Critical Delay Factors Research Articles

Critical delay factors in power transmission projects: a structural equation modeling approach

Power transmission (PT) projects, as an essential link between power generation and distribution, play a vital role in the development of a country. To develop a clear understanding and identification of the critical idiosyncratic causes of delays in PT projects, for the first time, a model is developed to reflect the collective effects of 46 indicators under 10 factors. Based on the extended literature review and 18 sector experts’ recommendations, this study introduces two new factors – (i) a sector-specific factor (SSF) and (ii) a general factor (GF), where SSF pertains the uniqueness of PT project delay characteristics and GF drives a less biased data sample. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test and validate the hypothesized model based on 311 valid questionnaire surveys. The validated model establishes SSF and GF as the most critical factors in PT project delays. With the clear insights provided by these findings, this study is expected to have a substantial influence on professionals in minimizing PT and other linear (power and non-power) project time overruns worldwide.

Detailed Study on Critical Delay Factors Affecting the Construction Industry

The Construction industry of India is an important indicator of the growth as it generates investment opportunities across various related sectors. Delay in construction projects is considered one of the most common problems causing a multitude of negative effects on the construction projects. Construction delays can be defined as the late completion of work compared to the planned schedule or contract schedule. Construction delays can be minimized only when their cause are identified. The objective of this study was to identify the major causes of construction delays. In this context the management of the delay may influence the financial performance of the project, since the overall value of contractual penalties may exceed ten percentage or more than that of the project budget.
 This study was carried out based on literature review and a questionnaire survey. The data for this study will be gathering through a detailed questionnaire survey. The questionnaire consists of total factors of seventeen group were contributed to the causes of construction delay based on literature review. In that seventeen groups have been consist of total 50 factors for delay. The questionnaire form is forwarded to various construction industries through email and in personal. The objectives of the study were successfully achieved. The top five most important factors that contributed to the causes of delays were Delay in financial support by owner to the contractor (Stage by stage payment), Design errors made by designers due to unfamiliarity with local conditions & environment, Equipment allocation problem, Poor site management & Inaccurate site investigation, Fluctuation of prices. To minimize delay in construction projects it has been identified that the top three effective methods of minimizing construction delays includes: site management and supervision, effective strategic planning, and clear information and communication channels.

IDENTIFICATION OF CRITICAL FACTORS FOR DELAY IN METRO RAIL PROJECTS IN INDIA

Purpose of the study:World over, transportation infrastructure projects face delays in commissioning and India is no exception. This study is carried out with an objective to specifically identify the critical delay factors in the commissioning of metro rail projects in India.
 Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the major causes of delay from the opinion of clients, contractors and consultants. Calculation of Relative Importance Index (RII) for the shortlisted factors yielded the ranking. The ranking by various categories of respondents was analysed using Spearman’s rank coefficient.
 Main Findings:The study concluded in identification of 10 most critical delay-factors from a list of 49 shortlisted factors spread across 7 categories. The identified factors included: (1) Delay in land acquisition and site handover to contractor, (2) Shifting of utilities and contingency works, (3) Scope change, (4)Delay in payments, (5) Effects of unforeseen subsurface and changing ground condition, (6) Shortage of construction materials in the market, (7) Delays in design approvals and decision making, (8) Shortage of labour, (9) Lack of data collection and survey before design, and (10) Delay in obtaining permits from local body.
 Implications: Project management interventions based on the identified critical factors of delay can improve the delivery of upcoming metro rail projects in terms of schedule compliance.
 Applications of this study:The Application of suitable course correction measures targeting the critical factors can result in mitigation of delays.
 Novelty/Originality of this study:The study is one of its kind attempt to investigate all the commissioned metro rail projects in India for analyzing delays in the Indian urban rail sector.

Exploring the Delay Factors of Integrated Energy Project by Dynamic Green (Pvt.) Limited

Dynamic Green (Pvt.) Limited is the latest initiative of the Dynamic group of companies to tackle the most challenging issue faced by Pakistan that is energy crisis. In Pakistan, the manufacturing industry, businesses, and households face energy shortfalls. To achieve the objective of reduction in energy crises, Dynamic Green (Pvt.) Limited has started the first integrated energy project. The aim of this study is to explore the delay factors and their causes in an integrated energy project by Dynamic Green (Pvt.) Limited. Qualitative research methodology was used in this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with those employees of Dynamic Green (Pvt.) Limited who had been actively involved in this integrated energy project. NVivo v11 software was used to analyze the critical delay factors and their causes. By applying the word cloud and thematic analysis, the study found that communication gap, improper planning, incomplete documents, poor organizational processes, stakeholders’ conflicts, lack of coordination between project coordinators, unskilled labor, procurement issues, and poor evaluation of vendor selection were significant delay factors in the integrated energy project. These findings are expected to be a noteworthy contribution of this study which recommends practical solutions to prevent further delays in the future.

