Physical Planning and Construction Building Construction

Monitor And Control Cost And Production Of A Construction Work Activity And Implement Productivity Improvements Training

SAQA US 119063 | NQF 2 | Credits 10 | Duration 7 Days
From $1,523 per delegate

Description

This course equips learners with the skills to monitor and control costs and production in construction work activities, enabling them to implement productivity improvements. Participants will learn to track financial performance, manage resources efficiently, and apply techniques to enhance productivity on construction sites.

Learning Outcomes

  • Monitor and control costs against the budget for a construction work activity
  • Monitor and control production outputs against targets for a construction work activity
  • Identify and analyze variances in cost and production performance
  • Implement corrective actions to address variances and improve productivity
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of productivity improvement measures
  • Apply relevant health and safety regulations during cost and production monitoring

Target Audience

This course is designed for construction supervisors, project managers, site agents, and aspiring construction managers who are responsible for monitoring costs and production on construction projects.

Prerequisites

Learners must have basic numeracy and literacy skills. Prior experience in a construction environment is recommended.

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to Cost and Production Monitoring in Construction

Objectives:
• Understand the purpose and importance of monitoring cost and production in construction work activities.
• Identify key terminology and concepts related to cost control and production management.
• Recognise the role of a construction supervisor in monitoring and improving productivity.
• Familiarise with relevant legislation, standards, and industry best practices.

Topics:
• Overview of the construction project lifecycle and work activities.
• Definition of cost, production, and productivity in construction.
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring.
• Roles and responsibilities of the supervisor.
• Introduction to relevant SAQA unit standards and legislation.
• Ethical considerations and professionalism.

Day 2: Planning and Scheduling for Cost and Production Control

Objectives:
• Develop a basic work breakdown structure (WBS) for a construction activity.
• Create a simple schedule using Gantt charts and critical path method (CPM) principles.
• Estimate resource requirements (labour, materials, plant) and associated costs.
• Link planning to cost and production baselines.

Topics:
• Work breakdown structure (WBS) development.
• Scheduling techniques: Gantt charts and CPM basics.
• Resource estimation: labour, materials, plant.
• Cost estimation methods: unit rates, historical data.
• Setting baselines for cost and production.
• Practical exercise: planning a small construction activity.

Day 3: Monitoring Techniques for Cost and Production

Objectives:
• Apply methods to measure actual cost and production against planned baselines.
• Use data collection tools such as timesheets, material requisitions, and progress reports.
• Calculate variances and interpret their significance.
• Identify early warning signs of cost overruns or production delays.

Topics:
• Cost monitoring: actual vs budget, earned value management (EVM) introduction.
• Production monitoring: output rates, cycle times.
• Data collection methods and documentation.
• Variance analysis: cost variance (CV) and schedule variance (SV).
• Reporting formats for progress and cost.
• Case studies on common monitoring challenges.

Day 4: Analysing Productivity and Identifying Improvement Opportunities

Objectives:
• Define productivity and calculate productivity indices.
• Analyse factors affecting productivity: labour, materials, equipment, methods.
• Use root cause analysis to identify productivity bottlenecks.
• Prioritise improvement opportunities based on impact and feasibility.

Topics:
• Productivity measurement: output per labour hour, per material unit.
• Factors impacting productivity: weather, site conditions, supervision.
• Root cause analysis tools: fishbone diagram, 5 Whys.
• Benchmarking against industry standards.
• Identifying waste: downtime, rework, delays.
• Group exercise: productivity analysis of a case study.

Day 5: Implementing Productivity Improvement Strategies

Objectives:
• Develop action plans for productivity improvements.
• Apply lean construction principles to reduce waste.
• Implement changes in work methods, resource allocation, and scheduling.
• Communicate improvement plans to the team and stakeholders.

Topics:
• Lean construction: just-in-time, continuous improvement (Kaizen).
• Action planning: SMART objectives, timelines, responsibilities.
• Work method improvements: task redesign, sequencing.
• Resource optimisation: crew balancing, equipment allocation.
• Change management and communication strategies.
• Practical exercise: developing an improvement plan.

Day 6: Monitoring and Evaluating the Impact of Improvements

Objectives:
• Set up monitoring mechanisms to track the effectiveness of implemented improvements.
• Use control charts and trend analysis to evaluate performance.
• Adjust plans based on feedback and results.
• Document lessons learned for future projects.

Topics:
• Monitoring after implementation: data collection and review.
• Control charts for cost and production.
• Trend analysis and performance dashboards.
• Corrective actions and plan adjustments.
• Lessons learned documentation.
• Continuous improvement cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act).

Day 7: Integration, Assessment, and Action Planning

Objectives:
• Integrate all concepts into a comprehensive cost and production control system.
• Demonstrate competence through a simulated project scenario.
• Develop a personal action plan for applying skills in the workplace.
• Complete the formal assessment for the unit standard.

Topics:
• Review of key concepts and integration.
• Simulated project: monitoring, analysis, improvement implementation.
• Formal assessment: written test and practical demonstration.
• Personal action plan for workplace application.
• Course evaluation and feedback.
• Certification guidance.

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

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Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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