Construction Delay

Construction Delays Causing Risks on Time and
Cost - a Critical Review

Chidambaram Ramanathan, SP Narayanan and Arazi B Idrus, (Universiti Teknologi
Petronas, Malaysia)

Abstract
There is an increase in the number of construction projects experiencing extensive delays
leading to exceeding the initial time and cost budget. This paper reviews 41 studies around the
world which has surveyed the delay factors and classified them into Groups. The main purpose
of this paper is to review research which has categorized the causes responsible for time delays
and cost overruns in projects. The intention was to see whether these causes are valid for
projects being executed in Sabah East Malaysia allowing a mitigation plan to be prepared. The
collected list has 113 causes for delays which were categorized into 18 different groups. Most of
the research has analysed the responses from Questionnaire surveys. The collected data are
used to rank the problem factors. The data are further used to investigate and analyse the
reported Importance Index, Frequency Index, Severity Index, Relative Importance Index,
Relative Importance Weight, Weighted Average, Mean, Standard Deviation and Variance. The
collective comparison has revealed that the ranking given by all the researchers is not the
same. Further each and every study has different rank ratings from different group. This review
paper attempts to provide an updated compilation of the earlier studies on ranking of the delay
causers, which are never similar and constant for universal projects. From the critical review, it
is concluded that this type of research requires a different method or approach to generate
meaningful answers and that there is a strong case against opinion surveys.

Keywords: Construction delays, Cost risk, Time risk, Project Management

Introduction
The purpose of this study is to critically review and identify the applicability of past studies on
determining the factors causing time delays and cost overrun in current projects. This goal has
been accomplished by reviewing articles published during the last 15 years (since 1995) in
various project management journals like: International Journal of Project Management (IJPM),
Journal of Construction Management Economics (JCME), Journal of Management in
Engineering (JME), Engineering Construction and Architectural Management Journal (ECAMJ)
and others.

The biggest customer of the construction industry in most countries is the government (Okpala
and Aiekwu, 1988). To the dislike of owners, contractors and consultants, many government
projects experience extensive delays and thereby exceed the initial time and cost estimates
(Odeh and Bataineh, 2002). This problem is more evident in the traditional type of contracts in
which the contract is awarded to the lowest bidder. This procurement strategy is adopted by
majority of government projects in developing countries. The Latham Report (Latham, 1994)
suggested that ensuring timely delivery of projects is one of the important needs of clients of the
construction industry. Severe criticisms of the industry arise if it takes much longer than the
stipulated project time (Bennett et al., 1979; Flanagan et al., 1986). Completing projects on time
is an indicator of an efficient construction industry (NEDO, 1988). Contractors are primarily

Australasian Journal of Construction Economics and Building
Ramanathan, C et al. (2012) Construction delays causing risks on time and cost a critical review, Australasian Journal of
Construction Economics and Building, 12 (1) 37-57
38
concerned with quality, time and cost and yet the majority of construction projects are procured
on the basis of only two of these parameters, namely time and cost (Bennet and Grice, 1990).
The literature emphasises time as an indicator for project success.

The construction process can be divided into three important phases, i.e. project conception,
project design and project construction. Usually, the vast majority of project delays occur during
the construction phase, where many unforeseen factors are always involved (Chan and
Kumaraswamy, 1997). In construction, delay could be defined as the time overrun either beyond
completion date specified in a contract, or beyond the date that the parties agreed upon for the
delivery of a project. It is a project slipping over its planned schedule and this is a common
problem in construction projects. To the owner, delay means loss of revenue through non
availability of production facilities and rentable space or a dependence on present facilities. In
some cases, delay causes higher overhead costs to the contractor because of longer work
period, higher material costs through inflation, and due to labour cost increases. Completing
projects on time is an indicator of efficiency, but the construction process is subject to many
variables and unpredictable factors, which result from many sources. The sources are the
performance of parties, resources availability, environmental conditions, involvement of other
parties, and contractual relations, and the completion of a project within the specified time is
rare (Assaf, 2006).

Cost and schedule overruns occur due to wide range of factors. If project costs or schedules
exceed their planned targets, client satisfaction would be compromised. The funding profile no
longer matches the budget requirement and further slippage in the schedule could result (Kaliba
et al., 2009). According to Ahmed et al. (2002), delays on construction projects are a universal
phenomenon and road construction projects are no exception. Delays are usually accompanied
by cost overruns. These have a debilitating effect on contractors and consultants in terms of
growth in adversarial relationships, mistrust, litigation, arbitration, cash-flow problems, and a
general feeling of trepidation towards other stakeholders (Ahmed et al., 2002). This problem is
not unique to developed countries and is being experienced in most of the developing
economies.

