Selcuk, O; Turkoglu, H; Polat, G and Hajdu, M (2024) An integrative literature review on the causes of delays in construction projects: Evidence from developing countries. International Journal of Construction Management, 24(6), pp. 610-622. ISSN 1562-3599
Abstract
Delays have commonly been a serious problem. This study aims to evaluate, criticize, and synthesize the literature on the causes of delays in construction. A total of 70 journal articles from 33 countries focussing on identifying the causes of delays were critically analysed. The main findings of this study are that the questionnaire survey is the most commonly used data collection method, the project phases at which the causes of delays are identified is not clearly stated in the majority of the reviewed articles, there is no agreement on the classification of causes of delays, the number of causes of delays studied by researchers greatly varies, the term 'delay' is not clearly defined in the majority of the articles, there is no standardized terminology for the causes of delays, key variables such as type of project, project delivery system and contract type are mostly ignored, and the location of the project is an important variable to consider when identifying the causes of delays. The findings of this study provide researchers, practitioners, and construction professionals with a detailed reference, which can assist them in better understanding the causes of delays, taking the necessary proactive actions, and improving the overall project performance.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | causes of delays; delays; developing countries; integrative review; time overrun |
| Index terms: | project performance, causes of delay, construction professional, project delivery, time overrun, practitioner, evidence, questionnaire, construction project, developing country, survey, journal, literature review |
| Subjects: | data analysis and analytics, project delivery, data collection methods, evaluation and assessment methods, research dissemination and communication, practitioner, project controls, production management, development economics, professional development, project management theory and practice |
| Topics: | Time Control, International Construction, Roles and Professions, Procurement, Information Management, Research Practice, Project Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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