Situation

An activity name should tell the story of the work.

Construction activities are often named using a simple combination of a verb and a noun:

Pour Concrete

Install Pipe

Excavate

Place Asphalt

While these names may appear clear to the person who created them, they may not provide enough information for someone else to understand exactly what work is being described.

This becomes particularly important when activities are used for:

• Construction planning
• Cost estimating
• Scheduling
• Production tracking
• Work assignments
• Progress reporting
• Project controls
• Field communication

An activity name should provide enough information that someone familiar with the project can understand the intended work without having to ask for clarification.

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Problem Statement

How do we describe construction activities consistently?

Consider the activity:

Pour Concrete

What does that mean?

It could be:

• Pour concrete for a footing
• Pour concrete for a wall
• Pour concrete for a column
• Pour concrete for a bridge deck
• Pour concrete for pavement
• Pour concrete for a drainage structure

And each of these could occur in multiple locations.

The problem is not that “Pour Concrete” is wrong.

The problem is that it is incomplete.

A useful activity description should answer four basic questions:

What is being done?

What resource is being used?

What object is being constructed or worked on?

Where is the work taking place?

This provides the basis for the AROW Method.

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Best Practice

Use AROW to Describe Construction Activities

AROW = Action + Resource + Object + Work Area

AROW describes:

An Action performed using a Resource on an Object within a specific Work Area.

The four components provide a simple framework for describing construction work consistently.

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A — ACTION

What is being done?

The Action identifies the work being performed.

Examples:

• Excavate
• Install
• Place
• Pour
• Compact
• Remove
• Backfill
• Erect
• Construct

For example:

Pour Concrete

The Action is Pour.

The action should normally be expressed using a clear construction verb.

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R — RESOURCE

What is being used?

The Resource identifies the material that becomes part of the Object or gives shape to the Object.

Examples:

• Concrete
• Rebar
• Reinforced Concrete Pipe
• Asphalt
• Aggregate
• Structural Steel
• Formwork

For example:

Pour Concrete

The Resource is Concrete.

The Resource should identify the material relevant to the work being performed.

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O — OBJECT

What is being constructed or worked on?

The Object identifies the component receiving the work.

Examples:

• Footing
• Wall
• Column
• Slab
• Bridge Deck
• Storm Drain
• Pavement
• Beam
• Roadway

For example:

Pour Concrete for Footing

The Object is Footing.

Resource and Object are not the same thing.

This distinction is important.

Concrete is the Resource.

Footing is the Object.

Rebar is the Resource.

Column is the Object.

Formwork is the Resource.

Wall is the Object.

The Resource becomes part of the Object or gives shape to it.

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W — WORK AREA

Where is the work taking place?

The Work Area identifies the physical location where the activity occurs.

Unlike the other elements of AROW, the Work Area does not follow one universal hierarchy.

A building project and a highway project identify locations differently.

The AROW method therefore does not prescribe a particular location system.

Instead:

Use the project’s established location system to identify where the work occurs.

Building Projects

The Work Area might be identified using:

Building → Level → Zone → Grid

For example:

Building A, Level 3, Grid B-4

Heavy Civil Projects

The Work Area might be identified using:

Route → Station → Segment

or:

Structure → Component → Location

For example:

Mainline, Sta. 125+00–130+00

or:

Bridge, Pier 3

Other Projects

The location system could include:

• Area
• Structure
• Station
• Station Range
• Grid
• Segment
• Zone
• Elevation
• Offset
• Direction
• Floor
• Room
• Unit

The specific location identifiers will depend on the project.

The principle is simple:

The location structure changes by project. The requirement to identify the location does not.

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Putting AROW Together

Consider the activity:

Pour Concrete for Footing at Building A, Level 1, Grid B-4

AROW identifies:

A — Action: Pour

R — Resource: Concrete

O — Object: Footing

W — Work Area: Building A, Level 1, Grid B-4

The activity is now much more informative than:

Pour Concrete

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Heavy Civil Example

Consider:

Install Reinforced Concrete Pipe for Storm Drain, Sta. 125+00–130+00

AROW identifies:

A — Action: Install

R — Resource: Reinforced Concrete Pipe

O — Object: Storm Drain

W — Work Area: Sta. 125+00–130+00

The same method works even though the project uses a completely different location system.

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Another Heavy Civil Example

Place Aggregate Base for Pavement, Mainline Sta. 240+00–250+00

A — Action: Place

R — Resource: Aggregate Base

O — Object: Pavement

W — Work Area: Mainline Sta. 240+00–250+00

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Bridge Example

Install Rebar for Pier Cap at Pier 3

A — Action: Install

R — Resource: Rebar

O — Object: Pier Cap

W — Work Area: Pier 3

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Why AROW Matters

A good activity description creates a common understanding of the work.

It helps different members of the project team interpret the activity consistently.

For example:

Estimator

Can better understand what work is being estimated.

Scheduler

Can better understand what work is being sequenced.

Superintendent

Can better understand what work needs to occur.

Foreman

Can better understand what work is being assigned.

Project Manager

Can better understand what work is being tracked.

Field Engineer

Can better understand what work is being documented.

This is particularly important when multiple people are using the same activity list for different purposes.

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Case In Point

Consider the activity:

Install Reinforced Concrete Pipe

This is better than simply saying:

Install Pipe

But it may still be incomplete.

There could be:

• Multiple pipe sizes
• Multiple pipe runs
• Multiple drainage systems
• Multiple locations
• Multiple phases of work

Using AROW, we can make the activity more precise:

Install Reinforced Concrete Pipe for Storm Drain, Sta. 245+00–250+00

Now the activity communicates:

ACTION
Install

RESOURCE
Reinforced Concrete Pipe

OBJECT
Storm Drain

WORK AREA
Sta. 245+00–250+00

Someone reviewing the activity can understand the intended work without needing to search through the drawings or ask the person who created the activity.

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The AROW Test

Before finalizing a construction activity, ask four questions:

A — ACTION

What is being done?

R — RESOURCE

What material is being used?

O — OBJECT

What component is being constructed or worked on?

W — WORK AREA

Where is the work taking place?

If the activity provides enough information to answer these four questions, it is likely to be much clearer and more useful.

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One Important Point

AROW is not a rule for making activity names as long as possible.

It is a framework for making them as specific as necessary.

Not every activity will require the same level of detail.

For example:

Install Rebar for Column

may be sufficient when the work area is already uniquely identified by the schedule structure.

In another situation, you may need:

Install Rebar for Column at Building A, Level 3, Grid B-4

The amount of location information should be driven by the project’s needs.

The objective is always the same:

Provide enough information to uniquely identify the work.

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The Bottom Line

An activity name should do more than describe an action.

It should communicate the work.

The AROW Method provides a simple and consistent way to describe:

ACTION

What is being done?

RESOURCE

What is being used?

OBJECT

What is being constructed or worked on?

WORK AREA

Where is the work taking place?

AROW can be applied to both building and heavy civil construction because it does not prescribe how a project must define its location.

A building may use:

Building → Level → Grid

A highway may use:

Route → Station → Segment

A bridge may use:

Structure → Pier → Location

The location system changes.

The goal of an effective activity naming rule.

Describe the Action, Resource, Object, and Work Area so that the activity can be understood without ambiguity.