When projects are delayed, they are either extended or accelerated and therefore, incur
additional cost. The normal practices usually allow a percentage of the project cost as a
contingency allowance in the contract price and this allowance is usually based on judgment
(Akinsola, 1996). Although the contract parties agree upon the extra time and cost associated
with delay, in many cases there are problems between the owner and contractor as to whether
the contractor is entitled to claim the extra cost. Such situations result in questioning facts,
causal factors and contract interpretations (Alkass et al., 1996). Therefore, delays in
construction projects cause dissatisfaction to all parties involved and the main role of the project
manager is to make sure that projects are completed within the budgeted time and cost.
Several studies have been undertaken on factors causing delays and cost overruns, and
affecting quality, safety and productivity, etc. and specific problems in special types of projects.
These studies usually focus on specific aspects of project performance. Practitioners need to
develop the capacity to foresee potential problems likely to confront their current and future
projects. Identification of the common problems experienced on past projects in their
construction business environment is a good option (Long et al., 2004).

Frimpong et al. (2003) revealed that project management tools and techniques play an
important role in the effective management of a project. PMBOK defines Project Management
as the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the
project requirements (PMI, 2008). Project management involves managing the resources

39
workers, machines, money, materials and methods used (Giridhar and Ramesh, 1998). Some
projects are effectively and efficiently managed while others are mismanaged, incurring much
delay and cost overruns. Any construction project comprises two distinct phases: the
preconstruction phase (the period between the initial conceptions of the project to awarding of
the contract) and the construction phase (period from awarding the contract to when the actual
construction is completed). Delays and cost overruns occur in both phases. However the major
instances of project overruns usually take place in the construction phase (Frimpong et al.,
2003).

Unfortunately, due to various reasons, project successes are not common in the construction
industry, especially in developing countries. From several studies and empirical evidence it is
clear that project overruns comprising delays and cost overruns occur during the construction
phase. Therefore, professionals and scholars have been motivated to take steps to meet this
challenge.

Review of Construction Delays across the World
Realistic construction time has become increasingly important because it often serves as a
crucial benchmark for assessing the performance of a project and the efficiency of the
contractor (Kumaraswamy and Chan, 2002). This study aims to identify the uncertainties and to
foresee potential problems likely to confront the current and future projects, helping project
teams to be proactive in managing their projects in which potential problems are fully anticipated
(Long et al., 2004).

Research literature from all around the world has been collated and consolidated for the better
understanding and to conceive the overall picture of the issues. This critical review is presented
in five sections; Firstly Identification of Factors and Category, Secondly the Research
Methodology adopted in earlier studies (reorganizing and tabulating the data from literature),
Thirdly Analysis of Data, Fourthly Results and discussions and Fifthly Conclusions.

Identification of Factors and Category
The factors identified in the research articles are collated and grouped into 18 categories. The
set of factors studied by different authors are collected and presented in Table 1. Different
authors focus on selected categories for study and analysis. Table 1 tabulates the type of effect
studied by different authors and the respective category as classified in their studies. From the
review it is observed that certain factors have been categorized under different Groups by
different authors. This has been tabulated in detail and discussed in following section of this
paper.

Category
No.
Category
No. of
causes /
factors /
problems
Type of Effect
Studied
References
1 Financier 4 Time delay Long et.al 2004
3 Time delay Assaf et.al. 1995

2 Project 6 Time delay Assaf and Hejji 2006
5 Time overrun Chan & Kumaraswamy 1997

3 Project Attributes 8 Time and cost
overrun
Long et.al 2004

40
Table 1 cont
Category
No.
Category
No. of
causes /
factors /
problems
Type of Effect
Studied
References
4 Owner / Client 10 Time and cost
overrun
Assaf and Hejji 2006
10 Time and cost
overrun
Long et.al 2004
5 Time delay Alaghbari et.al. 2007
4 Time delay Odeh & Battaineh 2002

5 Contractor 13 Time and cost
overrun
17 Time and cost
overrun
Long et.al 2004
6 Time and cost
overrun
Odeh & Battaineh 2002

6 Consultant 7 Time and cost
overrun
7 Time and cost
overrun
Long et.al 2004
4 Time and cost
overrun

7 Design 8 Time and cost
overrun

8 Coordination 7 Time and cost
overrun
Long et.al 2004

9 Materials 7 Time and cost
overrun
2 Time and cost
overrun
5 Time and cost
overrun
Assaf et.al. 1995

10 Plant / Equipment 5 Time and cost
overrun
5 Time and cost
overrun
Assaf et.al. 1995

41
Table 1 cont
Category
No.
Category
No. of
causes /
factors /
problems
Type of Effect
Studied
References
11 Labour /
Manpower
5 Time and cost
overrun
2 Time and cost
overrun
3 Time and cost
overrun
Assaf et.al. 1995

12 Environment 9 Time and cost
overrun
Long, et.al 2004
4 Time and cost
overrun
Assaf et.al. 1995

13 Contract 2 Time & cost
disputes

14 Contractual
relationships
3 Time & cost
effects
Odeh & Battaineh, 2002

15 External 12 Time and cost
overrun

16 Changes 7 Time delay Assaf et.al. 1995

17 Scheduling &
Controlling

18 Government
relations

Table 1 Factors and Categories

Research Methodology
Chan and Kumaraswamy (1997) adopted a Questionnaire survey with 83 hypothesized delay
factors which was designed in late 1994 on the basis of a pilot survey. The 83 factors have been
grouped into eight major factor categories. Odeh and Battaineh (2002), Frimpong et al (2003),
Long et al (2004), Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006), Abdul-Rahman et al. (2006), Sambasivan and
Soon (2007), Alaghbari et al. (2007), Adnan (2008), and Kaliba et al. (2009) also designed their
research methodologies with questionnaire surveys comprising individual set of well recognized
causes of delay.

