Fuzzy model for assessing delays in Egyptian residential projects

Abstract

Purpose Construction delays are a common problem in the Egyptian construction industry. Frequent delays in a project can lead to disputes and litigation. This paper aims to study and analyze the causes of construction delays. Design/methodology/approach This research identifies delay causes in residential projects in Egypt and analyzes these causes with the relative importance index method. The feedback of construction experts was obtained through interviews. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey was prepared. Fifty-six different delay causes were identified and categorized into eight categories based on a literature review and interviews with 36 experts from the construction industry who represent owners, consultants and contractors. Findings According to the highest values of the relative importance index, the top ten delay causes of residential projects in Egypt are determined. Statistical analysis is carried out using the analysis of variance method to test delay causes obtained from the survey, which revealed a good correlation between residential projects parties with respect to most of the delay causes. A fuzzy logic model using MATLAB is developed for determining the probability of delay of residential projects, and the model was tested in a real case study and was found to be satisfactory. Originality/value Delay causes in residential projects in Egypt were identified, and these causes were analyzed using the relative importance index method and fuzzy logic.

Identifying the Causes of Delay in the Building Sector in Egypt: A Case Study of Small and Medium-Sized Companies

“…However, the study only categorized causes in certain groups and identified that equipment, design, contractor, material, and contract are the main categories that generate delays in construction projects. El-Rasas T., Marzouk M. [16] found out that improper planning and delay in payments are ranked first in causing delay in residential projects in Egypt.…”

“…The analysis was conducted using fuzzy logic and the relative importance index. Inadequate experience from the contractor, delay in payments, and ineffective planning were the top-ranked parameters [16]. Gebrehiwet T., Luo H. [17] used the correlation coefficient and RII to analyze the causes of delay before the construction stage, during, post-construction stage.…”

A Review on the Critical Factors Causing Delay of Delivery Time in Construction Projects

“…Charles, et al, [40], exploring critical road project delay factors in Ghana and grouped them into four main classes which are; client, consultant, contractor, and supplier related causes. A study aims to analyze the causes of construction delays in Egyptian residential projects by Tarek & Mohamed, [41], explored and classified the important factors leading to delay in delivery time into eight groups. The main classification of the major causes of delay in Egyptian residential projects are; owner, consultant, contractor, material, labor, equipment, project, and external related factors.…”

“…Also, the studies in which the factors causing delay in construction were collected and identified from [35,50,3,34,36,51,37,52,32,53]. Furthermore, [5,33,14,38,39,54,38,40,41], were reviewed to collect the main and sub-factors of causing time overrun in construction projects. In general, in this review, an inclusive category on the causes of construction delay was identified after the detailed review of the published articles.…”

Factors influencing the timely completion of construction projects in Sri Lanka

“…Some scholars developed models and frameworks on factors concerning construction project delays. In 2020, El-Rasas and Marzouk [ 27 ] analysed the causes of residential construction project delays and developed a fuzzy model to determine the probability of delay. Elhusseiny, Nosair [ 28 ] developed a systemic processing framework in which the most influential delay factors for Egyptian construction projects were slow decision making, changes in the scope of work and payment delays.…”