scholarly journals Causes and Impacts of Conflicts in Construction Projects: A Viewpoint of Kenya Construction Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Samuel Kiilu Mbatha*
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Productivity Loss ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Expert Opinions ◽  
Poor Site

Construction projects are predisposed to conflicts. This is attributed to the multiplicity of personnel handling the various phases of the projects. Empirical evidence from previous studies shows that if not properly managed, conflicts affect among others, the project's productivity loss, inadequate time and cost performance levels, loss of profit, and damage in business relations. Identifying the significant causes and major potential impacts of conflicts is crucial to reducing the risk of conflict occurrence in projects. Hence, this study was focused on explaining the classification of conflicts, identifying and assessing their causes and impacts in construction projects in Kenya grounded on the perception of project consultants and contractors. To accomplish the study objectives, a questionnaire was designed to collect data on the experiences of construction professionals on the causes and impacts of conflicts during project implementation. A total of 122 consultants and contractors provided responses, which were analyzed. A total of 42 significant causes of conflicts in the Kenyan context were identified. Based on the survey results, delay in progress payments by the client was identified as the most significant cause of conflicts, followed by poor site management and supervision. The survey also revealed that conflicts can emerge from any of the stakeholders, with contractors contributing the most, accounting for 14 of the 42 conflict factors identified. The study ranked the impacts of these conflicts using the Relative Severity Index (RSI). The results indicated that the biggest impact of conflicts on construction projects is the loss of profitability and perhaps business viability, and delays in project delivery. Expert opinions regarding the best practices and strategies for improving project harmony through effective conflict management were reviewed and grouped into five classes namely; project documentation, stakeholder involvement, value-based procurement, and adoption of ICT. It is concluded that the project manager should develop his leadership role by the adoption of these strategies so that he can use his position to effect positive conflict management on his team members. Furthermore, during the life cycle of the construction project, special attention should be given to the identified cause factors to avoid or effectively manage conflicts. These results, taken together, support clear guidelines on the need for proactive financial obligation on the client-side, as well as the hiring of experienced project professionals. Implementing these suggestions would reduce the risk of conflicts arising during building projects.

scholarly journals Conflict Management of Construction Projects – A Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 3809-3817
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Productivity Loss ◽  
Human Behaviour ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Project Costs ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Dysfunctional Conflict ◽  
Project Delays

Conflict in management is a commonly occurring problem. In terms of construction projects, conflicts lead to problems such as increase in project costs, project delays, reduced productivity, loss of profit or damage in business relationships and internal/ external disputes. This paper aims to explain the different types of conflicts based on organization, human behaviour and their aftermath. In the later section of the paper, the discussions are about conflict sources in construction projects, stakeholders and concludes with functional and dysfunctional conflict phenomenon. The intention of this paper is to provide an overview of the different aspects for the project incharge to be able to assess conflicts/ challenges in a broader perspective and mitigate the risk efficiently

scholarly journals BUILDING INFORMATICS NEURAL NETWORK AND REGRESSION HEURISTICS PROTOCOL FOR MAKING DECISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lekan M. Amusan ◽  
Ignatius O. Omuh ◽  
Timothy O. Mosaku
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Building Information ◽  
The Stability ◽  
High Level

Building Informatics is a body of knowledge that uses the ICT computer system, digital systems, building information modeling, and state-of-the-art software in solving technical and management issues in building and construction fields. One of the modern methods used in data forecasting and modeling is Artificial Neural Networks, considering its advantage over traditional regression method. A data sample was taken of 1500 residential building projects' completion costs. Regression analysis was carried out and model validated with functionality and Jackknife re-sampling technique. 150 Questionnaires were used to capture data on factors influencing application of heuristics protocol for decisions in residential building construction projects and data samples were analyzed using severity index, ranking, and simple percentages. Analysis of data brought up some factors that influence effective application of heuristic protocol in solving decision problems in construction decision process. The linearity analysis was carried out on the model and results indicated high level of tolerance and-0.0876 lowest variation prediction quotients to 0.9878 highest variation quotients. Also, 0.069 regression model fitness coefficient (R-square) was generated with 0.9878 highest variation quotients with standard error of 0.045. The results data attests to the stability of the model generated and the model is flexible in accommodating new data and variables, thus, allows for continuous updating.

scholarly journals Stakeholders’ Perception on Critical Cost Variation Factors in Malaysian Building Projects

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 2075
Author(s):  
Samiullah Sohu ◽  
Abd Halid Abdullah ◽  
Sasitharan Nagapan ◽  
Ahsan Ali Buriro ◽  
Kaleemullah Kaleemullah
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Cost Management ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Cost Variation ◽  
Effective Cost ◽  
Poor Site

