Ratu Research
Mittaviiva has worked as a research organization for the Ratu project by Talonrakennusteollisuus ry since 1993 and as a party of the project since 2016.
Ratu research is work analysis. The term Ratu is often linked to information concerning work consumption. In the research, however, methods, work safety and factors influencing the quality of construction are analyzed as well.
Productivity
True change is initiated by authentic information.
Research on productivity responds to the need of managers to know the strengths and weaknesses of their team. Simultaneously, the need of the members of the community to view their own work as a part of the work of the whole team is responded to.
The service Tuottavuusloikka utilizes work tracking used in Ratu research as a method for collecting information. In addition, many other economic and time management resources may be used in the research, depending on the customer company. The analysis is done by a research group of 1-5 people for one or more shifts.
Cost management
Monitoring work and material consumption in construction – Ratu and the research related to it has been the cornerstone of Mittaviiva’s know-how. The consumption information from Ratu research has been a central key to the costs of construction. The information acquired from research is utilized in i.a. cost accounting programmes as well as books, guides and instructions we have made.
Work safety
Is there room to improve the work safety of your company or your construction site?
Would you like to delvelop the work safety practices of your construction site?
Mittaviiva has strong skills on research, development and training concerning work safety.
Mittaviiva has investigated injuries in construction and their effects on human life. The material and results are freely available in our e-shop in order to develop safety of the field.
Mittaviiva has investigated induction practices in construction sites.
Mittaviiva has published plenty of practical guides concerning the safety of a construction site.
If you need help with safety training or development, contact us!
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Would you like to utilize building information models (BIM) on the construction site?
Mittaviiva investigates the uses of building information models in construction sites. A doctoral thesis concerning the management of construction sites and the uses of building information models in construction site management is under way.
In collaboration with companies Mittaviiva develops their processes and practices on construction sites so, that the best possible benefit is gained from using BIM.
Ways of collaboration
Functional collaboration is one of the most central factors in the success of construction projects. Mittaviiva has years of experience of development projects concerning co-operation and activity in different companies.
Last Planner® is a collaboration method, which focuses on temporal planning and management during the planning and construction stages of a project. Mittaviiva is a Last Planner® System trainer approved by the Lean Construction Institute.
Knotworking is an intensive approach on collaboration where different parties gather to work together to solve a mutual problem and to achieve mutual goals. Knotworking has been tried out successfully in various projects in Finland. It has shown to speed up planning as well as to improve the quality of planning, since planning is executed with a larger group of professionals, and circulation of plans between different fields is perhaps not necessary.
Big Room working is similar but a more extensive approach than knotworking. Typically Big Room is meant by a common room reserved for the project, where designers and contractors work together even for the whole duration of the project. Similarly to knotworking, the advantages of Big Room are realtime interaction and opportunities to develop different solutions via experimentation and development.
Completing development projects is crucial for every developing company. A development project is always concerned with learning and implementing new approaches and collaboration methods.
Implementation of new methods
Together with construction companies Mittaviiva investigates the implementation and establishment of new methods of planning and production management.
During the research, methods chosen by the companies are developed to become implemented approaches. Thus the execution, productivity and safety of the project is improved. A greater goal is to produce information about how the implementation and spreading of new approaches can be supported.
The methods being the subjects of research focus on the management of planning and production of projects. Last Planner and Knotworking are strongly present among these methods.
The results are available as the project progresses and at the latest 31.3.2018.
If you need help with the implementation of new methods, contact us!
Academic contacts
In Mittaviiva, there are two doctoral theses under way.
Anssi Koskenvesa is preparing a doctoral thesis concerning the productivity of construction for Tampere University of Technology. The title of the work is The Management of Factors Influencing Productivity in a Construction Work. The subject is productivity, efficiency and loss in construction, as well as the opportunities to influence them via the management of production.
Tarja Mäki, in turn, is preparing a thesis on the subject Managers’ Daily Work and the Uses of Building Information Models (BIM) in Construction Sites for the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences at the University of Helsinki.
Applying for funding of research and development
Are you interested in developing your approach? Does your company need help with applying for research funding?
Mittaviiva has years of experience of applying for research funding. We offer our help with composing applications and forming a consortium of companies also for the projects of other companies.