Practical Solutions to Ensure the Schedule Management of Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Project in Vietnam: Survey of Expert's Opinions

Abstract

The development of the construction industry is considered to be a significant factor contributing to the economic growth of states and countries. However, many studies have shown that the quality of time and schedule management on civil and construction projects has generally been poor. Thus, it is essential to investigate factors that significantly affect the project schedule. This research aims to examine the practice of time management on a particular construction transport project in a developing country, the urban railway project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with its six main lines. The implementation of this project began in 2010, but so far, only two lines have been constructed. The implementation process has been struck by many difficulties leading to the slow implementation of the entire urban railway system. To investigate the main causes leading to project delays, a research survey was carried out in three main stages: (1) a questionnaire was designed (2) data was collected with the participation of experts, and (3) an analysis of the data verification of the research model. Then, the analytical hierarchy process approach was applied to assess the priority level of the proposed solutions to ensure the effectiveness of the schedule of the entire urban railway project.

Significant risks that trigger cost overruns and delays in urban rail projects: a typical case study of Vietnam

“…In urban railway projects in Vietnam, Tran et al (2020) identified 25 factors affecting implementation progress: including changing materials and construction procedures, problems in project management and administration, a weak and inexperienced project management team, and deferring decisions about changes in the contract. The results of the literature review indicate that there is a paucity of research on the factors that cause schedule delays in rail projects and that almost all of it was conducted in developing nations, such as India, Iran, Ethiopia, and Vietnam.…”

“…In urban railway projects in Vietnam, Tran et al. (2020) identified 25 factors affecting implementation progress: including changing materials and construction procedures, problems in project management and administration, a weak and inexperienced project management team, and deferring decisions about changes in the contract.…”

“…incomplete designGhosh and Jintanapakanont (2004),Zou and Li (2010),Mittal and Paul (2018),Patil et al (2019),Tran et al (2020),Kassa (2020),Feng et al (2021),Karmarkar et al (2022) R02 Slow design approval and appraisal processHan et al (2009),Tavassolirizi et al (2020), Mittal and Paul (2018) R03 Unexpected changes in the design approvedGhosh and Jintanapakanont (2004), Hua et al (2004), Han et al (2009), Patil et al (2019), Tavassolirizi et al (2020), Abdorahman (2020) R04 ODA (Official Development Assistance) projects suffering from tight constraints of main sponsors Experts' opinion R05 Slowly disbursed project capital Tavassolirizi et al (2020) R06 Payment delays Ghosh and Jintanapakanont (2004), Zou and Li (2010), Mittal and Paul (2018), Patil et al (2019), Tavassolirizi et al (2020), Abdorahman (2020), Karmarkar et al (2022) R07 Exchange rate change Ghosh and Jintanapakanont (2004), Zou and Li (2010), Zhao et al (2013), Feng et al (2021), Karmarkar et al (2022) R08 Changes in material, labor and machinery costs Hua et al (2004), Lee (2008), Patil et al (2019), Tran et al (2020), Feng et al (2021) R09 Lack of coordination and support from government agencies at all levels Zou and Li (2010), Tavassolirizi et al (2020), Mittal and Paul (2018), Patil et al (2019), Tran et al (2020) R10 Interface problems between contractors due to lack of information and consensus Tran et al (2020) R11 Changes in local policies and regulations Zou and Li (2010), Zhao et al (2013), Patil et al (2019), Tavassolirizi et al (2020), Tran et al (2020), Feng et al (2021), Karmarkar et al (2022) R12 Lack of standards for design, construction and verification for new projects first implemented Experts' opinion R13 Lack of mechanisms and regulations for managing EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract type Experts' opinion R14 Delays during the bidding and contractor selection from the project management unit Tran et al (2020) R15 The project management unit's lack capacity and experience in managing and operating complex projects Tran et al (2020), Zhao et al (2013), Kassa (2020) R16 Delays in decision regarding contract changes and project adjustments from the project management unit Ghosh and Jintanapakanont (2004), Tran et al (2020) R17 Consultants' shortcomings during project quality supervision Tran et al (2020) R18 Errors, accidents and work problems at construction site due to contractors' poor management Ghosh and Jintanapakanont (2004), Mittal and Paul (2018), Tran et al (2020), Abdorahman (2020), Karmarkar et al (2022) R19 Delays in making and approving dossiers regarding plan, design, quality, acceptance documents Tavassolirizi et al (2020), Tran et al (2020), Abdorahman (2020), Karmarkar et al (2022) R20 Changes in project scope Ghosh and Jintanapakanont (2004), Hua et al (2004), Lee (2008), Mittal and Paul (2018), Patil et al (2019), Abdorahman (2020), Kassa (2020), Karmarkar et al (2022) (continued )…”