The gap and its reduction between theory and reality of construction schedules in the UAE

Abstract

The construction industry is constantly changing due to market conditions and increased competition. The competition, in particular, has resulted in the need in better schedule performance for construction projects. Construction schedules are fundamental and challenging activities in the execution as well as management of construction projects. Besides, scheduling is an essential function of the project management since it provides a roadmap illustrating all the activities, milestones, and deliverables within a project to prevent any delays during the project’s commission as well as handover. In project management, delays have an adverse effect on the construction lifecycle and mainly arise from poor planning as well as forecasting techniques, insufficient knowledge on scheduling techniques, and inadequate or inefficient communication processes or technologies. The aim of this study is to identify the gap between scheduling theory and scheduling practices in reality of construction schedules in the UAE and its reduction methods in the practice. It will review existing literature to link schedule theory and good practices to illustrate the relationship between schedule problems and usage to recommend ways of improvements. A concise methodology stating the proposed research design and instrument is also provided.