RS Means = Really Shitty Averages

The estimations in the RS Means book (cost and time estimations for just about every construction related task) are in my opinion optimal times. People are not machines and construction is done by the operator in the backhoe who is taking vacation in two weeks, the carpenter who is going through divorce, and the electrician who sprained his ankle playing basketball. I know there is some buffer built into the RS Mean to account for the human factor but in a shorter non-steady state project the variability is so large. As a construction supervisor I can attest that the human factor is the biggest factor in my project and this can be contributed to the morality of the crew. In all honesty and seriousness a pallet of Gatorade and morning doughnuts does more to increase my team's productivity than a 3rd backhoe or favorable weather conditions. In the field everyday it is a battle to meet production goals but it is amazing how goals are set and how they are achieved at year end. At my company the annual goals are increased by 3% every year where does this come from?

Instead of setting goals/expectations maybe we should not have minimum requirements. People have a way of just getting by and doing the minimum, if there were no goals perhaps we would exceed the current production rates??? Google hires the best and brightest (who are self motivated and over achieve) and they do not have the minimum expectation culture... perhaps this free reign equates to better results.