Constructability obstacles: an exploratory factor analysis approach

Abstract

Constructability is a concept with relative and not absolute value to increase optimization capacity of resources such as workforce, time, cost, quality, and working environment conditions. Given the growing complexity of projects and the increased number of failed and abandoned projects, the necessity to implement constructability in projects has become more tangible. Although the effects of lack of quantitative definition of constructability role in the traditional construction approaches are evident and have led to lack of coordination in performance of construction projects, so far no comprehensive quantitative approach has been considered to analyze the obstacles to constructability implementation. This study aims to identify and categorize the obstacles to facilitating the presence of contractors in the early stages of planning and design to implement constructability. In this study a comprehensive list of obstacles to constructability implementation is developed as a questionnaire. This questionnaire was presented to the experts, active in the field of construction. Finally, its results were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis method. Totally, 63 obstacles were questioned, then they were categorized by some of the experts of this industry into five categories of macro factors, including contractual, environmental, managerial, technical, and organizational. The significance of this study is due to this fact that identifying and categorizing the key obstacles to constructability implementation provides a useful reference for managers and owners of the construction industry to identify and develop solutions to resolve them. Identifying the obstacles to the presence of contractors in the planning and design stage and having a quantitative view toward this issue affects project implementability. In this regard, one can present more effective solutions to facilitate the presence of contractors in the early stages of design and also improves the effectiveness of constructability.