When Antti Aaltonen is asked whether the construction site schedule can be shortened, his core message is clear: “When you improve productivity, the schedule shortens as a byproduct.” This requires more precise planning, clear management, functional logistics, a smart partnership model, and above all, a shared will.
Schedule is not the same as productivity
The harsh truth is that the productivity of construction work in Finland has not increased significantly over the past 50 years, even though the sector has otherwise developed strongly. Antti Aaltonen, director of the Finnish Construction Industry Federation (RT), is now hoping for a change of pace. But by what means? Will a solution be found to shorten the schedule? What kind of keys does Antti have to give for a change of direction?
""Halfing the schedule does not automatically mean that work productivity will improve," Aaltonen corrects a common misconception.
“If we build an apartment building in two shifts instead of doing it together, the schedule will be halved, but the productivity of the work will not improve.” Antti prefers to talk about productivity rather than schedule.
“When productivity is improved, the schedule will follow.”
He is convinced that construction time can be reduced in almost all projects, by up to fifty percent.
The rush is often self-inflicted
In construction projects, rush often occurs even before the start. Negotiations drag on, but the completion date is not flexible. The construction site starts from the back. The sense of urgency is oppressive. It may remind you of its existence throughout the entire project, right up to handover. Antti Aaltonen has a cure for this: better advance planning, continuous monitoring and quick corrective actions.
“When you take over the construction site, everyday life becomes calmer. The phone rings less and the stress level decreases,” Aaltonen promises.
Initial letter
Productivity comes from anticipation and transparency. When production plans are accurate enough to the daily level, or even to the half-day level, deviations are detected immediately: “For example, if a room should be painted at 12 o’clock on Monday, you can see that. Then you can address the deviations right away, not in a week or two.”
Aaltonen suggests a practice called pre-launch. “The first month of the project is used for production planning, resourcing, and ensuring logistics and feasibility.”
No final draft is needed.
Leadership for the construction site and planning
A construction site cannot proceed solely on the basis of subcontractors. “The main contractor must manage the whole thing,” Aaltonen says firmly.
“We need clear direction, monitoring and response. Leadership belongs to the construction site, not the subcontracting chain.”
The RT director also calls for leadership in planning, timely plans, and the courage to address deviations.
Partnership wins the price competition
In Finland, we are used to the fact that the price tag is the ticket to construction projects. Instead of price competition, which has become quite mechanical, Aaltonen would like to see more long-term partnerships. “When we work together repeatedly, processes are refined, errors are reduced and efficiency increases. Savings come from the smoothness of the process, not from the lowest price.”
"A typical housing project relies on 6–8 critical contractors. If they know each other, the teamwork works and the entire chain is strengthened," Aaltonen says.
How many times are kitchen cabinets moved before they are finally installed?
Aaltonen believes that everyday logistics are the Achilles heel of productivity. Observations from construction sites are sobering: Kitchen cabinets are moved on average six to seven times on a construction site before they are installed. The “partial optimization” performed by subcontractors is also sobering: All of the fixed furniture on a site may be brought to the site at once. This clogs up corridors, increases the risk of occupational safety, breakage and moisture, and eats into everyone’s productivity.
Even small and everyday things can be crucial from a productivity perspective.
Prefabrication – an underutilized opportunity
Antti Aaltonen believes that everything that can be done in a factory should be done there. “Factory conditions are consistent, tools are always available and production is controlled. This is reflected in quality, efficiency and occupational safety,” he says. Practical obstacles related to prefabrication, such as manufacturing tolerances, division of responsibility or design challenges, can be solved if only the will is shared.
Using precast products can increase productivity and reduce work time on site.
Beat production brings rhythm and repetition
A cadence schedule divides a project into small, repeatable, and manageable parts. This way, the order of work, its duration, and resources are clear to everyone, allowing logistics to be adjusted to the rhythm. A clear and standardized work rhythm increases efficiency.
"In the tempo area, work phases can be thought out with an hour or even fifteen-minute precision. When the person knows where to start in the morning and what they need to complete, it creates certainty and speed.”
Repetition motivates and rewards. In contract-based work, the person doing the work can see the concrete results produced during the day, without compromising on quality. Because paced production is based on short periods, deviations are immediately visible and can be reacted to quickly. The schedule is shortened indirectly, but very significantly.
Productivity is measured where it is created
RT recommends paying attention to and measuring productivity. Aaltonen has a simple formula for this: actual working hours per square meter in the value chain.
"In the value chain, it takes an average of about 13 hours per square meter to build an apartment building. That’s about an hour of planning, two hours of prefabrication at the factory, and ten hours at the construction site.”
Antti Aaltonen says that there is surprisingly little international comparison data. One point of comparison was found in Singapore, where working hours are reported to the government. The differences cannot be interpreted directly, because the conditions, technical requirements and life cycle goals differ. “Still, we found that Finnish apartment building construction takes on average about half as many working hours as Singaporean construction. We are doing a lot right, but there is still room for improvement.”
Antti Aaltonen throws a question into the air: “Could the general level of productivity in the construction industry be increased through competitions?”
He points out that working hours are already reported to the authorities on a site-by-site basis. “The data that exists could be anonymized and compiled into an industry average.”
“In the past, TR measurements created a healthy safety competition. It raised everyone’s standards. Similarly, we could compare productivity, not against each other, but against industry best practices.”
Team spirit, responsibility and professional pride
Antti Aaltonen swears by creating a good team spirit, taking responsibility and professional pride. These are the basic elements of productivity. A construction site is successful when everyone respects each other's work and completes their part so that the next phase of work can proceed without delay. The workers should be able to focus on their own core competencies instead of wasting time on unnecessary moving of goods or cleaning.
Flexibility is also part of professionalism. You have to know how to act in the best interest of the project, not just within your own contract limits. Ultimately, the goal is simple: to do the job so well today that the next person can start theirs tomorrow.
Take possession of the construction site
Antti Aaltonen summarizes his thoughts in four practical principles that can be used to improve construction productivity. The first of these focuses on more precise production planning. Before the actual work begins, time must be spent on thorough preparation, “preliminary preparation.”
Secondly, the construction site must be under strong management, as the schedule, production planning, logistics and response to deviations are all entities that fall under the responsibility of the construction site management. Planning also needs management.
Third, partners should be chosen based on expertise and collaboration, not just price. Long-term co-development produces the best results.
The fourth principle is about measurement. Productivity must be assessed where value is created, i.e. on the job site. The clearest measure is actual working hours in relation to square footage.
According to Aaltonen, “productivity is the be-all and end-all of everything.” When productivity improves, schedules shorten, quality increases, and costs decrease. The benefits accrue equally to the developer, the creators, the users, and society as a whole.
Text: Heikki Luukkonen