The significant factors causing delay of building construction projects in Malaysia

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The paper seeks to identify the major factors causing delay in building construction projects in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire survey was used to carry out the study. The questionnaire consisted of 31 factors which were grouped into four major categories by responsibility -contractor factors, owner factors, consultant factors and external factors. The level of importance of the categories was measured and the relative importance of weights was ranked. Findings -The study finds that financial problems are the main factor and coordination problems are the second most important factor causing delay in construction projects in Malaysia. The results were analyzed to rank the causes of delay and further classify the types of delay.Research limitations/implications -The scope of this study is limited to building projects in the Klang Valley area, where major Malaysian cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Seremban are located. The data for this study was gathered through a detailed questionnaire survey. Originality/value -Based on the analysis of the ranking and intensity of causes of delay, this paper suggests possible improvements that could be made in order to reduce delays in the construction industry.

Financial-related causes contributing to project delays

“…These are client-related factors, contractor-related factors, consultant-related factors, material-related factors, labour-and equipment-related factors, fi nancial-related factors, contract-related factor and external factors. Among others, a fi nancial-related factor is one of the most critical factors that cause delays in construction projects ( Alaghbari et al , 2007 ). The statement is supported by Sweis et al (2007) stating that in Jordan, fi nancial diffi culties faced by many contractors cause delay in construction projects.…”

“…Delay is one of the most common, costly, complex and risky problems encountered in a construction project ( Alaghbari et al , 2007 ). According to Shen et al (2001) , the majority of the building projects usually cannot be accomplished within the stipulated contract period.…”

Construction delays causing risks on time and cost - a critical review

“…The questionnaire was directed towards three groups in both public and private organisations: owners of the groundwater projects, consulting offices, and contractors working in the groundwater works. Alaghbari et al (2007) distributed the questionnaire among government bodies, main contractors, consultants and developers who were connected with the building systems construction projects. In order to accomplish this, the researchers contacted professional institutions, agents and government bodies.…”

A Conceptual Framework for Managing Design Changes in Building Construction

“…This is further supported by Abdul-Rahman et al [11] in the synthesis of preceeding studies where design changes have been named as the critical factor for project delays and cost overuns in construction project at different parts of the world. Even so, studies on project delays and cost overruns in Malaysian context have fall short of identifying design changes as one of the important factors that inhibit project performance (see [26], [27]). The issue of managing design changes has not received much attention in literature [28].…”