Critical success factors for large building construction projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Mathar ◽  
Sadi Assaf ◽  
Mohammad A. Hassanain ◽  
Abdullatif Abdallah ◽  
Ahmed M.Z. Sayed

Purpose The literature revealed a limited number of studies on critical success factors (CSFs) in Saudi Arabia. These studies were either outdated, covered limited factors or focused on very specific issues of a project. In response to this knowledge gap, the purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the factors which affect the success of construction projects in Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach In all, 91 CSFs were identified from the literature, and grouped under eight categories according to categorization schemes adopted by earlier studies and common characteristics shared by the factors. A questionnaire survey was adopted since it permits the collection of large volumes of data in a short period. In total, 61 responses from industry experts were used to compute the significance index for each factor and rank the most CSFs. Findings Contractors viewed the three most significant CSFs as “competency and capability of the contractors’ key personnel in different disciplines,” “adequacy of labor resources and their skills” and “the impact of the project on the public.” Consultants viewed the three most significant CSFs as “competency and capability of the consultants’ key personnel in different disciplines,” “clear communication channels between the owner/PM and the designer” and “PM competency, authority and involvement.” Originality/value Although a significant number of studies have investigated CSFs for construction projects, these studies do not provide an extensive list of CSFs, and none have studied CSFs in large-scale construction projects in Saudi Arabia from the viewpoint of two key stakeholders. This study attempts to address this knowledge gap.

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gholamhossein Mehralian ◽  
Jamal A Nazari ◽  
Hamid Reza Rasekh ◽  
Sajjad Hosseini

Purpose – The pharmaceutical industry has a critical impact on health promotion. It is essential to identify and prioritize the critical success factors (CSFs) within this industry to ensure successful implementation of total quality management (TQM). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify and prioritize CSFs that affect TQM successful implementation in the pharmaceutical industry. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a thorough review of the literature and building on the earlier studies, a valid questionnaire was developed and sent to 320 managers in pharmaceutical sector. In total, 210 completed questionnaires were returned. The technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) was used to rank and prioritize CSFs. Findings – Results of the data analyses showed that information and analysis, management commitment, relationship with suppliers, and customer focus are the top four CSFs for the successful implementation of TQM in the pharmaceutical sector. Originality/value – Using TOPSIS approach, this is the first study that determines CSFs that have impact on successful implementation of TQM in the pharmaceutical sector. There have been limited studies investigating the CSFs in developing countries. The findings will be useful in helping manager to successfully implement TQM in emerging markets. The approach will help future studies to examine the impact of successful implementation of TQM on firm performance in other industries and in emerging markets.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rateb Sweis ◽  
Nasser AL-Huthaifi ◽  
Afnan Alawneh ◽  
Wassim Albalkhy ◽  
Taghrid Suifan ◽  
...  

PurposeThis paper aims at studying the level of implementation of ISO 9001 in Jordanian consulting engineering firms and to what extent does the implementation effectiveness affect the success of the construction projects. Moreover, the paper seeks to identify the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that directly influence the ISO 9001 effectiveness in Jordanian consulting engineering firms.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was constructed and distributed to a sample of 125 employees from six ISO 9001-consulting firms. After collecting the data, exploratory factor analysis was utilized to validate the latent constructs (CSFs, ISO 9001 Effectiveness, and Firm Performance).FindingsThe findings suggest that firms experience a high level of ISO 9001 effectiveness. Moreover, among the five identified CSFs; employee attributes, external environmental pressure and quality system attribute had a significant impact on the ISO 9001 effectiveness, while internal motivation and firm attributes were insignificant.Originality/valueThe significance of this study lies in exploring such topic in the developing countries, since most of current studies were focused on developed contexts such as the USA and UK. Therefore, this research acts as a response to calls in the current literature regarding considering different industries and contexts.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Ping Lee ◽  
Rahimi A. Rahman ◽  
Shu Ing Doh

