Abstract
Changes in construction projects are very frequent and are expected to occur at any stage of the project. These changes modify the original scope of work and affect the project in various aspects. To minimize these effects, there is a need to implement a systematic change management system during the construction process. This study aimed to investigate the current situation of change management implementation, identify the main causes of change management, and assess their impacts in the Congolese construction industry. A comprehensive literature review was conducted for a thorough understanding of change management, and a structured survey was conducted. The collected survey data were analyzed using the relative importance index (RII), and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) methods. The results conclude that the change management implementation situation in the Congolese construction industry is significantly high, and the project cost and the project type play a major role in the implementation of change management in the construction projects. The study further revealed that the main causes of changes were the project, contractor, materials, equipment, and other causes. These changes impact the project significantly in terms of organization, owner and contractor, project, materials, and equipment.
Highlights
The construction industry is one of the key sectors that significantly contribute to the development and economic growth of developing countries [1]
One of the most common issues that occur in construction projects is project change, which can occur at any stage from project conception to construction [2]
The significant impacts of change management on the construction projects were identified, and the relative importance index (RII) was calculated in order to rank and categorize according to their effects on the project
Summary
The construction industry is one of the key sectors that significantly contribute to the development and economic growth of developing countries [1]. The changes occur due to the modifications in the planned work sequence, changes in construction materials and methods, and corrections due to errors or omissions which are different from the original plan. These result in a diversity of work quality, scope variations, and confusion which make the construction project uncertain [3]. According to Lavikka et al [10], the different additions, modifications, and deletions of project objectives or scope adopted during the construction project progress are considered to be a change that may have both positive and negative impacts on the project output. The detrimental changes lead to uncertainties and interfaces that contribute to the generation of non-viable activities such as modifications and reworks [14]
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