Effective cost management is one of the prime requirements for successful completion of construction projects. However, deviation from initially planned cost had been prevalent in construction projects. Cost variation has become a frequent phenomenon in construction projects and Malaysian building projects has no exclusion. This paper aims to establish the critical factors instigating cost variation in Malaysian building projects. Extensive literature review and field survey were two main methods for conducting this study. 34 factors causing cost variation were identified through deep literature review. A questionnaire survey based on identified factors, was carried out among construction stakeholders: clients, consultants and contractors involved in handling of building projects in Malaysia. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS V22 software, which enabled the ranking of factors based on their Mean Value. The results of the survey indicated that (1) fluctuation in cost of materials, (2) improper planning, (3) Incompetent main contractors, (4) poor site management, (5) and client financial problems were top five critical factors causing cost variation in building projects. The inferences drawn in this study can serve as a guide lines for construction stakeholders to achieve effective cost management in building projects.

scholarly journals Construction Project in Kuwait International Airport Cargo City: Issue of Conflict Management

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Alazemi ◽  
AKM Mohiuddin
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Productivity Loss ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
International Airport ◽  
Lower Productivity ◽  
Project Delays

Conflict in construction projects seems to be the reasons of high project cost, project delays, lower productivity, loss of profit, damage business relationships and dispute on the team. Effective functioning requires commitment of at least several key personnel to get the venture runs effectively even with the presence of distinctive intrigue. When individuals of fluctuating foundation meet-up on a task group, strife is unquestionably present there. As the individuals inside the venture alliance are interrelated, intrigue impacts and clashes are not uncommon within their activities. This study therefore sought to discover the causes of these conflicts in the construction sector and the manner by which these conflicts can be effectively resolved. Here a quantitative survey-type study has been carried out on construction project in Kuwait international airport for conflict management. One hundred eighty eight questionnaires have been distributed, fourteen of them have been lost and eleven of them have not been answered. The responses of 163 participants have been analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). This study showed that the general causes of conflict are predominantly create conflicts. Inadequate communication and contradicting instructions according to the results are the leading causes of conflict. The effects of conflict on project mainly include project delays, ineffective construction and reduced productivity, etc. The findings revealed that participants in the study prefer the role of collaborating and compromising styles in solving conflict of on-site construction. Every project starts and ends with communication, so communication is the life wire of all construction projects. To cure the communication problem, the study suggests strategies like Team Meeting Discussions, Site Review Meetings, and Project Status Reporting platform to manage the conflict and reduce the dispute of construction projects.

scholarly journals EVALUATION OF CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS – AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN LITHUANIA

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neringa Gudienė ◽  
Audrius Banaitis ◽  
Nerija Banaitienė
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Management Team ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Survey Results

This paper aims to identify a comprehensive list of critical success factors for construction projects in Lithuania. Based on the available literature review, this paper identified 71 success factors under 7 broad groups. Based on the survey results, ten factors including project manager competence, project management team members' competence, project manager coordinating skills, client clear and precise goals/objectives, project value, project management team members' relevant past experience, project manager organising skills, project manager effective and timely conflict resolution, client ability to make timely decision, and project manager experience were determined as the most important success factors for construction projects. These critical success factors are of great significance both to researchers and industry practitioners.

An empirical study on non-physical waste factors in the construction industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Igwe ◽  
Fuzhan Nasiri ◽  
Amin Hammad
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Planning And Scheduling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Normality Test ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Human Material

PurposeThis study highlights the findings of an empirical study to investigate waste factors (WFs) affecting the performance and delivery of construction projects in developing countries. The objectives of this study are to identify non-physical WFs in developing nations and rank the identified factors based on their degree of influence on the key performance indicators (KPIs) of cost, quality and time.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 34 WFs were identified through a detailed literature review and consolidated using semi-structured interviews with construction practitioners. The statistical analysis involved a normality test using the Shapiro–Wilk test to determine if sample data have been drawn from a normally distributed population, ranking the WFs using the Frequency Index (FI), Severity Index (SI) and Importance Index (IMPI), ranking the WFs based on their effect on the project KPIs of cost, quality and time, and identify clustering structures for the identified WFs to using factor analysis (FA).FindingsThe results revealed ineffective planning and scheduling, rework/repair of defective work and resource quality problems (human, material and equipment) as the three most important WFs affecting construction projects. The factor analyses showed that WFs can be grouped into five interrelated components, suggesting the need for integrated and holistic strategies to overcome the identified WF.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the effects of WFs on construction projects is a first step towards designing holistic solutions to ensuring projects deliver value to the clients and other stakeholders. The findings of this study provide direction to construction practitioners on where to focus appropriate strategies to manage the identified WFs effectively and, therefore, improve the productivity of construction projects.Originality/valueThis study provides the first holistic analysis of WFs affecting the productivity of construction projects in developing countries.

scholarly journals SUBCONTRACTOR SELECTION USING THE INTEGRATION OF THE AHP AND PROMRTHEE METHODS

