UK real gross domestic product increased 0.1% in August from July. Production output rose 0.8%, services were flat and construction fell 0.2%. Production thus accounted for the gain in that particular month, despite making up a smaller share of the economy than services.
Compare June to August with the three months to May and the picture changes. The economy expanded 0.7%, driven by a 0.9% increase in services. Production fell 0.2% and construction declined 1.0% over the same period. The strong August reading was therefore not enough to lift production above its level in the earlier three-month window.
The distinction matters when reading industry results. Extending the August production rebound to the summer as a whole would attribute growth to the wrong sector. Monthly estimates can identify an early change of direction; the longer comparison helps establish whether that change is large enough to alter the broader picture.