When’s the Measured Mile, Not the Measured Mile?

摘要

Whenever the term “measured mile” is used to describe a productivity analysis, thereader’s first impression is that the results of that analysis must be reliable. The method comparesthe contractor’s achieved productivity during impacted and un-impacted periods to calculate itsinefficiency resulting from impact, using resources expressed in terms of a measurable quantity,typically resources performed (quantity of work) over resources expended (labor hours), to providean inefficiency factor. However, the “measured mile” analysis has been used to measureproductivity using variables other than resources performed and resources expended, oftenproviding less favorable or unreliable results. Some analysts merely compare the contractor’s datain two separate time periods, and use information other than quantity of work performed andlabor hours expended to complete the work, like percent of work complete, actual costs, or avariation of both that do not always provide a reliable measure of productivity. The intent of thispaper is to identify different methods used to calculate the contractor’s productivity and theweaknesses of those approaches.