Factors affecting in the preparation of construction work schedule

Abstract

Construction scheduling is widely used in many construction projects today but there still exists a large disparity in the proper use of this tool. Many projects schedule is created at the beginning of the project and never reviewed or revised until a problem arises. Besides, contractors lack the skills necessary for preparing good construction schedule. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to investigate the factors affecting the preparation of better construction schedule; establish the severity of these factors; and the methods of improvements for preparing better construction schedule. Comprehensive literature review has been conducted to gather the information on the factors affecting the preparation of construction work schedule followed by structured questionnaire distribution as a main tool to gain data to establish the severity of these factors. The data attained were analyzed using average index and frequency analysis. From the analysis highlighted, there were thirty-five (35) factors where these factors were divided into four (4) main categories which were project specific factors, project management, working condition and external environment related factors. Hence, the results showed the top three factors that have the highest rank were complexity of project, identification of critical activities and type of project involved. In conclusion, the study also identified recommendations that can be used by the project participants in order to prepare effective and good construction work schedule in the local construction industry.