The Analysis of Project Delay Factors Using the Double Roof House of Quality

Abstract

One of the biggest engineering concerns in the Middle East is the major delays in infrastructural projects which impact on both their quality and cost. A significant number of projects do not finish on time, are subject to cost overruns and are not completed to the specified quality. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) claims losses of the order of $ 40 Billion per annum as a result of these issues. Information on the factors contributing to project delays was studied. A literature review which determined the main project delay factors was first carried out. An online survey incorporating 66 of these was then developed with the purpose of identifying the most critical factors contributing to project delays. The survey was administered to over 200 specialists in the area of project engineering. This cohort included; Consultants, Business Owners, Project Directors, Project Engineers, Safety and Quality Managers and Contracting Managers. The resulting delay factors were ranked in order of priority based on a weighted index incorporating dimensions of Frequency and Severity. The non-linear relationships between "customer attributes" and "critical delay factors" in infrastructural projects was modeled using a "House of Quality Tool "with an innovative double roof. The method enabled the identification of the top 20 delay factors with respect to the following customer attributes; "Time, Cost, Quality, Safety and Environment". The highest ranked factors which impacted on all the customer attributes were; the shortage of technical professionals, unrealistic specified times and inadequate design and specification. The lowest ranked factors included; contractor cash flow problems and slow decision making by the client. The Double-Roof House of Quality Tools proved to be useful in determining and representing the relationships between "customer attributes" and "critical delay factors". The next phase of the work is to model the non-linear nature of the relationship using Fuzzy Logic. The ultimate goal is to provide expert guidance on strategy with respect to the focus on delaying factors in major infrastructural projects.