Investigating the causes of construction delay on the perspective of organization-sectors involved in the construction industry of Bangladesh

Nafe Assafi, M; Hoque, M I and Hossain, M M (2024) Investigating the causes of construction delay on the perspective of organization-sectors involved in the construction industry of Bangladesh. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 42(4), pp. 788-817. ISSN 23984708

Abstract

Purpose: Construction delay always causes massive damage to the advancing construction industries, which is no different in the case of Bangladeshi construction industries. This paper aims to investigate the major delay factors causing construction delays in public-funded, mixed and private-funded construction projects of Bangladesh. Also, it offers preventive suggestions from expert stakeholders to reduce the recurrence of delays. Design/methodology/approach: At first, an extensive literature review was conducted to identify the thirty-seven major delay factors categorized under seven groups. A questionnaire was then developed for survey at ongoing construction projects at a different division of Bangladesh. Next, data from 110 respondents were collected, and the delay factors were ranked based on the Relative Importance Index (RII); lastly, probable solutions were suggested for top-ranked delay factors based on opinions from expert stakeholders in the construction sector of Bangladesh. Findings: The overall RII ranking of the 37 delay factors showed "Construction mistakes and defective work," "Contract modifications by the client" and "Adverse weather condition" as the top three factors causing the delay. For public-funded projects, "Construction mistakes and defective work" and "Slow decision making by a consultant" are the top delay factors. For mixed projects, "Slow decision making of the client" and "Construction mistakes and defective work ranked top, and for private-funded projects, "Financial problems and payment delay of the client" and "Adverse weather condition" ranked top. These nuances of ranking in individual project types ascertain that the causes of delay vary in terms of project features. Practical implications: The outcome of this project will help identify the significant delay factors based on their severity of effectiveness associated with public-funded, mixed and private-funded projects in Bangladesh. The suggestions regarding preventing these delay factors obtained through the opinions of expert stakeholders can help reduce the effect of these delays in the context of Bangladesh and in countries where the similarity in construction environment prevails. Originality/value: Previously, studies on construction delays in Bangladesh focused mainly on identifying the delays using qualitative analysis techniques. This study is based on a unique methodology of integrating quantitative research on delay factor identification and qualitative research on preventive measures following the opinions gathered from expert stakeholders in the construction sector.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Bangladesh; construction delay; organization-sector; preventive measures; statistical analysis; questionaire survey
Index terms: contract modification, survey, literature review, relative importance index, questionnaire, qualitative analysis, construction project, qualitative research, decision-making, methodology, construction delay, weather, construction sector, quantitative research, statistical analysis, causes of delay, Bangladesh, effectiveness, construction industry
Subjects: risk assessment, data collection methods, research design and methodology, air quality, data analysis and analytics, data science, performance management, research methods, Geography, production management, contract management, project controls, decision analysis, industry analysis
Topics: Contract Administration, Time Control, Quality Management, Sustainability, Risk Management, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice
Descriptive scope: 5 PCTEA

N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here