Research Report · Report 2 in Volume 1 · 2026
This study examined the elapsed-time reduction and equivalent production-rate gain of a reduced-handoff multiskilled workflow compared with a conventional single-trade handoff workflow. The analysis was based on controlled field trials of a common construction scope which requires multiple handoffs between trades, followed by statistical scenario modeling of different handoff conditions.
Study at a Glance — Controlled Field Trials and Handoff Scenario Modeling
Construction projects often include scopes that require sequential handoffs between multiple trades working in the same work area. Handoffs between trades can create waiting, setup, reorientation, and restart time between productive work activities, which can increase the total elapsed time required to complete the scope. In such cases, field productivity can be directly impacted by how efficiently the work moves from one trade to the next.
In construction scopes which require multiple trades to be closely coordinated in sequence, the study found a reduced-handoff multiskilled workflow achieved an approximate 30% reduction in crew-level elapsed production time relative to a conventional single-trade handoff workflow. In productivity terms, the reduced-handoff workflow with a multiskilled crew completed 43% more installed work during the same production time compared with the conventional single-trade workflow.
Study summary:
Across all 12 scenarios and 120,000 simulation runs, reducing repeated handoffs shortened the time required for the defined work scope.
The workers were not assumed to perform individual tasks faster. The result came from reducing waiting, setup, reorientation, coordination, and restart between crews.
The size of the benefit ranged from almost none to very large, depending on how frequent and disruptive the handoffs were. Individual modeled scenarios ranged from 2% to 92% less elapsed time.
The one-trade workflow used 12 workers across the same sequence and transferred the work from one trade to another 10 times.
Recommended Citation
Lines, B., Ogundare, I., Kassa, R., Smithwick, J., & Sullivan, K. (2026). Productivity in Multi-Trade Construction Workflows. Multiskilling in the U.S. Construction Industry. Report 2 of 6 in Volume 1. Simplar Foundation. https://doi.org/10.22361/5cwwz6tnax
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