Arantes, A and Ferreira, L M D F (2020) Underlying causes and mitigation measures of delays in construction projects: An empirical study. Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, 25(2), pp. 165-181. ISSN 1366-4387
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to contribute to the theory and practice of project management in the construction industry by identifying the primary causes and extracting the underlying causes of construction delays and providing recommendations on delay mitigation measures. Design/methodology/approach: AA survey was used to identify the importance of 47 causes of delays. The relative importance index was used to rank them, factor analysis was applied to extract the underlying causes and focus group interviews were used for discussion and development of mitigation measures. Findings: Six of the ten most important causes are in the top ten universal delays in construction projects. Factor analysis revealed six underlying causes: improper planning, poor consultant performance, inefficient site management, owner influence, bureaucracy and sub-standard contracts. Practical implications: The owner/sponsor/client must have adequate engineering and project management skills to be able to evaluate proposals and contractors more accurately, economically and technically. The bidding and contract award process should focus on the most economically advantageous proposal and contracts should provide for mechanisms for managing risks while executing projects. Contractors should select reliable, high-quality subcontractors and suppliers and should have competent site managers. Originality/value: This work expands and improves the understanding of the causes of delays in construction projects by providing an empirical study of the causes of delays and respective mitigation measures in Portugal.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction/project management; delay causes; delays in project delivery; factor analysis; mitigation; project management |
| Index terms: | project management, project delivery, construction industry, causes of delay, factor analysis, site management, site manager, empirical study, Portugal, owner, bidding, subcontractor, mitigation, construction project, methodology, construction delay, delay mitigation, survey, relative importance index, focus group, interview, proposal |
| Subjects: | sociology, project controls, statistical analysis, industry analysis, research methods, project management theory and practice, financial risk, Geography, production management, project delivery, project planning, construction operations, bidding, risk assessment, data collection methods, practitioner |
| Topics: | Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Cost Management, Procurement, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Risk Management, Site Management, Time Control |
| 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