Tarekegn Gurmu, A and Mahmood, M N (2024) Critical factors affecting quality in building construction projects: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 150(3): 04024004, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The occurrence of defects in recently completed construction projects in many countries has aroused public attention worldwide. Defects in construction projects are caused by a multitude of factors. Numerous studies have identified and evaluated the critical factors affecting quality in construction projects; nonetheless, no consensus has been reached regarding the factors and their level of influence. Thus, to fill this gap, this research used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and prioritized the factors quantitatively. Following the systematic review and meta-analysis, 45 critical factors were identified from 22 relevant studies. Further, heterogeneity, subgroup, and sensitivity analyses were conducted. The findings show that the top seven factors leading to poor quality in construction projects include lack of communication, teamwork, and skilled workers; poor supervision; design errors; design complexity and low bid contracting. The study found very low heterogeneity confirming that ranking using the meta-analysis is reliable. This analysis revealed that project location and type, and publication types, contribute to the heterogeneity of the results. This research work contributes to the existing body of knowledge by identifying and ranking the most critical factors influencing the quality of construction projects across the globe. The stakeholders involved in the delivery of construction projects can prepare strategies for enhancing the quality of their projects based on the findings of this research.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building defects; construction quality; critical factors; meta-analysis |
| Index terms: | body of knowledge, sensitivity analysis, supervision, teamwork, meta-analysis, building defect, skilled worker, subgroup, construction quality, systematic literature review, building construction, complexity, critical factor, publication, strategy, construction project, design error |
| Subjects: | knowledge management, research evaluation and metrics, research dissemination and communication, production management, environmental hazards, quality assurance, professional practice, building construction, research management, risk assessment, systems engineering, control systems, management |
| Topics: | Design Practice, Engineering Principles, Risk Management, Information Management, Business Strategy, Quality Management, Human Resources, Organizational Design, Construction Technology, Research Practice, Project Management, Sustainability |
| 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