inventory.

6. Temporary materials for erection and handling of permanent materials follow the same requisition procedure as permanent materials.

TOPICAL AREAS

The Model indicates that principles and procedures for the following topics should be included in a curriculum designed to help students learn to manage the flow of materials to and through the construction site:

· Planning

· Requisitioning Purchasing

· Inventorying and yarding Shipping

· Expediting Receiving Material handling

WEAKNESSES OF EXISTING CURRICULUMS

A review of recent college catalogues of accredited schools of the Associated Schools of Construction indicated that materials management as a construction management system was, at best, a hidden part of the curriculum. Materials related courses were design-oriented rather than management-oriented. Emphasis is placed on how the material will be used in the final product rather than on how to get it there.

Project management courses - estimating, scheduling, and cost control - are peripheral to the actual construction process. The quantity takeoff used for estimating is rarely appropriate for ordering. The planning effort, which our industry seems to equate with scheduling alone, does not consider erection and material handling method description and resource checklists. Job layout is forgotten. Control courses emphasize dollar control rather than physical control of the material.

CONCLUSION

Currently, construction management appears to be unaware of the cost-effectiveness of the materials management system. Management's lack of awareness has resulted in industry practices which are ineffective in controlling the flow of materials to and through the construction site.

Research indicates that as much as one-third of the craftworker's time is spent waiting for the right materials or tool to perform a construction task. It is the responsibility of the construction manager to make sure that the material or tool is available to the craftworker. The current problem of low worker productivity and unreasonable construction project cost due to unavailable materials at the time and place of need will continue until construction managers learn how to manage the flow of material to and through the construction site.

The Material Management Model for Curriculum Development presented in this paper identifies topical areas and levels of cognitive learning required by the construction manager to manage the flow of materials. The instructional developer can use this Model to determine content when designing instructional materials.

REFERENCES

1. Borcherding, J.D., & Garner, D.F. (1980). Motivation and productivity of craftsmen and foreman on large projects. In B. Humphreys & T.A. Novak (Ed.), Proceedings of the 24th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cost Engineers. (pp. 1.2.1-2.4). Morgantown, WV.:American Association of Cost Engineers

2. Borcherding, J.D., & Sebastion, S.J. (1980). Major factors influencing craft productivity in nuclear power plant construction. In B. Humphreys & T.A. Novak (Ed.), Proceedings of the 24th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cost Engineers. (pp. 1.1.1-1.5). Morgantown, WV.: American Association of Cost Engineers.

3. Business Roundtable. (1983). Materials Management. (Construction Industry Cost Effectiveness Project Rep. No. A-6.5). New York: The Business Roundtable

4. Logcher, R., & Collins, W. (1978). Management Impacts on Labor Productivity. ASCE Journal of Construction Division. 104, 447-461.

5. Olson, R.C. (1978). Applying behavioral science concepts to improve motivation and productivity on a construction lob site. Lincoln: University Of Nebraska, Engineering Research Center.