The questionnaires were designed to evaluate the frequency of occurrence, severity and the
importance of the identified causes (Assaf, 2006). The questionnaire was distributed to
Contractors, Consultants and Clients. In the field survey the respondents were asked to indicate
the level of importance of each cause using five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not important)

42
to 5 (extremely important). The number of firms that completed and returned the questionnaire
sets are listed in Table 2 and graphically represented in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows the
total number of questionnaires distributed and the total responses of the individual study.
Figure 2 shows the response rate of individual sectors of respondents in Percentage.

Questionnaire Design and Methods:
The Questionnaire study adopted by each author has a different approach. They have been
designed based on previous literature, current construction practice, personal experience and
location of the project.

Assaf et al. (1995) conducted the investigation in two phases. The first phase included a
literature search and interviews. The first phase identified 56 causes of delay. In the second
phase a questionnaire was developed using these delay causes. His scope was limited to large
public building projects in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The total population consisted
of contractors, architects/engineers (A/Es), and public owners (Government agencies).

Chan and Kumaraswamy conducted two studies in 1997 and 2002. In the earlier study, a pilot
study was carried out in early 1994 to investigate the principal causes of construction delay of
both building and civil engineering projects which were completed in Hong Kong between 1990
and 1993. The latter survey was supplemented by site visits by industry experts with the aim of
identifying the principal factors facilitating faster construction in Hong Kong projects.

Odeh and Battaineh (2002) distributed the questionnaire to a random sample of 100 contractors
and 50 consultants representing different specializations in large projects. The sample size of
each specialization is proportional to the distribution of the population of the different
specializations. Given the sample size, the samples were selected randomly from the population
in each specialization. Sambasivan and Soon (2007) adopted the same method in their study on
the causes and effects of construction delays.

Long et al. (2004) developed their questionnaire survey to investigate several issues relating to
large construction projects focusing only on the problems experienced. To suit the Vietnam
construction conditions, the preliminary questionnaire was pilot tested. Six experienced
professionals in the Vietnam construction industry were involved in the pilot test. Their
comments were used to revise and prepare the final questionnaire. Responses to the
questionnaire were then collected and analysed. The analysis included ranking the problems in
terms of degree of occurrence and level of influence.

Frimpong et al. (2003) developed a questionnaire of 26 factors designed from previous
preliminary investigations conducted in groundwater drilling projects between 1970 and 1999 in
Ghana. The questionnaire was directed towards three groups in both public and private
organisations: owners of the groundwater projects, consulting offices, and contractors working
in the groundwater works.

Alaghbari et al. (2007) distributed the questionnaire among government bodies, main
contractors, consultants and developers who were connected with the building systems
construction projects. In order to accomplish this, the researchers contacted professional
institutions, agents and government bodies. The sample was restricted to building system
companies. The respondents were contractors, consultant, developers, subcontractors,
engineers and architects who were involved in building system construction projects.

43
All the other studies were conducted by the random sampling of the three principal construction
parties (Owners, Consultant and Contractor).

Figure 1 Total number of questionnaires distributed and response

Figure 2 Response rate for different categories for the Questionnaire

144
287
125
60
200
200
60
502
450
320
150
400
164
285
110
180
57
109
72
30
150
166
37
78
187
82
147
22
87
91
143
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
No. of Questionnaire
Total Respondents
Total Distributed
4
0
%

3
8
%

5
8
%

5
0
%

7
5
%

8
3
%

7
%

1
7
%

5
8
%

5
5
%

3
7
%

1
3
%

3
1
%

8
3
%

7
9
%

2
6
%
3
3
%

3
9
%

4
5
%

3
0
%

1
4
%

2
3
%

2
9
%

7
%

3
3
%

3
2
%

2
6
%

3
2
%

7
0
%

1
9
%

4
0
%

7
7
%

3
2
%

5
9
%

4
0
%

4
2
%

3
5
%

2
3
%

4
3
%

6
7
%

3
7
%

2
3
%

4
0
%

3
4
%

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Authors surveyed
Overall Owner Consultant Contractor

Ramanathan, C et al. (2012) Construction delays causing risks on time and cost a critical review, Australasian Journal of Construction Economics and Building, 12 (1)
37-57
44

