Development of an impact-on-performance index (IPI) for construction projects in Malaysia: a Delphi study

Abstract

Over the past decade, studies on measurements, factors, and indicators of construction companies’ performance have been spread in the construction management literature. There is adequate evidence that an increasing number of construction professionals have adopted, during the last decade, the impact-on-performance (IP) as a tool to support their decisions. Due to numerous benefits of evaluating the IP in construction, it becomes essential to conduct research in the area of key performance indicators (KPIs). Nevertheless, no comprehensive and systematic research studies in this area have been conducted, as indicated by this systematic research review. This paper reports an empirical study to formulate a model to assess the IP for construction companies in Malaysia. Real-time Delphi survey questionnaires were distributed to 15 respondents from Malaysian construction experts. The survey identified eight KPIs to evaluate the IP. These KPIs included: (1) cost, (2) time, (3) quality, (4) productivity, (5) safety, (6) environment, (7) satisfaction, and (8) communication indicators, respectively, ranked by their importance. A formula for calculating the IP index (IPI) for construction companies in Malaysia has been derived. Construction senior executives and project managers can use the index to measure, monitor, and improve the performance of their companies.