TEMPE, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2026: Simplar Foundation today announced the release of Productivity in Multi-Trade Construction Workflows, Report 2 in Volume 1 of Multiskilling in the U.S. Construction Industry. Combining controlled field trials with statistical scenario modeling, the study found that reducing repeated handoffs between trades could cut crew-level elapsed production time by about 30% for the defined high-handoff work sequence studied.
The research was conducted by a multi-institutional team of construction faculty, researchers and doctoral students representing the University of Kansas, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Arizona State University and Simplar Foundation.
“This study puts a practical question in focus: how much time is lost when work repeatedly moves from one trade to the next?” said Rebecca Kassa, Ph.D., senior researcher at Simplar Foundation. “Where qualified workers can complete adjacent tasks, fewer handoffs can help keep the work moving without assuming that individual tasks are performed faster.”
The study examined construction of a concrete pump pad followed by pump and piping installation in two controlled field trials. The sequence included 11 activities spanning seven trade functions. Researchers then used the observed workflow as the basis for 120,000 simulation runs across 12 scenarios, testing different handoff conditions over half-day, one-week and two-week productive-work durations.
Key findings include:
- About 30% less production time: Across the 12 modeled scenarios, the median reduction in crew-level elapsed production time was 27%, and the unweighted average was 33%. The report uses “about 30%” as a rounded summary of those central values.
- Equivalent to 43% more installed work: Completing the same scope in about 30% less time translates to approximately 43% more installed work per unit of crew-level production time. This is an equivalent production-rate calculation, not a separate measurement of additional installed work.
- Fewer crew changes across the same scope: Two multiskilled workers completed the sequence across seven trade functions. The conventional single-trade trial assigned 12 workers across the same sequence and involved 10 trade-to-trade handoffs.
- The opportunity depends on the work: Modeled benefits were greatest when frequent handoffs were concentrated within a short, closely sequenced scope. Individual scenarios ranged from 2% to 92% less elapsed time, with the largest effects reflecting severe disruption conditions rather than typical expected outcomes.
The model held individual productive task durations constant within each scenario. The estimated improvement came from reducing waiting, setup, reorientation, coordination and restart time between separate trade assignments, not from assuming workers performed each task faster.
“The starting point is a specific work package, not a project-wide percentage,” said Brian Lines, Ph.D., P.E., principal investigator and associate professor at the University of Kansas. “Identify the handoffs, verify who is qualified to perform the adjacent tasks and measure whether the revised approach actually improves the work.”
The report recommends that owners and contractors identify handoff-heavy work packages early, evaluate demonstrated worker capability and prepare the actual crew for the sequence. Potential applications include selected equipment installations, utility connections and phased renovation packages. These are opportunities to evaluate, not additional tested scopes. Multiskilling does not mean every worker performs every task or that specialized expertise is unnecessary. Applicable safety, quality, licensing, inspection and supervision requirements must remain in place.
The findings are conditional crew-level estimates, not universal productivity factors or whole-project forecasts. Neither the headline percentages nor the two-worker-versus-12-worker trial comparison should be applied as automatic project-wide schedule, cost or staffing reductions. The report calls for further field studies across additional assemblies, crews and site conditions.
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) financially supported the research. The research team controlled the study methods, analysis, interpretation and publication decisions.
Report 2 builds on the national research series introduced Sept. 2, 2026. The report, study summaries and related resources are available through the Multi-Skilling Knowledge Center at simplarfoundation.org/multiskilling/workflows/.
About Simplar Foundation
Simplar Foundation advances practical, evidence-based research and education intended to improve workforce, organizational and project outcomes. The foundation works with academic and industry partners to translate rigorous research into knowledge that can be used by practitioners, decision-makers and the public. Learn more at simplarfoundation.org.