Building Information Modelling for Construction Delay Management

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is not an exception in relying on the growth of its construction industry to support rapid population growth. However, its need for infrastructure development is constrained by low productivity levels and cost overruns caused by factors such as delays to project completion. Delays in delivering a construction project are a global issue and while theories such as Optimism Bias have been used to explain such delays, in KSA, client-related causes of delays are also significant. The objective of this paper is to develop a framework-based approach to explore how the country’s construction industry can manage and reduce delays in construction projects through building information modelling (BIM) in order to mitigate the cost consequences of such delays. It comprehensively and systematically reviewed the global literature on the subject and identified gaps, critical delay factors and the specific benefits that BIM can deliver for the delay management. A case study comprising of nine hospital projects that have experienced delay and cost overruns was also carried out. Five critical delay factors related to the clients were identified as candidates that can be mitigated through BIM’s benefits. These factors are: Ineffective planning and scheduling of the project; changes during construction by the client; delay in progress payment; slowness in decision making by the client; and poor communication between clients and other stakeholders. In addition, data from the case study projects strongly suggest that optimism bias is present in many of the hospital projects. Further validation via key stakeholder interviews and documentations are planned.

A machine learning approach for predicting delays in construction logistics

Construction project management is vital for accomplishing pre-determined objectives. Despite using construction management, most of the projects do not meet original time schedule or has been delayed. Delay is one of the biggest problems faced by construction industry. This project is a study the critical delay factors for project management in construction focusing contractors in Qatar and to build a prediction model to avoid the same in future projects. The objectives of this research project are to investigate delay factors to help contractors to reach their goals on time during construction. This research will review the delay factors through literature review survey questionnaire targeting professionals at a construction company who are involved in many construction projects in Qatar. The correlation between them is examined to produce the best ways in preventing delays.This study was carried out based on comprehensive literature review, which was done to provide the background, history and delay factors of delays in construction. The information of literature review was then used to design and conduct a survey questionnaire to investigate delay factors in construction projects in Qatar and was distributed to the targeted respondents at the contractors company. Later the top delay factors achieved from the questionnaire were combined with secondary data collected from an ongoing mega project for the same company to build a prediction model using WEKA software.

Analysis of Causes of Delay in Middle and High Income Self-Build Housing Projects (SBHPs) in Wa, Ghana

Self-build housing projects (SBHPs) among middle and high income developers are faced with many challenges that cause delay in the delivery time of the house(s). The focus of this paper is to analyse the factors that cause delay in SBHPs in order to identify the critical delay factors. Review of literature and expert input revealed 20 variables which were used in a structured questionnaire for data collection from owners, consultants and builders in Wa Municipality. Reliability test, t-test analysis and mean ranking were used in the data analysis. The results revealed that “Delay in obtaining permit from Local Authorities” was the first delay factor followed by “Poor site management and supervision”. The delay factor ranked least was “Inadequate cost estimation and related details” from consultants. The paper recommends that Government agencies that regulate physical development should intensify public education, particularly on responsibilities and obligations, especially among self-builders. The paper recommends further study into labour-related issues as well as communication and information management among participants and its impact on self-build project success.

Identification of Critical Delay Factors in Execution of Construction Projects in India

The Indian construction industry plays a imperative role in the national economy. In the recent past quite a lot of ambitious projects have been undertaken by central as well as the state governments. It is highly unfortunate that most of the proposed infrastructure projects are plagued by severe time overruns which have a propensity to escalate the costs involved and make the efforts futile. Any construction project can be divided into three main phases, i.e. project conception, project design and project construction or execution phase. It is observed that mainly the project delays occur during the construction or execution period, where many unforeseen factors are continually drawn in. This study therefore aims to recognize the critical factors responsible for schedule delays in construction projects in India. A questionnaire consisting of ten critical factors was formed and distributed to professionals engaged in construction projects across India. A total of eighty five respondents consisting 33 clients, 10 consultants and 42 contractors took part in the survey. The Mean Score was calculated for each of the factor considering various groups of respondents and subsequently ranking of the factors was carried out. Lack of human resources-skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled, poor site management and lack of coordination and control emerged as the top three factors.

Comparative study of delay factors in Libyan and the UK construction industry

PurposeThe aim of the research presented in this paper is to develop a new methodology for the comparative analysis and quantification of the impact of delay factors in construction projects.Design/methodology/approachA framework of delay analysis system (DAS) is developed using the findings from the literature review and industry survey. Frequency and severity index method are used to identify and compare the delay factors in Libya and the UK. Statistical experiments are used to test the relationship and confidence level of survey results. A case study of a building project is used to evaluate the functions of the DAS.FindingsThe survey illustrated that construction projects suffered more delays in Libya than the UK. The survey results indicated that critical delay factors are quite different in both countries. The case study found that a building project might be delayed by 41 to 46 days in Libya, or 34 to 38 days in the UK, when considering the most critical delay factors.Practical implicationsThe outcome of the study is expected to help policymakers, decision makers and others stakeholders within the construction industry to improve the industry's processes and reduce the impact of delay in the construction operations.Originality/valueThis paper provides a new methodology and a delay analysis system that assists construction managers to analyse and quantify the impact of delay factors in building projects. The system is also expected to provide timely information about possible delays so that necessary measures can be taken to reduce the impact of delays and improve project delivery.