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Causes of Delay in Various Construction Projects: A Literature Review

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Advances in Human Factors, Sustainable Urban Planning and Infrastructure (AHFE 2018)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 788))

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Abstract

The construction industry plays a vital role in the establishment of physical infrastructures to improve the quality of life today. However, one of the most common problems associated with the industry is the issue of delay in construction projects. Overtime, this subject has caused a multitude of negative effects on the project itself as well as the construction professionals. This paper aims to identify the various causes of construction projects delay and make recommendations to mitigate this concern. A review of relevant literatures was conducted from conference articles and journal from databases including Springer, Emerald, Taylor and Francis online, ASCE, Scopus amongst others. The distillation of literature through thematic analysis revealed that poor site management; shortage of skilled labour; unrealistic project scheduling; labour absenteeism; design changes/rework due to the construction errors and accidents due to poor site safety are some of the major causes of delay in the timely delivery of construction projects. This paper therefore recommends that in order to achieve timely delivery of projects, there is an increased need for teamwork between the client, contractors and consultants. The results of this study will be useful to construction professionals (clients, contractors and consultants), and academicians.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sustainable Human Settlement and Construction Research Centre, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Mbuyamba Mbala, Clinton Aigbavboa & John Aliu

Authors
  1. Mbuyamba Mbala
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  2. Clinton Aigbavboa
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  3. John Aliu
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Correspondence to Mbuyamba Mbala .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Angelus Silesius University of Applied Sciences in Walbrzych, Walbrzych, Poland

    Jerzy Charytonowicz

  2. Catholic University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Christianne Falcão

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Mbala, M., Aigbavboa, C., Aliu, J. (2019). Causes of Delay in Various Construction Projects: A Literature Review. In: Charytonowicz, J., Falcão, C. (eds) Advances in Human Factors, Sustainable Urban Planning and Infrastructure. AHFE 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 788. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94199-8_47

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94199-8_47

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94198-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94199-8

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