Managing external stakeholders influences in mega construction projects

Mega construction projects have been a vital source of interest among different external stakeholders due to its complex nature. Although, the internal stakeholders are more concerned about a project, external stakeholders have a higher potential to influence mega construction projects by employing different strategies during the project life cycle. This has become a key issue for project owner since it leads to project suspension, delays, and cost overruns, which eventually leads to technical and internal project-related concerns. To achieve the research goal, a multiple case design was used, with two rounds of data-gathering methods comprising a desktop study and semi-structured interviews. Thirteen external stakeholder groups were identified. The outcomes of this research demonstrated that a diverse variety of external stakeholders arose among local governments, national governments, social and professional organisations, and political organisations are all common stakeholders in mega construction projects. Some stakeholders are particular to a project. Moreover, it is a significant fact that the project owner has the potential to successfully mitigate external influences without making many changes to the project scope. Thus, this article discussed external stakeholders' impacts on mega construction projects throughout the project life cycle, as well as mitigation steps taken by project owners.