Evaluating Learning Curve for Kitchen Renovation - Research Paper Example

?Evaluating Learning Curve for Kitchen Renovation Learning curve concept Learning curve is the graphical display of varying rate of learning. It is usually measured for a subject (human) regarding some activity or a tool. It has been observed by experts that the rate of learning diminishes after the first attempt (Wozniak, 1999). It means that the brain absorbs more learning information in the first attempt and repetition of an activity gradually slows down the learning efficiency. Learning curves also depend on the difficulty of the task at hand and the content that needs to be learnt after acquiring preliminary knowledge. For the purpose of this paper, the concepts of learning curves have been applied to kitchen renovation. Kitchen remodeling or renovation presents many tasks that can be studied and improved through learning curves. The objective of incorporating learning curves technique is to avoid steep learning curves and learn kitchen remodeling skills in a small amount of time. Cumulative average curve Cumulative average curve is used to measure the learning curve and determines the efficiency of learning in quantified format. For the kitchen renovation project of 30 square feet of space, the rate of improvement was found to be 20%, which gives the learning percent of 80 in quantifiable terms (100 - 20 = 80). Learning efficiency was significant even for the purchased parts for which the efficiency remains in the region 80%-85% (Cyr, 2007). Kitchen remodel budgeting was the critical factor in determining the magnitude of the cumulative average curve. The general contractor was hired for the budgeting portion and over $500 was spent on budgeting alone. This cost was added to the total cost and then the learning efficiency was calculated. For installing ducts and plumbing, the learning curve remained above 70%, consuming 80 hours each. On the other hand, the learning curve for rewiring and installing lights was higher than plumbing. Due to proficiency in these tasks, less labor and time was consumed which instantly increased the learning efficiency and pushed it in the range of 85%-90%. Both of these tasks (lighting and rewiring) consumed 55-60 hours each. Follow-up on orders It is extremely crucial for a project manager to follow up on its products and services. Finishing and selling the product is one part of the battle, providing assistance after selling is another part of the job and constitutes as the back bone of customer retention. For the kitchen remodeling project, there are various aspects that need following up. Maintenance of various items is the necessary part of this project. The paint and varnish on the walls takes some careful supervision after applying and needs following up. Enhancement and ongoing support is very important for a good customer feedback. Electric wiring system needs a lot of care after installing. Follow up on the electric circuit as well as kitchen appliances counts as a regular follow up for kitchen renovation. For this project, repairing drywalls of the kitchen required maintenance and follow up from the drywall contractor. This follow-up didn’t require any additional costs. There was also some problem in kitchen cabinets, which was discovered after installing them. Immediate replacement cabinets were called for from the contractor as he was responsible for all follow ups. Finish carpenter was an independent contractor and the services he provided were not included in the initial contract. Therefor for tasks like Trim Molding, no follow-up service was available. For maintenance of the molding, the same carpenter was hired again at additional charges to take care of the moldings. Similar case was with the Laminate flooring, as a contractor was rehired to take care of the new flooring tiles. Another item which demands attention after purchase and installment is the Kitchen oven. Installment and the actual price of the oven were included in the contract price but maintenance and follow up was for one year only. The contractor purchased this oven from used-item websites. That is why its maintenance period had run out. This added extra burden on the financial reserves as a technician was hired to fix it. The last items on the follow up order were the kitchen sink and faucets. It has been observed that faucets don’t work properly after some time or they start to leak or don’t let the water flow properly. Meanwhile, the water pipes were replaced to get better and cleaner water and the costs were paid by the project manager. These charges were included in the overall maintenance. On a similar note, faucets were also replaced after a period of two months as the kitchen owner complained about their water out-fluxes. Charges for faucet replacements were born by the project manager as these items also constitute as core kitchen items and make the project manager responsible for their follow ups. Manufacturing breaks Manufacturing breaks are the time lapses between completing one manufacturing unit and starting on with the other similar unit. This time consumed in between manufacturing units definitely adds to the cost of the whole project (Kerzner, 2009). The longer the manufacturing breaks the more disruption in the flow of manufacturing cycle. For kitchen remodeling, the orthodox concept of manufacturing breaks doesn’t strictly apply, however there are a few manufacturing breaks in between that can add to the cost and time, for instance, putting on the stone counter tops on all counters can cause several manufacturing breaks. This manufacturing break can be considerably reduced by employing more labor. For the project at hand, more labor wasn’t used, reason being; more labor was costing more than an average manufacturing break. The other thing which kept manufacturing breaks to the minimum was; simultaneously employing laborers at various tasks. While cabinets were being fixed outside, laborers were working on the venting pipes inside the kitchen. Moreover, there was considerably less time consumed in setting the kitchen as 3D software was used in designing and shaping the kitchen. Works Cited Cyr, K. (2007). Retrieved from website: http://cost.jsc.nasa.gov/learn.html Kerzner, H. (2009). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley and Sons. Wozniak, R. H. (1999). Introduction to memory Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885/1913). Retrieved from http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Ebbinghaus/wozniak.htm Read More