Purpose The success rate of design-build (D-B) implementation in Malaysia’s private construction projects is low compared to the nation’s public projects. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical success factors (CSFs) for D-B implementation in Malaysian public construction projects. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the research objectives, 111 questionnaire survey responses from construction-related professionals were collected and analysed using multivariate analysis, including t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and factor analysis. Findings The results indicate that while the client’s briefing effectiveness remained the top CSF among many nations, the other top CSFs in Malaysia D-B construction projects vastly differed compared to those countries. Moreover, the underlying components for successful D-B projects in Malaysia include the project management team, leader competency and “stakeholder” management. Originality/value This is one of the first studies that identify the CSFs for D-B implementation in the Malaysian construction industry. The outcomes provide a valuable reference and resource for academic scholars and construction practitioners to increase D-B implementation in the Malaysian private sector.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 412-427
Author(s):  
Arnt Ove Hopland ◽  
Sturla F. Kvamsdal

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate a survey on critical success factor for the maintenance of local public buildings and how reported score values and factor rankings depend on characteristics (contingencies) of the local governments that participated. Design/methodology/approach The authors use data from a large-scale survey of Norwegian local governments that covered 66 per cent of all local governments and 80 per cent of the population. The authors combine these data with contingent information from public registers on demographics, fiscal, political and geographical characteristics. The authors run regressions to determine whether contingencies affect survey results. They further study how score values vary with a key contingent factor. Findings The main result of this paper is that the reported importance of critical success factors is contingent on local government population levels. A comparison of importance rankings based on population quartiles shows that ranking orders change, both between quartiles and from the overall ranking, and that certain factors show systematic changes. Further, the authors find that when controlling for sampling error, groups of factors should be considered as equally important. This result holds both for the full sample ranking and for rankings within population quartiles. Originality/value The results of this paper have implications for all survey-based investigations of critical success factors where contingent information on respondents are available. Contingencies need to be taken into consideration, both when assessing rankings according to some criteria and when comparing actual score values.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 400-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devendra K. Yadav ◽  
Akhilesh Barve

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyse the critical success factors (CSFs) of humanitarian supply chains in mitigating the impact of cyclones in the Indian context using the fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach. Design/methodology/approach The selection of CSFs of humanitarian supply chains has been done through several secondary sources and discussion with 12 disaster experts. Thereafter, DEMATEL, an expert judgement-based technique, has been used for selecting, building and analysing a structural model that involves causal relationships between the set of identified CSFs. Furthermore, to accommodate the vagueness involved in human judgement, fuzzy logic is incorporated with the DEMATEL. Findings Based on a literature survey and expert judgement, total 16 CSFs of humanitarian supply chains have been segmented into cause and effect groups based upon their relative influencing scores. The analysis shows that the out of 16 CSFs, ten CSFs have been categorised into cause group CSFs and six as the effect group CSFs. Practical implications The findings of this study will help disaster management institutions, humanitarian agencies, logisticians, NGOs and cyclone-prone countries to improve the critical ingredients in designing and executing an effective cyclone response operation. Originality/value In this study, fuzzy DEMATEL has been applied to identify and analyse the CSFs of humanitarian supply chains for the cyclone disaster response in the Indian context, which is a novel contribution widening the existing knowledge in humanitarian relief domain.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Gonzalez-Aleu ◽  
Eileen M. Van Aken ◽  
Jennifer Cross ◽  
Wiljeana J. Glover

Purpose Evidence suggests that hospitals are having problems achieving continuous improvement project (CIP) goals or sustaining their results. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify those critical success factors (CSFs) most strongly related to CIP success in hospitals (Lean-Kaizen project, Lean Six Sigma project, Six Sigma projects, and Quality Improvement projects). Design/methodology/approach A retrospective survey was applied to any CIP leaders/facilitators from hospitals that conducted at least one CIP during the last two years. Findings Three main findings were obtained from the 116 valid responses. First, the level of importance of 47 out of 53 CSFs to achieve CIPs success in hospitals was assessed as very important or higher (4 or higher on a six-point scale). Second, there are important differences between the CSFs to achieve CIP success in hospitals in this research and previous investigations. Third, the type of CIP affects the level of importance of 16 out of 53 CSFs to achieve CIP success in hospitals. Originality/value Practitioners involved with CIPs activities in hospitals could use the knowledge extracted from this investigation to improve the impact of their CIPs. Future research should continue in two lines: test if the 53 CSFs for CIPs measure a unique factor and identify the main relationships or paths between CSFs for CIPs and CIP outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziwen Liu ◽  
Yujie Lu ◽  
Tushar Nath ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Robert Lee Kong Tiong ◽  
...  

