Project Management

Analyzing the project delay causes and how global construction companies are coping with it

Index

( Introduction Pr oject related delays Planning Phase Build Phase Final Phase Construction Projects related delays Resources Related Project Related External Factors Related Conclusion References )

Introduction

Project Delays are inevitable part of every Project. Its extremely rare for any project to go exactly as planned. So every project should plan for expected and unexpected contingencies and come up with counter measures. In this presentation we will go over Project Delay’s specific to Construction Projects and offer solutions to avoid, mitigate or workaround them.

Project Delays

Planning Phase Build Phase

Final Phase

Scope Change

Design Errors Contracting

Complexity

Procurement

Post Execution

( Planning Phase )

· Scope Change

· Effects on the Initial Project Scope

· Design Errors

· Client Requirements & Blueprints

· Project estimates referencing the project in progress

· Complexity

· Schedule Change

· Change to project plan and timelines

· Complex budget estimates

· Is help needed?

· Change orders (Five Causes of Project Delay and Cost Overrun, and Their Mitigation Measures. (n.a.))

( Build Phase )

Faulty Procurement and Contract Management

· Inadequate or inappropriate procurement can lead to delays and cost overruns

· Undefined scope, under/overstated user needs, insufficient funding, unreasonable timelines cause procurement issues

· Contract design - loosely stated contracts can cause long negotiations/litigations etc.

· Bid Selection - selection of the cheapest bid might not be the best idea. (Five Causes of Project Delay and Cost Overrun, and Their Mitigation Measures. (n.a.))

( Final Phase )

Post Execution phase of the project

· Being a final step in a life-cycle process, most of the organizations ignore it which lead in slowness in project sign off.

· These can be avoided by following:

· Completion

· Documentation

· Project Review

· Stakeholder satisfaction (Five Causes of Project Delay and Cost Overrun, and Their Mitigation Measures. (n.a.))

( Construction Project Delays )Resources

( Owner | Consultant | Contractor | Material | Labor & Equipment )

( Resources Related )

Owner Related Delay Causes:

· Slow decision making by the management

· Inefficient communication between the management and contractors

· Unrealistic deadlines

Consultant Related Delay Causes:

· Inexperienced hired consultant

· Unclear design documents

· Lack of productivity

Contractor Related Delay Causes:

· Poor planning and supervision on site

· Slow site mobilization

· Finance problems (Insufficient funds to pay the contractor) (Marzok et.al., 2014)

( Resources Re lated )

Material Related Delay Delay Causes:

· Material shortages

· Material changes and delivery delays

· Material quality issues

Labor and Equipment Related Delay Causes:

· Labor shortage

· Faulty equipment delays

· Less productive labor (Marzok et.al., 2014)

( Project Related Delays Traffic Control and restriction at Jobsite ) ( Effects of Subsurface conditions ) ( Unavailability of utilities in Site ) ( Accident during construction ) ( Problems with neighbors )

External Factors Related

· Inflation

· Bad weather / harsh climate

· Delay in approvals / new government regulations

· Labor strike / location social and cultural issues

· Acts of god (Twana, 2015)

Conclusion

( In conclusion, although delay and cost overrun may seem very inherent in most projects, however the good news is that it an be controlled or can be eliminated by following few simple steps: )

· Identify the issues as early as possible.

· Hold team meeting to discuss about the cause for delay by presenting all the issues and prioritize them based on time factors

· Determine if you can trim down any issues by revisiting the complete plan once again.

· Bring in help based on the need.

· Record all changes if any.

· Focus and spending few extra hours everyday to meet the quality line in timely manner.

References

1. Marzouk, M. M., & El-Rasas, T. I. (2014). Analyzing delay causes in Egyptian construction projects. Journal of Advanced Research, 5(1), 49-55. doi:10.1016/j.jare.2012.11.005. Retrieved on 01/26/2019

2. Ahmed, Twana. (2015). Delay in Construction Project, 14-15. Retrieved on 01/26/2019

3. Five Causes of Project Delay and Cost Overrun, and Their Mitigation Measures. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-causes-project-delay-cost-overrun-mitigation-m easures-buys on 01/26/2019