47. Construction Work Productivity in South Africa: A Case of Gauteng Province Construction Industry

Poor performance occur in construction projects despite the importance of the construction industry in most of the countries globally. In context of this sentiment this study examined the factors affecting productivity, the effects of poor productivity and the strategies to improve productivity in construction projects. A deductive approach using quantitative research was adopted. Questionnaire was developed from extensive literature review. A total of 65 randomly sampled respondents received the questionnaires. Forty two questionnaires were returned representing 64.6% response rate. They were analysed using statistical package for social sciences version 22. The findings indicated that the most prevalent factors that affect productivity in construction projects in South Africa are: delay in arrival of material and equipment and the attitude and morale of workers. The effects of poor productivity were poor quality of work delivered because of time, bad reputation as a company. Lastly the strategies perceived to improve project productivity were; adherence to construction specifications, ensuring quality of works delivered but to name a few. The study suggested that the construction companies should concentrate on the strategies in order to improve productivity at project level. A model to improve productivity on construction projects should be developed in future study.