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“Okay. More questions. How are you tracking time?”

“My foremen write down the hours each worker worked and what job they worked on. Many of our jobs span two days, so the foremen note the time the crew finishes the first job and moves on to the next.”

From his own experience with small residential jobs, John knew most of Terry’s jobs varied greatly in preparation, forming, and finishing. Terry wasn’t tracking the labor in a useful way. John continued on.

“Does the time required for base preparation, layout, and forming per square foot run consistent or does it vary greatly?”

“The average varies greatly between driveways, patios, and sidewalks and it even varies quite a bit within each category. Curved driveways and sidewalks throw all the averages off.”

“Have you tried to track the labor time by task?”

“I don’t understand the question.”

“Have you ever asked your foremen to note the time spent prepping the ground, the time spent installing the forms, the time spent pouring, and the time spent finishing?”