Sl.
No
.
Description of
study
Questionnaires distributed Questionnaire Respondents Proportional Response Rate*
References Total Owners Consultant
s
Contractor
s
Total Owner
s
Consultant
s
Contractor
s
Overall
Owner
Consulta
nt
Contractor
1 Causes of delay
144 27 51 66 57 15 19 23 40% 26% 33% 40%
Assaf and Hejji
2006
2 Large projects in
Vietnam
287 82 85 120 109 36 27 46 38% 33% 32% 42% Long et.al 2004
3 Causes of delay
Ghana Case study
125 55 30 40 72 28 19 25 58% 39% 26% 35%
Frimpong et.al
2003
4 Risk in D&B
Projects in
Malaysia
60 - - - 30 - - - 50% - - - Adnan et.al 2008
5 Causes and
effects of delay in
Malaysian projects
200 100 50 50 150 67 48 35 75% 45% 32% 23%
Sambasivan &
Soon, 2007
6 Quantify schedule
risk in projects
200 - - - 166 - - - 83% - - - Luu et.al. 2009
7 Schedule delays
and cost
escalation in
Zambia projects
60 - - - - - - -

30% 70% 43% Kaliba et.al. 2009
8 Delay Mitigation in
Malaysian projects
502 8 81 413 37 5 7 25 7% 14% 19% 67%
Abdul-Rahman
et.al. 2006
9 Factors causing
delays in Malaysia
450 - - - 78 - - - 17% 23% 40% 37%
Alaghbari et.al.
2007
10 Schedule delay
causes in BOT
320 - - - 187 - - - 58% - - - Yang et.al. 2010
11 Delays in
Traditional
contracts
150 100 50 82 63 19 55% - 77% 23%
Odeh & Battaineh,
2002
12 Time overrun in
HongKong 400 - - - 147 50 49 48 37% - - -
Chan &
Kumaraswamy
1997
13 Compressing
duration Hong
Kong
164 - - - 22 - - - 13% - - -
Chan &
Kumaraswamy
2002
14 Delay and cost
overrun in
Vietnam
285 - - - 87 - - - 31% - - -
Le-Hoai. et. al.
2008
15 Delay in Jordan
Projects
110 30 30 50 91 26 29 36 83% 29% 32% 40% Sweis et.al. 2007
16 Time, cost and
quality managt.
180 30 90 60 143 10 84 49 79% 7% 59% 34% Bowen et.al. 2002

Table 2 Details of the Questionnaire distribution in various studies and their response
* The decimals more than 0.5 are rounded to next whole number

37-57
45

Data Analysis Abbreviation Proposed Expression Parameters Reference Place of
study
Importance Index I

Where I = importance index; ai =
constant expressing the weight
of the ith response, where ai =
0,1,2,3 for I = 1,2,3,4,
respectively; xi = frequency of
the ith response given as a
percentage of the total response
for each cause; i = response
ategory index.
Assaf et.al. 1995 Saudi Arabia
Rank correlation coefficient

Where, D= difference between
ranks given by one party and the
rank given by another party for
an individual cause and N=
umber of cause or groups.
Assaf et.al. 1995 Saudi Arabia
Relative Importance Index RII

where w = weighting given to
each factor by the
respondentsand ranges from 1 to
5 where '1' is 'not significant' and
'5' is 'extremely significant', A =
highest weight (i.e. 5 in this
case), and N = total number of
respondents.
Chan &
Kumaraswamy, 1997
Hong Kong

where r = rating given to each
factor by the respondents and
ranges from 1 to 5 where '1' is
'not significant' and '5' is
'extremely significant', A =
highest rating (i.e. 5 in this case),
and N = total number of
respondents.
Chan &
Kumaraswamy, 2002
Hong Kong

Where i = response category
index, Wi = the weight assigned
to the ith resonse. Xi = frequency
of the ith response given as
percentage of the total
responses for each case.
Odeh & Battaineh,
2002
Jordan
Relative Importance Weight RIW

where: xj=the sum of the jth
factor; j=the factors 1, 2, 3, 4, . .
.. . .N; N=total number of factors
(26); ai=constant expressing the
weight given to the ith response:
i=1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Frimpong et al. 2003 Ghana
Frequency Index (%) F.I. (%)

a is the constant expressing
weighting given to each
response (ranges from 1 for
Assaf and Hejji 2006 Saudi Arabia

37-57
46
rarely up to 4 for always), n is the
frequency of the responses, and
N is total number of
responses.
Severity Index (%) S.I. (%)

a is the constant expressing
weighting given to each
response (ranges from 1 for
rarely up to 4 for always), n is the
frequency of the responses, and
N is total number of
responses.
Importance Index (%) IMP.I. (%)


where w = weighting given to
each factor by the
respondentsand ranges from 1 to
5 where '1' is 'not significant' and
'5' is 'extremely significant', A =
highest weight (i.e. 5 in this
case), and N = total number of
respondents.
Sambasivan & Soon
2007
Malaysia
Mean Score MS

Where MS is the mean score, f is
the frequency of responses to
each rating (1-4), s is the score
given to each factor by the
respondents (ranges from 1 to
4), and N is the total number of
responses concerning that factor
Alaghbari et al. 2007 Malaysia
Frequency Index (%) F.I. (%)

a = constant expressing the
weight assigned to each
responses (ranges from 0 for No
happen to 4 for Always), n =
frequency of each response, N =
total number of responses.
Le-Hoai et al. 2008 Vietnam
Severity Index (%) S.I. (%)

a = constant expressing the
weight assigned to each
responses (ranges from 0 for No
happen to 4 for Always), n =
frequency of each response, N =
total number of responses.