PurposeAs a pillar of integrated digital delivery (IDD), building information modeling demonstrates the tremendous potential to enhance productivity for the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry worldwide. However, the implementation of digital solutions presents numerous challenges related to its adoption and implementation. Distinguishing a comprehensive set of critical factors can facilitate the construction professionals to execute their strategies in a properly planned manner, thus augmenting the possibilities of successfully implementing BIM in their organization. This study aims to identify critical success factors (CSFs) for BIM adoption and implementation in Singapore.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted structured empirical questionnaire survey. Relevant data were collected from the various stakeholders in Singapore AEC industry through an online survey questionnaire. Furthermore, data analysis was done using SPSS Statistics software in order to identify the key factors (KFs) based on which the CSFs were derived for BIM adoption and implementation during the construction phase.FindingsFrom a set of 45 influencing factors, 35 KFs were derived after performing ranking analysis, from which a set of 26 CSFs were finally obtained based on the factor analysis methodology.Originality/valueThis study has identified the CSFs of BIM adoption in Singapore, as well as in the builders' perspective on how to enhance the digitalization in construction projects.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chijindu V. Nwachukwu ◽  
Chika Udeaja ◽  
Nicholas Chileshe ◽  
Chimene E. Okere

Purpose Built heritage or historic assets (BHAs) constructed in the pre-nineteenth century in the UK are perceived to have certain characteristics which instill cultural significance in them and have seen them become valuable to the economy of the country. The heritage sector makes significant contributions to the UK economy through provision of tourist attractive sites, construction and servicing of heritage assets, heritage conservation, research, and commercial activities carried out within and around heritage assets. These benefits have seen them draw considerable interests from diverse stakeholders within and outside the heritage sector. Hence, a lot of attention is drawn toward restoration of such assets, from stakeholders of different interests, ranging from advocacies for no alteration to complete alteration of the heritage assets. As with construction projects, conflict of interests amongst stakeholders affect the outcome of restoration projects and the purpose of this paper is to examine the critical success factors (CSFs) for managing the stakeholders to achieve the projects’ objectives. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the views and experiences of practitioners in the heritage sector who have been involved with BHA restoration projects. A total of 32 CSFs for stakeholder management, obtained through rigorous reviews of literature, were subjected to a severe scrutiny with eight restoration experts to determine the importance of the CSFs in restoration projects. The outcome of the exercise was a modified list of 20 CSFs which were further tested on 52 restoration practitioners in the UK using a structured questionnaire to determine the degree of importance of each of the CSFs in restoration projects and their relationships as perceived by the practitioners. Findings The results of the analyses performed on the data show that most of the CSFs were perceived by restoration practitioners as truly critical and vital for successful management of stakeholders in restoration of BHAs. The results also indicate that there is a strong consensus amongst over 50 percent of the practitioners on the rankings of the CSFs. Practical implications The identified CSFs could be used by the restoration practitioners as a “road map” for the development of appropriate solutions for successfully managing stakeholders associated with the promotion and BHAs restoration assets. Originality/value Although CSFs for stakeholder management in construction have been studied by many scholars, no specific research could be identified prior to this study to have been done in defining the CSFs for stakeholder management in restoration projects.


Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Hamidinava ◽  
Abdolhamid Ebrahimy ◽  
Roohallah Samiee ◽  
Hosein Didehkhani

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to demonstrate a cloud business intelligence model for industrial SMEs. An initial model was developed to accomplish this, followed by validation and finalization of the cloud business intelligence model. Additionally, this research employs a mixed-techniques approach, including both qualitative and quantitative methods. This paper aims to achieve the following objectives: (1) Recognize the Cloud business intelligence concepts. (2) Identify the role of cloud BI in SMEs. (3) Identify the factors that affect the design and presenting a Cloud business intelligence model based on critical factors affecting SMEs during pandemic COVID-19. (4) Discuss the importance of Cloud BI in pandemic COVID-19 for SMEs. (5) Provide managerial implications for using Cloud BI effectively in Iran’s SMEs.Design/methodology/approachIn the current study, an initial model was first proposed, and the cloud business intelligence model was then validated and finalized. Moreover, this study uses a mixed-methods design in which both qualitative and quantitative methods are used. The fuzzy Delphi Method has been applied for parameter validation purposes, and eventually, the Cloud business intelligence model has been presented through exploiting the interpretive structural modeling. The partial least squares method was also applied to validate the model. Data were also analyzed using the MAXQDA and Smart PLS software package.FindingsIn this research, from the elimination of synonym and frequently repeated factors and classification of final factors, six main factors, 24 subfactors and 24 identifiers were discovered from the texts of the relevant papers and interviews conducted with 19 experts in the area of BI and Cloud computing. The main factors of our research include drivers, enablers, competencies, critical success factors, SME characteristics and adoption. The subfactors of included competitors pressure, decision-making time, data access, data analysis and calculations, budget, clear view, clear missions, BI tools, data infrastructure, information merging, business key sector, data owner, business process, data resource, data quality, IT skill, organizational preparedness, innovation orientation, SME characteristics, SME activity, SME structure, BI maturity, standardization, agility, balances between BI systems and business strategies. Then, the quantitative part continued with the fuzzy Delphi technique in which two factors, decision-making time and agility, were deleted in the first round, and the second round was conducted for the rest of the factors. In that step, 24 factors were assessed based on the opinions of 19 experts. In the second round, none of the factors were removed, and thus the Delphi analysis was concluded. Next, data analysis was carried out by building the structural self-interaction matrix to present the model. According to the results, adoptability is a first-level or dependent variable. Regarding the results of interpretive structural modeling (ISM), the variable of critical success factors is a second-level variable. Enablers, competencies and SME characteristics are the third-level and most effective variables of the model. Accordingly, the initial model of Cloud BI for SMEs is presented as follows: The results of ISM revealed the impact of SME characteristics on BI critical success factors and adoptability. Since this category was not an underlying category of BI; thus, it played the role of a moderating variable for the impact of critical success factors on adoptability in the final model.Research limitations/implicationsSince this study is limited to about 100 SMEs in the north of Iran, results should be applied cautiously to SMEs in other countries. Generalizing the study's results to other industries and geographic regions should be done with care since management perceptions, and financial condition of a business vary significantly. Additionally, the topic of business intelligence in SMEs constrained the sample from the start since not all SMEs use business intelligence systems, and others are unaware of their advantages. BI tools enable the effective management of companies of all sizes by providing analytic data and critical performance indicators. In general, SMEs used fewer business intelligence technologies than big companies. According to studies, SMEs understand the value of simplifying their information resources to make critical business choices. Additionally, they are aware of the market's abundance of business intelligence products. However, many SMEs lack the technical knowledge necessary to choose the optimal tool combination. In light of the frequently significant investment required to implement BI approaches, a viable alternative for SMEs may be to adopt cloud computing solutions that enable organizations to strengthen their systems and information technologies on a pay-per-use basis while also providing access to cutting-edge BI technologies at a reasonable price.Practical implicationsBefore the implementation of Cloud BI in SMEs, condition of driver, competency and critical success factor of SMEs should also be considered. These will help to define the significant resources and skills that form the strategic edge and lead to the success of Cloud BI projects.Originality/valueMost of the previous studies have been focused on factors such as critical success factors in cloud business intelligence and cloud computing in small and medium-sized enterprises, cloud business intelligence adoption models, the services used in cloud business intelligence, the factors involved in acceptance of cloud business intelligence, the challenges and advantages of cloud business intelligence, and drivers and barriers to cloud business intelligence. None of the studied resources proposed any comprehensive model for designing and implementing cloud business intelligence in small and medium-sized enterprises; they only investigated some of the aspects of this issue.


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