{"id":156977,"date":"2025-11-12T11:47:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T11:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=156977"},"modified":"2025-11-12T11:47:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T11:47:54","slug":"projects-like-mine-doing-things-i-can-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/projects-like-mine-doing-things-i-can-do\/156977\/","title":{"rendered":"Projects like mine, doing things I can do"},"content":{"rendered":"

Construction productivity has been stuck in neutral for decades, but change is possible. By learning from real projects and sharing what actually works on site, the industry can move past theory and into action. The\u00a0 message is simple: the best ideas often come from projects just like yours, writes Antony Impey MBE<\/h2>\n

Productivity has been a thorn in construction\u2019s side for decades. Despite advances in technology and skills, there\u2019s been little meaningful improvement in the past 50 years. In fact, between 1997 and 2020, productivity in building construction actually went backwards.<\/p>\n

The reasons aren\u2019t hard to find. Projects have become more complex, regulations tighter and client demands greater. These challenges have slowed progress \u2013 but they don\u2019t take away the urgent need for change. With labour shortages biting and new technologies offering fresh opportunities, construction must find ways to boost efficiency if it\u2019s to stay competitive. Other industries, like manufacturing, have done it. So why can\u2019t we?<\/p>\n

The Taskforce approach<\/h3>\n

That\u2019s exactly the question behind the Construction Productivity Taskforce, launched in 2020 by Be the Business. Its mission: to tackle the industry\u2019s longstanding productivity problem by uniting clients, contractors, designers and supply chains to work on it together.<\/p>\n

This collective effort means looking at productivity in ways no single company can. The Taskforce isn\u2019t another industry body. It\u2019s a space for senior leaders to drive change,\u00a0 equipping teams with insights, tools and resources that deliver practical results. Members include names like Landsec, Mace, Skanska, Sir Robert McAlpine and British Land. What unites them is the belief that collaboration beats competition when it comes to solving the industry\u2019s toughest challenge.<\/p>\n

Learning from what really works<\/h3>\n

This is what makes the taskforce\u2019s most recent publication so valuable. Improving Construction Productivity: Practical Insights from Pilot Site Studies<\/a> has been produced in partnership with University of Cambridge to assess the productivity gains achieved on sites operated by taskforce members, including:<\/p>\n