Table 3 Data Analysis Expressions used for various studies reported in literature.

47
Analysis of Data
Each and every study has a different scope and different conclusions. Hence, different
approaches have been used and the data analysed with different expressions. Table 3 includes
the expressions used by individual researchers to produce the results to meet the set
objectives. It shows the data analysis approaches with abbreviations and the equations used to
calculate the results. The table explains the parameters used in the expressions. The place
where the study was performed is denoted in column 6 of the Table 6.

Results and Discussions
The data from the responses were analyzed by the authors of each and every study and the
groups were ranked as shown in Table 4. It has collective listing of 18 different
Groups/Category. The respective rankings results of the studies have been summarized to
obtain an over view on the Groups that are highly responsible for the project delays.

The review findings shows that the group and factor ranking differs based on the location like
Hong Kong, Jordan, Vietnam, etc. Sambasivan and Soon (2007) stated that the effects of
delays in construction projects can be country-specific whereas other studies has proven that
project characteristics may even be region-specific. None of the studies is comparable to any
other and each study has different rankings for the groups/categories/sources of the delays and
cost overruns. The groups most influential in earlier studies (in 1995) are now (2010) not
considered high risk factors. The possible variations in the ranking results are most unlikely to
be because of the different respondents. Table 4 clearly outlines that the studies have yielded
different results. Even Sambasivan & Soon (2007) adopting the same 28 factors derived by
Odeh & Battaineh (2002) has obtained different results of group influence and their responsible
levels. Figure 3 shows the scatter diagram of the ranks obtained from the various related
studies.

As there is no correlation in the ranking of the different studies, the first five rankings influencing
project delays and cost overruns from the entire set of results of each author has been
collected. In the different studies the groups with Rank 1 to Rank 5 has been listed. The groups
which appear more than once have been identified. This is tabulated in Table 5.

Even though the groups like Owner (Rank 1), Contractor (Rank 2), Design related and Plant and
Equipments (Rank 3), Labour (Rank 4) and Consultant and Contractual relationships (Rank 5)
fall more frequently within the first 5 rank category, other groups like Finance related, Materials,
Schedule and Controlling, Coordination, Changes are also found in some studies but occurs
only once in the collated studies. So out of all 18 categories 7 categories appears among the
first five ranks and other 11 categories are rated consistently below Rank 5. This provides an
overall view of the study, and is shown in Table 5.

The critical review has resulted in a consolidated list of factors/causes and their ranking (Table
6). This review study has identified 113 factors from the studies discussed in this article.
Further analysis ranked all these factors according to the results in the respective studies.
Table 6 compares the results of ten studies in 12 different sectors of the projects. The
corresponding Factors and their Group wise categories are mentioned in the last column of the
table 6. This comparative study brings together the results of various studies and combines the
Factors / Causes, Ranking and Group classification.

The serial numbers in row 1 of table 6 represents authors, whose details are as follows:
Column [1] Assaf et.al. 1995, col.[2] Chan & Kumaraswamy 1997, col. [3] Odeh & Battaineh

48
2002, col.[4] Frimpong et.al. 2003, col.[5] Long, et.al 2004, col. [6] Sambasivan& Soon 2007,
col.[7] Alaghbari et al. 2007, col.[8] Le-Hoai. et al. 2008, col.[9] Luu et al. 2009 and col.[10]
Tumi et al. 2009. Also (a) indicates Contractor, (b) Consultants, (c) Occurrence and (d)
Influence.

From the list of factors obtained in Table 6 from the previous studies, the first five important
causes of delay and cost overruns in different developing countries are determined and
summarized in Table 7.

The problem of delays in the construction industry is a global phenomenon. In Saudi Arabia,
Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006) found that only 30% of construction projects were completed within
the scheduled completion dates and that the average time overrun was between 10% and 30%.
In Nigeria, Ajanlekoko (1987) observed that the performance of the construction industry in
terms of time was poor. Odeyinka and Yusif (1997) have shown that seven out of ten projects
surveyed in Nigeria suffered delays in their execution. Ogunlana and Promkuntong (1996)
conducted a study on construction delays in Thailand. Al-Momani (2000) carried out a
quantitative analysis on construction delays in Jordan. Frimpong et al. (2003) conducted a
survey to identify and evaluate the relative importance of the significant factors contributing to
delay and cost overruns in Ghana groundwater construction projects. Chan and Kumaraswamy
(1997) studied delays in Hong Kong construction industry.

Conclusions
The critical review undertaken in this paper covers research studies in the area of construction
delay with time and cost risks. Totally 18 categories of causes were identified from the various
related studies reported in the literature. These 18 categories or Groups are (1) Finance-
related, (2) Project-related, (3) Project Attributes, (4) Owner/Client, (5) Contractor, (6)
Consultant, (7) Design-related, (8) Coordination, (9) Materials, (10) Plant/Equipment, (11)
Labour/Manpower, (12) Environment, (13) Contract-related, (14) Contractual relationships, (15)
External, (16) Changes, (17) Scheduling & Controlling and (18) Governmental relationship.

