Shugran, A A and Ghazali, F E M (2025) Understanding the effects of variation orders on construction project success: insights from the Jordanian context. International Journal of Construction Management, 25(5), pp. 519-529. ISSN 1562-3599
Abstract
The construction industry is renowned for its complexity, involving multiple variables, stakeholders, and uncertainties. Variation Orders (VOs) have emerged as crucial factors affecting construction projects, yet their implications extend beyond time and cost. This study delves into the significance of VOs impacts on construction project performance and success, particularly within the context of Jordan. 97 construction professionals from different Jordanian organizations participated to determine the prevalent VOs impacts and those severely affecting project performance and success. The results indicated that the most significant effects of VOs are time overrun, cost overrun, extra money paid for contractors, productivity degradation, quality decrease, and stakeholder dissatisfaction. The factor analysis emphasized the interdependencies among the investigated impacts. The current study holds significant importance for practitioners and researchers in construction and project management. It empowers practitioners with tools to manage projects more effectively by defining the critical importance of schedule, cost, productivity, quality, and stakeholder management. It emphasizes their role as foundational elements for project success and supports researchers in advancing knowledge and practical solutions for the challenges faced in the dynamic construction environment. This study recommends investigating other project types and VO attributes to reach a comprehensive understanding, and then develop an integrated solution.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction projects success; factor analysis; importance index; Jordan; variation orders impacts |
| Index terms: | construction professional, integrated solution, factor analysis, project performance, Jordan, construction industry, project management, time overrun, project success, cost overrun, degradation, productivity, construction project, variation, practitioner, stakeholder management, complexity |
| Subjects: | production management, Geography, innovation studies, practitioner, statistical analysis, systems engineering, industry analysis, project controls, professional development, project management theory and practice, contractual condition, management, financial and cost management, material degradation and durability, participation process |
| Topics: | Time Control, Contract Administration, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Information Management, Construction Materials, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Project Management, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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