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1042-1054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gul POLAT
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Selection Problem ◽  
Preference Ranking ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Bid Price ◽  
Perform Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Complete Ranking ◽  
The Right

On many construction projects, especially building projects, 80–90% of the tasks are performed by subcontractors. Since the success of the project highly depends on the performances of the subcontractors, selecting the right subcontractor for the right job is critical. Main contractors generally tend to select the subcontractors that offer the lowest bid price. However, working with unqualified and insufficiently financed subcontractors may result in inefficiencies and failures. Thus, a combination of several compromising and conflicting criteria underpinning financial capacity and competencies of the subcontractors should be considered during the subcontractor selection process. This paper proposes an integrated decision approach, which employs analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations (PROMETHEE) together, for the subcontractor selection problem. In the proposed approach, AHP is used to analyze the structure of the subcontractor selection problem and to determine the weights of the criteria, and PROMETHEE is employed to obtain complete ranking and perform sensitivity analysis by changing the weights of criteria. The proposed approach is applied to a problem of selecting the most appropriate subcontractor to be worked with in an international construction project. Company management found the proposed decision approach satisfactory and implementable in future subcontractor selection problems.

scholarly journals Factors Determining the Success of HSR Building Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
Elena M. Volkova
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Scientific Result ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
The World ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
The Impact

The article reviews the world experience in the construction and operation of high-speed railways in terms of factors that determine the success or failure of such projects. Since the construction of HSR is often considered as a part of national projects on a broader scale, it is proposed to use as criteria for success not only commercial indicators, but also various socio-economic effects arising from their implementation. The author classifies externalities that reflect the impact of HSR on the development of regions and cities and presents the results of foreign research on their quantitative and qualitative analysis. Special attention is paid to the experience of China, since this country significantly differs from the rest of the world in terms of development of high-speed rail traffic. In this regard, the largest amount of representative data that allows us to identify the success factors of HSR projects can be found for Chinese projects. The main scientific result of this article is a generalization of the existing experience of HSR construction projects and justification of the prospects for implementing such projects in the Russian Federation.

FACTORS CAUSING PROBLEMS IN MANAGING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN A COUNTRY UNDER MILITARY OCCUPATION: Contractors’ Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 05 (07) ◽  
pp. 01-07
Author(s):  
Akram Subhe Suleiman ◽  
Jafar Subhi Hardan Abahre
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Military Occupation ◽  
The Political ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
The Impact

An exhaustive literature search revealed that not much research has been done on factors causing problems in managing a construction project in a country under military occupation like Palestine. So, it is the main goal of this research is to identify these factors which could be used by the decision makers to select the appropriate project manager who bosses the suitable skills and competencies to deal with these problems. The study is a step toward determining means to improve the effectiveness of projects through identifying project manager competencies. It is important for Palestinian construction industry to progress in terms of project success; the problems that face the project managers must be determined and identified, in order to achieve the best results with less risk. A clear understanding of such problems helps the Palestinian construction industry of finding the suitable solutions to overcome these problems. A questionnaire survey was carried out to achieve the main aim of this research. The respondents were engineers have more than 3 years in the position of project manager in the Palestinian construction industry. The survey was based on factors drawn from findings of another researches in different countries, together with special factors identified as potentially affecting Palestine. The results identified many factors created problems; they were clustered in eight groups. These groups were arranged according to respondents in descending order as follows: the political situation of Palestine, lack of consultants` technical competencies, lack of resources, insufficient planning, team members uncommitted, conflicts between departments, breakdowns in communications, and changes in goals. As a result of this study one could conclude that managing a project in Palestine is as difficult as the complication of the political situation of the country. The project manager should have a complicated mixture of skills and competencies from dealing with Israeli occupation to dealing with stakeholders to lack of resources and unclear goals. The study has recommended to the Palestinian government to improve the regulations and laws to meet the impact of closure and segmentation of the Palestine.

A dynamic Modelling of Labor Productivity Impacts Arising from Change Orders in Road Projects

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zain Ghazi Al-Kofahi ◽  
Amirsaman Mahdavian ◽  
Amr Oloufa
Keyword(s):  
Labor Productivity ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Productivity Loss ◽  
Dynamic Modelling ◽  
Change Orders ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Road Projects ◽  
Change Order ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sd Model

It is vital to investigate the system dynamics (SD) between the change orders and labor productivity to identify the causes of the productivity loss of the construction projects. Most productivity loss studies were financed from the contractor’s part and rely on the contractor’s data. This research highlighted the problem of productivity loss resulting from issuance of a change order by utilizing a previously developed SD model. It conducted a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the impact of overtime, overmanning, temperature and learning on the behavior of the SD model quantifying change orders' impact on labor productivity. Based on the results, SD provides more reliable results comparing with the measured mile analysis (MMA) approach for the compensation request, considering the leading factors affecting the productivity loss other than the change order. The model developed in this study can accept or reject the responsibility of a change order for occurrence of productivity loss.

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