Generally, all the research studies were conducted by questionnaire surveys using randomly
sampled responses and analysis of data obtained from the responses. The review study has
ranked the responsible groups by combining the analysis results which are: Owner (Rank 1),
Contractor (Rank 2), Design related and Plant and Equipments (Rank 3), Labour (Rank 4) and
Consultant and Contractual relationships (Rank 5). These fall into the first 5 rank categories.

Each study has a unique approach and unique results are derived from the questionnaire
response data. Various indices like Importance Index (I), Rank Correlation Coefficient, Relative
Importance Index (RII), Frequency Index (FI), Severity Index (SI) and Mean Score (MS) have
been determined to assess the impact of the Factors at various angles based on the
requirement for the project.

Each study has rated the groups or factors with Ranks of influence. These ranks are compared
for better understanding. But two studies have similar rating of ranks. Each and every Group in
the various studies arrived at different weights of Ranks. It would appear that the Groups and
Factors causing delays are country, location and project specific and that there are no root
causes that can be generalised.

Ramanathan, C et al. (2012) Construction delays causing risks on time and cost a critical review, Australasian Journal of Construction Economics and Building, 12 (1) 37-57
49
Sl.
No.
Group
Overall / Average Ranking Studied
Assaf
et.al.
1995
Chan&
Kumaraswamy,
1997
Odeh & Battaineh 2002 Long et.al 2004 Assaf and Hejji 2006
Sambasivan&
Soon 2007
Combined
Ranking Contractors Consultants Occurrence Influence Frequency Severity Importance
1 Finance related 1 - - - 7 7 - - - -
2 Project related - 5 - - - - 7 9 8 -
3 Project Attributes - - - - 6 5 - - - -
4 Owner / Client related - 7 1 1 5 3 1 1 1 4
5 Contractor related - 1 3 2 2 4 2 2 2 1
6 Consultant related - - 6 4 1 1 3 5 5 7
7 Design related - 2 - - - - 5 3 3 -
8 Coordination - - - - 3 6 - - - -
9 Materials 2 8 7 5 - - 6 6 6 2
10 Plant/Equipments 7 6 2 3 - - 9 7 9 3
11 Labour 6 3 2 3 - - 4 4 4 3
12 Environment 9 - - - 4 2 - - - -
13 Contract - - 4 7 - - - - - 6
14 Contractual
Relationship
3 5 6 - - - - - 5
15 External - 4 8 8 - - 8 8 7 8
16 Changes 4 - - - - - - - - -
17 Scheduling and Control 5 - - - - - - - - -
18 Government
relationship
8 - - - - - - - - -
Table 4 Group rankings

Figure 4 Scatter diagram of rank distribution
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
R
a
n
k
s

Groups
Assaf,S.A, et.al. 1995
Chan,D.W.M & Kumaraswamy, M.M 1997
Odeh,A.M & Battaineh,H.T.2002 "Contractor"
Odeh,A.M & Battaineh,H.T.2002
"Consultants"
Long, N.D, et.al 2004 "Occurrence"
Long, N.D, et.al 2004 "Influence"

50

Research Study
Groups
Results
Place of
study
Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Rank 4 Rank 5
Assaf et.al. 1995
Finance-related Materials Contractual
relationship
Changes Schedule and
controlling
Overall Saudi Arabia
Chan &
Kumaraswamy, 1997
Contractor Design Labour External Project related Overall Hong Kong
Odeh & Battaineh,
2002
Owner Plant and
Equipment
Contractor Contract Contractual
relationship
Contractors
response
Jordan
Owner Contractor Plant and
Equipments
Consultant Materials Consultants
response
Long et.al 2004
Consultant Contractor Coordination Environment Owner Occurrence
Vietnam
Consultant Environment Owner Contractor Project
attributes
Influence
Assaf and Hejji, 2006
Owner Contractor Consultant Labour Design Frequency
Saudi Arabia Owner Contractor Design Labour Consultant Severity
Owner Contractor Design Labour Consultant Importance
Sambasivan & Soon,
2007
Contractor Materials Plant and
equipment
Owner Contractual
relationship
Overall Malaysia

Many occurrence (No.)
and %
Owner (5) 50% Contractor (5)
50%
Design (2) + Plant
& Equipment (2)
40%
Labour (3)
30%
Consultant (2) &
Contr.
Relationship (2)
40%

