Stakeholder management challenges in mega construction projects: critical success factors

Abstract

PurposeThe construction industry is facing massive challenges due to the huge construction development, and stakeholder management (SM) practices, especially on megaprojects. The purpose of this paper is to investigate critical success factors (CSFs) encountered by key construction stakeholders to enhance SM practices on mega construction projects (MCPs).Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey is carried out among the most important construction companies in Qatar. Three steps are used to finalize and evaluate the questionnaire before proceeding with the full survey, validity, pretesting and pilot study. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Science software.FindingsThis paper identifies the key factors contributing to improving SM performance in MCPs; none of these is uncommon, but here they come together in a more integrative way.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations related to this research are briefly outlined as follows: the research was carried out in the State of Qatar. So, the findings are limited to the Qatari construction industry. The construction industry in Qatar is different from other countries where public projects have the priority to develop the infrastructure of the country prior to the world cup competition. The scope of this research is limited to MCPs. The impact of low awareness and knowledge of SM is not considered. However, the study is still reasonable and fortunately suitable to evaluate SM in MCPs.Practical implicationsIdentifying these factors is expected to assist project participants in MCPs in improving projects’ performance and completing construction within the predefined time and cost.Originality/valueThis study makes a significant contribution through identifying the CSFs that lead to develop efficient SM in MCPs. Moreover, the research findings are important for project stakeholders, organizations, contractors, engineers and local authorities who implement SM in MCPs. Moreover, it will enhance the application of SM practices in construction megaprojects and allow project key stakeholders to place emphasis on tackling the crucial challenges identified in this research.