Delay to projects: Cause, effect and measures to reduce/eliminate delay by mitigation/acceleration

Delay to projects is one of the foremost concerns of the construction industry in the United Arab Emirates. The delays to the projects are affecting the economies throughout the world. Delay to projects mean the slowdown of development in all other related fields. The main aim and objective of this dissertation is to evaluate the various types of delays and the reasons for those delays that are currently affecting the projects in the United Arab Emirates. Measures from previous researches to reduce or eliminate these delays by methods of mitigation or acceleration are analyzed for the case studies considered for this research. There are various types of delays which are identified. It is important to identify whether the delay is critical or not as identification of critical delays helps in taking appropriate measures at the correct time. The delay may be non excusable (contractor caused) for which the client and the consultant need to have project management tools to effectively manage the delays or compensable (client caused) delays which are due to the client. The delays may be by either parties and can be concurrent. The reasons for delays are primarily due to an unreasonable project scope, inadequate early planning and the absence of risk management systems. The contractor further contributes to delay due to lack of resources and labor productivity. Over ambitious estimates, incorrect task assessment ,lack of task clarity, design/ approval delays and interference in the decision making process by the client add on to the delay. Research done earlier indicates that “changed work complicates a project and invites delays” ( Molner , 2007). Delays that are non excusable (contractor caused) “expose a contractor to delay claims of its subcontractors and liquidated damages” ( Schumacher , 1995 ). Delays that are compensable (owner caused) need the support of specialty contractors who need to be nominated at the appropriate time ( Gil , 2001 ). The mitigation of delays was discussed by application of knowledge management and project learning. The lessons learnt feedback gives important information related to the mitigation measures considered for implementation. The prevention of delay can be done through mitigation and/or acceleration. It is important to plan/analyze the requirement in detail. This has been done by identifying the risks and mapping resources. The estimation and allocation of works was done to modularize the works and any issues likely to delay the works can be escalated for decisions and discussion. A detailed case study has been carried out for three projects in the United Arab Emirates. The first case study deals with a project which encountered delays and implemented measures of mitigation and acceleration to reduce the delays. The second case is a project which failed in its objectives of completion in time as well as budget. The third case is success project, where in spite of initial delays the project was completed on time by implementing mitigation and acceleration measures. The methodology implemented is acquisition of key data and justifying by providing adequate reasons regarding the data. Results and analysis for the case studies were structured according to methodology and further detailed into planning, resource, cost and nominations analysis.