Table 5 Factors securing the first five rank in different studies

51
Sl.
No.
Factors / Causes [1] [2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Groups
(a) (b) (c) (d)
1 Slow payment for completed works 5 4 2 1 4 7 6 9 Financing
2 Contractor financial difficulties 2 5 14 5 2 4 4 4 Financing
3 Cash problems during construction 1 7 5 Financing
4 Inflation 4 Financing
5 Financial difficulties to owner 1 3 1 4
6 Necessary variations of works 8 7 Project
7 Obsolete technology 9 9 Project attributes
8 Unsatisfactory site compensation 10 7 Project attributes
9 Lack of involvement through project life 16 19 Project attributes
10 Incompetence project team 20 12 Project attributes
11 Slow site handover 5 8
12 Owner interference 2 4 20
13 Long waiting time for approval of drawings 3 Owner / Client
14 Client initiated variations 5 18 19 Owner / Client
15 Unrealistic contract durations imposed by client 13 13 6 18 24 Owner / Client
16 Unrealistic client initial requirement 20 Owner / Client
17 Low speed of decision making 4 8 5 26 13 8 4 Owner / Client
18 Slow site clearance difficulties 2 1 13 Owner / Client
19 Delays in subcontractors work 9 9 3 5 13 6 Contractor
20 Poor site management and supervision 11 5 13 17 2 5 1 11 6 Contractor
21 Unstable management structure and style of contractor 12 15 20 Contractor
22 Shortage of Technical, managerial and supervisory
personnel
15 20 7 4 14 Contractor
23 Construction method 5 17 15 13 8 Contractor
24 Improper planning 10 8 1 Contractor
25 Mistakes during construction 17 11 22 10 6 16 9 17 Contractor
26 Inadequate contractor experience 3 1 8 3 2 10 Contractor
27 Severe overtime 5 Contractor
28 Excessive contracts and subcontracts 18 11 Contractor
29 Lack of responsibilities 10 Contractor
30 Contract Management 12 7 19 11 Consultant
31 Delay in work approval 18 11 Consultant
32 Preparations and approval of drawings 21 19 16 Consultant
33 Quality assurance/Control 25 21 25 22 11 Consultant
34 Waiting for information 24 11
35 Long waiting time for approval of test samples of
material
16 18 15 25 23 11 Consultant
36 Poor contract management 2 Consultant
37 Supervision too late & slowness in making decision 3 15 11
38 Slow to give instructions 4
39 Lack of consultants experience 9 10
40 Poor project management assistance 2

52
Sl.
No.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Groups
(a) (b) (c) (d)
41 Delay in design information 2 Design - related
42 Inadequate design team experience 6 15 Design - related
43 Mistakes and discrepancies in design 7 10 3 Design - related
44 Impractical design 19 11 Design - related
45 Slow information flow between project team 10 17 Coordination
46 Lack of communication between consultant and
contractor
14 20 14 9 2 Coordination
47 Lack of communication between client and consultant 17 20 14 9 2 Coordination
48 Shortage 11 11 10 15 6 4 9 3 3 Materials
49 Change in type & Spec. 6 Materials
50 Procurement 3 Materials
51 Slow / late delivery 16 11 7 13 Materials
52 Damage in storage while needed at site 45 Materials
53 Delay in special manufacturer from foreign country
(Imported)
16 17 Materials
54 Quality 26 23 12 Materials
55 Escalation in prices 6 Materials
56 Difficulty in obtaining at official current prices 13 Materials
57 Failure 42 7 16 16 8 Plant/Equipments
58 Shortage/Availability 36 7 16 15 6 17 8 16 Plant/Equipments
59 Unskilled operators 50 Plant/Equipments
60 Slow / late delivery 41 11 Plant/Equipments
61 Poor productivity 41 Plant/Equipments
62 Shortage / Supply 27 16 12 21 7 19 Manpower
63 Labour skills/Productivity 27 1 9 11 19 Manpower
64 Nationality of labour 49 Manpower
65 Hot weather effect on construction activity 42 Environment
66 Rain / inclement weather effect on construction activity 55 18 23 24 8 27 20 12 21 Environment
67 Insufficient available utilities on site 51 Environment
68 Social and cultural factor 54 Environment
69 Project delivery systems used. (#) 33 17 Contract
70 Mistakes and discrepancies in contract documents 14 22 10 18 Contract
71 Deficiencies/inaccurate in cost estimates 10 12 15 8 Contract
72 Low warded bid price 14 7 Contract
73 Conflicts between contractor & consultant 20 21 Contractual Relationship
74 Uncooperative owner 9 Contractual Relationship
75 Slowness of owners decisionmaking process 2 19 26 Contractual Relationship
76 Joint owner ship of project 51 Contractual Relationship
77 Poor organization of contractor or consultant 11 22 18 25 Contractual Relationship
78 Difficulty of coordination with various parties in the
project
11 Contractual Relationship

