Yakubu, O A and Sun, M (2009) A survey of construction project cost and time control practices in the UK. In: Dainty, A R J (ed.) Proceedings of 25th Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2009, Nottingham, UK.
Abstract
Control is important for the successful delivery of projects. The way cost and time of construction projects are controlled differ from one organisation to another because there are numerous project control techniques in existence. However, there is limited current research surrounding the usage of these techniques by firms. To address this, a questionnaire survey was conducted in the UK aimed at identifying common project control practices in the country. Data was collected through administration of questionnaires to the top 150 construction companies (contractors) by company turnover and the top 100 construction consultancies (consultants) in the UK by the number of professional staff employed and total fee earnings. In total, 250 questionnaires were distributed with a response rate of 44%. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and Z-test of significance. From the analysis of results Gantt bar chart was revealed as the main planning technique, project cost value reconciliation was revealed as the most commonly used cost control technique. It was also found that more than 90% of respondents frequently or always apply time and cost controls to their projects. The study found that there is no significant difference in project control practices between contractors and consultants in the UK.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | cost control; project management; project overrun; questionnaire survey; time control |
| Index terms: | statistics, consultancy, project control, project management, time control, cost control, construction project, planning technique, questionnaire, project cost, construction company, survey, overrun, turnover |
| Subjects: | project controls, project management theory and practice, production management, economics, financial and cost management, business management, urban planning, control systems, mathematical modelling, organization, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Governance, Project Management, Research Practice, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Time Control |
| 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