Pamidimukkala, A.; Kermanshachi, S. and Adepu, N. (2026) Identifying critical factors that affected construction project performance during COVID-19. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 44(3), pp. 553-566. ISSN 2398-4708
Abstract
Purpose – Construction projects were significantly and negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and many researchers have examined the factors that affected the performance and resilience of construction projects during that critical and unusual time. Unlike this study, however, these studies were broad in their approach and provided general overviews of the unique problems caused by the virus. This study is more specific in its approach, as it both identifies the critical elements of the compromised performance and resilience of construction during this time and explores the interplay between them. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was developed to gather information about why the resilience and performance of construction projects were so negatively impacted by COVID-19. Three types of analysis were employed to examine the 131 responses received: robust relative importance index (RII), agreement and correlation. Findings – The RII analysis revealed that the main contributing factor was the unavailability of materials. The agreement analysis highlighted the relative unimportance of the scale and type of the organization, and the correlation analysis divulged strong relationships between some of the factors, such as skilled labor deficits and diminished labor efficiency, logistical constraints and availability of materials. Originality/value – The insights provided by this study will equip construction industry stakeholders, policymakers and researchers with valuable guidelines for making decisions and maintaining resilience amid disruptions. It will also provide a framework for future studies and interventions aimed at fortifying the construction industry against similar crises.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction industry; COVID-19; project performance; scale; type of organization |
| Index terms: | construction project, methodology, COVID-19, skilled labour, relative importance index, survey, project performance, construction industry, future study, pandemic, efficiency, critical factor, correlation analysis |
| Subjects: | project management theory and practice, health risk and incident analysis, management, performance management, industry analysis, statistical analysis, data collection methods, risk assessment, research design and methodology, production management, research methods |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Risk Management, Health and Safety, Project Management, Human Resources, Research Practice |
| 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