53
Sl.
No.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Groups
(a) (b) (c) (d)
79 Insufficient communication between the owner & design in
the design phase.
80 Unavailability of professional construction management 31 Contractual Relationship
81 Controlling subcontractors by general contractors in
execution of works
82 Unavailability of financial incentive for contractor to finish
ahead of schedule
83 Negotiations and obtaining of contracts 46 Contractual Relationship
84 Legal disputes between various parties in the const. project 46 15 20 14 Contractual Relationship
85 Problems with neighbors 28 27 28 External
86 Unforeseen ground conditions 24 25 23 18 6 External
87 Fraudulent practices and kickbacks 11 External
88 Price fluctuation 12 10
89 Design changes by owner 9 19 26 3 13 21 5 14 Changes
90 Design changes made by designers (*) 14 3 13 21 5 14 Changes
91 Foundation conditions encountered in the field 33 1 Changes
92 Mistakes in soil investigation 27 16 Changes
93 Water table conditions on site 24 Changes
94 Geological problems on site 46 12 Changes
95 Errors committed during field construction on site 27 Changes
96 Inaccurate time estimates 1 3 1 Scheduling & Control
97 Planning and scheduling deficiencies 8 13 6 Scheduling & Control
98 Preparation and approval of shop drawing 11 Scheduling & Control
99 Waiting for sample materials approval 27 Scheduling & Control
100 Preparation of schedule networks and revisions by
consultant during construction
33 Scheduling & Control
101 Lack of training personnel and management support to
model construction operation
102 Lack of database in estimating activity duration and
resources
103 Poor judgment and experience of involved people in
estimating time and resources
104 Inadequate early planning of project 16 Scheduling & Control
105 Inspection and testing procedures used in project 36 Scheduling & Control
106 Application of quality control based on foreign specification 42 Scheduling & Control
107 Traffic control regulation practiced at site 53 Scheduling & Control
108 Accident during construction 56 Scheduling & Control
109 Inadequate control procedures 19 Scheduling & Control
110 Obtaining permits from Government 21 4 2 21 Govt. relations
111 Obtaining permits from labourers 24 21 Govt. relations
112 Excessive bureaucracy in project-owner operation 11 8 14 7 Govt. relations
113 Building codes used in design of projects 8 27 28 26 Govt. relations
Table 6 Consolidated list of Factors / Causes and their Ranking
* (Due to unfamiliarity with local conditions and environment)
# (Design & Build, General Contracting, turnkey, etc.)

54

Major Causes
Author
1 2 3 4 5
Vietnam (a)
Poor site
management and
supervision
Poor site
management and
assistance
Financial difficulties of
owner
Financial difficulties of
contractor
Design Change Le-Hoai et. al. 2007
Malaysia (b) Improper planning Site management
Inadequate contractor
experience
Finance and
payments of
completed works
Subcontractors Sambasivan, 2007
Jordan (b)
Financial difficulties
faced by the
contractor
Too many change
order from the owner
Poor planning and
scheduling by the
contractor
Presence of unskilled
labours
Shortage of Technical
professionals with the
contractor
Sweis, 2007
South Korea (b) Public interruptions
Changed site
conditions
Failure to provide site
Unrealistic time
estimation
Design Error Acharya et al. 2006
Hong Kong (b)
Inadequate resources
due to contractor/lack
of capital
Unforeseen ground
conditions
Exceptionally low bids
Inexperienced
contractor
Works in conflict with
existing Utility
Lo, 2006
UAE (b)
Preparation and
approval of drawings
Inadequate early
planning of the
project
Slowness of the
owners decisions
making process
Shortage of
manpower
Poor supervision and
poor site
management
Faridi, 2006
Nigeria (b)
Contractors financial
difficulties
Clients cash flow
problem
Architects incomplete
drawing
Subcontractors slow
mobilization
Equipment
breakdown and
maintenance problem
Aibinu, 2006
Saudi Arabia (b)
Changes in orders by
owner during
construction
Delay in progress
payments
Insufficient planning
and scheduling
Shortage of labour
Difficulties in
financing contract
Assaf 2006
Kuwait (b) Change orders Financial constraints
Owners lack of
experience
Materials Weather
Koushki, 2005
(c) Contractor Materials Financial constraints Change orders Weather
Ghana (a)
Monthly payment
difficulties
Poor contract
management
Material procurement Inflation
Contractors financial
difficulties
Frimpong, 2003
Jordan (b) Poor design
Changes in
orders/design
Weather
Unforeseen site
conditions
Late deliveries Al-Moumani 2000
Saudi Arabia (b)
Cash flow problem
financial difficulties
Difficulties in
obtaining permits
Lowest bid wins
system
Al-Khal 1999
Lebanon (b)
Owners more
concern in financial
issues
Contractors regarded
the contractor
relationship the most
important
Consultant
considered project
management most
important
Mezher et al. 1998
Saudi Arabia (b)
Slow preparation and
approval of shop
drawings
Delays in payment to
contractors
Changes in
Design/Design errors
Shortage of Labour
supply
Poor workmanship Assaf et al. 1995
Table 7 Comparison of previous studies on delay and cost overrun in construction projects in different Countries
(a): Delay and cost overruns; (b): Delays only; (c): Cost overruns only

55
This study has identified 113 distinct factors classified into 18 groups responsible for delays
through critical review of 41 previous research studies performed in the relevant field. This
gives all the combination of factors and categories responsible for construction delays. But this
critical review of forty one studies also demonstrates that none of the studies can be
generalised and directly applicable as is. This presents a strong case against opinion surveys
when as in this case, statistical analyse of actual projects could be done which potentially could
generate meaningful answers.

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